This is for students/parents from out of state who are not sure of attending UF. My D is now a sophomore (from NJ) and she continues to rave about UF. She quickly made fiends and joined clubs to get involved. The sports is crazy good and school spirit is high. She has access to a ton of resources and the weather of course is great. She recommends the “Out of Stater Gators LLC” for sure (Broward Hall). Although she did not have one, get a scooter if you can.
One negative on UF for OOS is the location of the airports. Orlando is 1 hr 50 min away and bus rides to/from are not plentiful. Jacksonville is a little closer, but the cost of flying in JAX is MUCH higher than Orlando.
Good luck to all are waiting for the Feb admission decisions being released.
Hey, I’m a senior from Texas with national merit and UF is currently one of my top choices. I’ve already made UT Austin for biochem but the full ride offer at UF is making me consider attending.
What’s campus life like at UF? Is there a lot of stuff to do at Gainesville or is it a boring city? Also how does the OOS Gators LLC work, because Broward is usually the most popular dorm at UF and I would assume most IS students live there. Are we put in a separate wing with fellow OOS students or are we together with everyone else?
@PathophysiologyFTW
On the OOS Gators LLC, I believe OOS gators get first preference for it. If you select it, you pretty much get into it.
On Gainesville vs Austin. Of course, Austin has far more to do, and is a much larger town (and Texas’s capital). Gainesville is the typical college town. Plenty to do, but you have to actively seek out clubs, make friends, etc.
I think cost to fly to JAX vs Orlando might have a lot to do with where you are flying from. We fly to Jax from Boston all the time and the prices are very reasonable–Orlando is rarely a much better deal–plus JAX airport is incredibly easy to fly in and out of. Delta and JetBlue both fly direct.
@PathophysiologyFT I assume you have visited already? If not, it is worth the trip and explore the area. I agree with Gator88 that it is not a big city. If that is important than Austin may be more attractive.
My D took the Red Coach bus line to/from Orlando airport. The rates differ based on the day (more around the holidays). Ride sharing is the best way to go if you can find a group.
My Philly D is a Freshman (having the best experience she ever hoped for) and she flies from the little regional airport in Gainesville that’s very close to campus.
She connects in either Charlotte or Miami. American and Delta both offer a couple flights daily.
@houndmom I forgot about that option, but it is a good one to list. For others, just be aware this is an expensive one and that it does require 1 stop.
I’ve read the posts of one parent on these boards within the past couple of years that complained about Broward because of the “constant cough” that the residents of Broward have. I realize most college kids get sick their first month or so, but this parent said it lasted the whole year and might have had something to do with mold/mildew problems in Broward. Any insights about this to share?
@amsunshine Example of 1 - my D currently lives in Broward and there was no coughing while she was home for Thanksgiving or Winter Break, and I’ve never noticed a cough when she calls home weekly.
As we live pretty far away, she resides in the dorm consistently, coming home only for major holidays.
Oh, here’s a question for you. How many gators have your kids seen on campus? My dd20 has seen some youtube videos of gators on campus and she thinks it’s hilarious. (She’s an animal lover, so having them on the campus only makes UF more endearing to her, lol.) I’m guessing it’s pretty rare, but if your kids have seen any this semester, my dd would get a kick out of hearing about it.
@amsunshine Ride share is the easiest. There are a ton of kids from the Tampa area at UF. Straight shot is under 2 hours. On the bus is under three and about $30.
The easiest place to see gators on campus is Graham Pond near architecture building.
From the DC area, Southwest Airlines from BWI to Jacksonville is considerably cheaper than flights to Orlando. And my daughter has used the EZ Shuttle to get to and from the airport without incident. The one time she flew out of Gainesville, it was more expensive and her flight was delayed and she missed her connection in Atlanta.
@amsunshine OOS mom of freshman boy living in Broward here. He’s been sick (with a cough) all year. I even brought him to the dr when he came home for winter break. No fever and not coughing up anything so dr said maybe allergies. He tried allergy pills for a few weeks and gave up when it didn’t help. Not sure if it’s a Broward thing or a dorm living, not taking great care of myself thing…