<p>I don't know how to say this without sounding ungrateful, but I am not very excited about attending Florida. Though it is a great school, it has always been my "safety school" and I never seriously thought I would end up there. </p>
<p>I thought I had a competitive application for the Ivies (35 act, 4.0 from a prep school, national awards in dance, tons of leadership, etc) but was rejected from every school on Wednesday night. </p>
<p>My parents are willing to pay for a small LAC that I was accepted to and love, but it would probably put us in debt and we wouldn't have much left to pay for grad school. </p>
<p>Is there anyone out there who was in my situation a few years ago (that is currently attending Florida)? Actually, I will take advice from pretty much anyone. I feel pretty pathetic right now.</p>
<p>Start focusing on how you’re going to succeed at UF. Whether you enjoy your time here or not is entirely depend on what attitude you have. Florida will offer a huge variety of opportunities, and you can probably expect to be extremely successful here.</p>
<p>You’re still going to be surrounded by smart people (plenty of students here got into ivy’s and chose not to attend), especially if you look for them. Your education is going to be about as good as what you’d get at the ivy’s. Pending your goals, whether you go to UF, dartmouth, or cornell for undergrad probably wont have a drastic effect on your outcomes. especially if you end up going to grad school.</p>
<p>If it makes you feel any better Florida was my safety too, and i didn’t get accepted anywhere out-of-state either. You shouldn’t feel pathetic, you’ll be in honors and most likely at the top of the class. As aforautumn mentioned, there are more than a handful of people who will be turning down Ivies for UF (an acquaintance of mine is going to UF over UPenn).</p>
<p>EastOfEden, I’m in the same situation. I was recruited for baseball at very prestigious academic schools up north, and was convinced I would end up there. But, I didnt get in to them, and now I’m down to UF. A lot of my friends are going there too, so it might be a blessing in disguise, I’m hoping?</p>
<p>It may not seem like it NOW. But by the middle of September, you are going to be thrilled to be a Gator.</p>
<p>If you are starting during the summer. Keep in mind that this is not the REAL UF.</p>
<p>My son turned down Ga Tech and Cornell over Florida. His decision was not an easy one. I for one am glad he did, because college is so much more than just getting your degree. We visited both Ga Tech and Cornell last fall. And the look on the students faces was not one of well adjusted students loving what they were doing. We spoke with dozens of students. And one question we asked, if you go rewind the clock? would you still decide on this school. Most said yes, but it wasnt a overwhelming hec yes.</p>
<p>Let your guard down embrace your decision. May I suggest you copy your posts. And then look at it again when you graduated. You will ask why did I ever think??</p>
<p>I live in Gainesville right now, but am not starting UF until this fall so I definitely don’t know everything, but I would guess summer feels different because less people are there, and fall is much more exciting in general. Fall has football season, Gator Growl, homecoming, etc.</p>
<p>To EastOfEden - I have a very close friend who was in your exact position. UF was not her first choice, and was basically a safety for her. But she did not get into her first choice school, so she ended up at UF. Moving away from home and starting school is hard period, so she had a hard time adjusting at first, but it really only took her a month to get used to it. She is so happy now and loves it and is so glad she ended up at UF. She has a great group of friends, and is really happy and stays very busy with classes, clubs and her social life. It may take time, but you will more than likely fall in love with UF. The campus is gorgeous, the school spirit is unlike anything you’ve ever seen (there’s nothing like a Saturday in Gainesville!), and the education is first-rate. There’s also so many things to do - it is unlikely you will ever be bored. </p>
<p>However, I do want to say this - UF will be what you make it! Yes, it may be a public institution and not an Ivy league school or a LAC, but that doesn’t mean it won’t be just as good. The price tag alone is awesome for all that you get. You can make this experience whatever you want it to be, it really is up to you. There are so many opportunities at UF because it’s a huge public school, with a very diverse population. Take advantage of all of these opportunities! And while it may be a very large school, you can definitely make it smaller with clubs, picking a good major (there are definitely some smaller ones), and a good group of friends. I know it sounds silly, but it’s really true. And, you should not feel pathetic at all. I know it sucks because this was not your first choice, but really, it will be okay. You will love being a Gator. There are many people in your situation, but think of it this way - at least you will still be going to an amazing school and will be getting a great education.</p>
<p>If is a fantastic school even though it’s not an ivy (and the number 7 party school woo lol ) and u will soon be proud to bleed orange and blue I swear it’s infectious. I know a girl who got accepted to Harvard but chose to go to UF to save money. She loved it, did well in school, and is now going to Harvard for grad school. Where you go to grad school is what counts, not undergrad. And going to a cheaper school will allow u to have the money to go to grad school. There are plenty of ridiculously smart people there, probably the smartest because they won’t end up with hundreds of thousands of dollars in debt</p>
<p>Gator4ever meant that UF is not the same during the summer. Everyone is home or gone and it’s very quiet. No rustle and bustle, no sports, just very quiet. During the fall winter and spring the school is alive both day and night with kids rushing everywhere, parties, tons of kids studying in the l library or working out at the gym. It’s a totally different atmosphere</p>
<p>Wow thank you everyone. I had a long talk with my parents today and we both decided that UF was the best choice compared to the LAC. It’s still not my ideal situation, but I’m really glad to hear things have worked out for people like me. </p>
<p>@zapadniyrus, Thank you for the link! It actually did make me feel better it was pretty impressive. And yes, I’m sure the best part about UF is that you’ll be there If you’re in Hume I’m sure we will eventually see each other</p>
<p>@mcs735, Yes me too. That’s the one really great thing about Florida - I was going to be heartbroken to leave my best friends</p>
<p>Welcome to the Gator Nation! Don’t take that term lightly! The networking can take you far in the future. College experiences are always what you make of them. And gators will give you one of the best overall experiences ever.</p>
<p>University of Florida truly offers so many opportunities. You can feel bad about not getting into the prestigious ivies, or take advantage of what is in front of you and make the best of being a Gator. There are so many research opportunities, over 900 student organizations, a large amount of study abroad opportunities, a complex Student Government system with over a 16 million dollar budget which mimics the American Government system structure (Judicial, Legislative, and Executive branches), and an overall vibrant community. University of Florida may be a large public school, but it is a small community. </p>
<p>If going to an Ivy is truly a goal of yours, it is still an option in the future. UF sends many of it’s students to Harvard, Princeton, Yale, Stanford, Emory, JHU, etc. Also, UF is one of the top 100 Universities in our country. I think it ranked in the top 50 or 60 and is considered a ‘tier 1’ University. You would be getting an AMAZING education at a great value. I was accepted into Cornell University, but ultimately choose UF because I didn’t want to receive any financial debt for undergrad. I wanted to minimize debt at all costs because I aspire to go to Graduate school, and quite frankly, I think it’s ridiculous that some people are willing to go into $150,000+ debt over undergrad. </p>
<p>Quite frankly, you’re in a great situation. Do more research of both schools, and you may find that UF is alot better than the ‘safety’ which you originally categorized it as. UF was one of my ‘safety’ schools too originally, but after coming here I realized how blessed I was and how ‘right’ my decision making was. That’s not to say that I wouldn’t have had similar experiences elsewhere, however, that leads back to the financial costs argument. I’d rather conduct research with world renown professors for free than pay $50,000 a year. Maybe that’s just me though.</p>
<p>I’m in the same situation too. I got rejected from every reach school. I did get accepted to GA Tech, but the costs are just too much. I still can’t decide, but I’m leaning toward UF since it costs less.</p>
<p>Does anyone know if we can apply for honors program for spring semester, or sophomore year? I want to do honors but, like I said, I didn’t expect to end up going to UF so I didn’t pay attention about the deadline.</p>
<p>i think its too late. you can apply in the spring. its referred to as lateral admission to honors.</p>
<p>i feel like i’ve been saying this a lot lately, but don’t let honors be a major factor when deciding. its not as big a deal as they make it sound like before you actually put your nose to the grindstone and do actual work. your work ethic will give you a so many more opportunities than some special program will.</p>
If you’re in Hume I’m sure we will eventually see each other</p>
Maybe that’s just me though.</p>