<p>Yeah, I did not enjoy it.
Surprised CC parents were there.</p>
<p>Broward Hall was not great and what was up with the “Amazing Race”? Believe me, no one liked running around in the damning heat.</p>
<p>As an FSU alumnus and parent feel free to make the drive to Tallahassee for a better academic environment. :D</p>
<p>I’m navarre1’s daughter. Since I attended the program, I think I should provide more details about why the program was disappointing.</p>
<p>The program started off very informative. Even though I already knew most of what was presented, I understand that it was probably very helpful to those who knew nothing about UF. As soon as we went to the “student panel,” it all went downhill. This is the impression I got: when the parents were there, it was more professional. But when it was just us students, it was “party time.” Many of the so-called “scholars” who attended the program were very loud and disrespectful to the speakers. I couldn’t hear half of what was said. A few times, the UF students tried to get them quiet, but it didn’t seem as if they were being too assertive. When the panel was over, it was announced that there would be a party. My heart sank. Not all rising seniors like partying. Plus, I didn’t travel five hours to party; I traveled so I could learn about the school. </p>
<p>Dinner was next, and the lines were so disorganized I found it impossible to get any decent food. It seemed like the only way you could get food was to push through people. As a result, I ate a measly bowl of cereal for dinner. Later, the party started. It consisted of extremely loud rap music (of course -_-) and an unbearably hot room. I left the party to hang out in the game room, where they had told us we could go if we didn’t want to party. However, I was soon told that I had to go back downstairs. In a nutshell, I spent the rest of the night alone in my dorm. The next morning, one of the student helpers was very rude to my roommate as we returned to Broward Hall’s lobby. She asked if we were supposed to turn in our keys, and he replied sarcastically, “That’s what checking out is.” After we checked out, we learned much more information, and it was a breath of fresh air after the events of night before. I enjoyed the college fair as well.</p>
<p>The “Amazing Race” is what ruined the second day for me. For those of you who don’t know what that is: we were given a sheet with a list of five checkpoints as well as a few bonus checkpoints. Each one was a clue about where on campus the checkpoint was located. Whoever visited all checkpoints and returned with slips from each one won the game. First of all, we didn’t get to meet with all our teammates beforehand. The had told us that we would have to do that ourselves, but how could we identify and gather our teammates when there were so many people? Anyway, my team almost won, but we ended up failing at the end because my team didn’t know we weren’t supposed to go to the bonus checkpoints. When we realized this, we were already very far from where we were supposed to return. We finally arrived back a while later, and by then none of the other students were outside. One of the helpers was outside, and she informed us that the others had gone inside to have ice cream and were now waiting on the parents to come out. I was crushed; no one had even worried about us or cared whether something had happened to us. In addition, the ice cream was gone. </p>
<p>At the end, the speaker told us we would each receive a T-shirt as a prize. There were separate tables for each size T-shirt they had. This was, as well as the program as whole, very chaotic. To get a T-shirt you had to be rude and push in front of people. Why would I want to go to a school were I have to fight for things as simple as dinner and a T-shirt? After I waited for a long time to get a medium T-shirt, they ran out before I got the chance to get one. Even though I was there before many others, they gave T-shirts to the most aggressive people and not the people who politely waited. The same happened when I moved on to the large T-shirts, and finally I barely managed to get an extra large.</p>
<p>As a whole, it seemed as if the people who ran the program didn’t care about us students as individuals. Many of the helpers were unfriendly, unhelpful, and kept trying to win us over with all the “school spirit” talk. Any idiot knows that UF has a lot of school spirit. I don’t want to waste time and money only to have that shoved down my throat over and over again. When I attended War Eagle Day at Auburn, the staff and students seemed to genuinely be happy we were there and they seemed like they were putting a lot of effort into their program. At Auburn, I felt welcomed and respected. </p>
<p>Overall, I am glad I went to the program. It made me realize how much I’d rather go to Auburn. :]</p>
<p>It’s interesting reading these posts as we’ll be attending an upcoming session. Were there survey cards provided for input on the program?. It would be really great as a poster previously suggested for these experiences good and bad to be communicated to the organizers, so hopefully they can improve and enhance whats not working well. Then again, totally understandably for any application implication. Thanks for sharing at least we know what to expect!</p>
<p>sounds more like a problem with your average high school kid than UF itself.</p>
<p>and you are going to find idiots like that check-out guy everywhere</p>
<p>trust me you wont have to fight for tshirts on a day-to-day basis, or be forced to go to a party.</p>
<p>Navarre2: You described my thoughts exactly. :O</p>
<p>Hah, remember the fraternity and sorority? That pretty much seemed like a joke too.</p>
<p>I probably one of the only people posting on CC that has worked (student volunteer)around 8 or 9 of these programs, including some others. I agree that it can be disorganized and can leave you with a less that favorable impression, but I dont think that experience should change your mind, esp the person mention the tshirt and dining experience. The dining experience is the same thing that happens during preview. </p>
<p>I usually pick 2 or 3 families that interest me and stick around them for the day answering questions. It makes it more personal for them and I get to use my knowledge for something. With a couple hundred families, it hard to make anything personal at any of these programs. Also it’s important to remember that UF is to the point where they dont really need to impress anyone to go, so there is no push to improve the program.</p>
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<p>Yeah, another problem. Not everyone is like me.</p>
<p>I am going to be a sophomore at UF in Fall 09. A lot of your comments sound similar to thoughts and concerns I had around this time last year. At preview, when things were unorganized or other problems arose, I can remember thinking how UF has been doing preview for many years and should’ve figured out how to run it effectively by now. To all of you incoming freshmen: Just wait until you get to class and the first thing your professor tells you is that you are going to fail the class. A lot of the teachers here are very discouraging. I am Pre-Med and I have had teachers who have said that we wouldn’t be able to pass the class another who said he wanted us all to be back the next semester to retake the class because he would have job security if we had to retake it. Like I said, this is very discouraging. But keep working and just ignore their obnoxious comments like that. I ended up doing very well in all my classes.</p>
<p>As a rising sophomore who is not impressed with many things at UF, I would be glad to truthfully answer questions about UF for any freshmen. You can Private Message me if you would like. I am not an expert on the programs and things for all the majors, but if anyone has any general or random questions about being a student at UF, I will answer them to the best of my abilities. I am Pre-Med, so if anyone has questions about the typical freshmen classes for pre-med students, I should be able to answer those.</p>
<p>learninginprog: Yes, there were evaluation sheets so hopefully they will realize why the program needs to improve.</p>
<p>rsala004: I know that things can be bad anywhere, but I just think they should have at least made it worth our while. They sent us a fancy invitation telling us what an honor it is to be invited, so my family figured that it would be wonderful opportunity and that it would be unwise to pass up the offer. We spent a lot of gas money traveling the five hours it took to get there. My mom had to spend money on a hotel as parents weren’t allowed to stay at the school. I didn’t expect to be treated like royalty, but I thought they’d try harder to give us a pleasant time. Other schools I went to did an amazing job with their programs. Why couldn’t UF?</p>
<p>ansar: I remember the fraternity and sorority. It made me laugh. XD</p>
<p>ASMAJ: There were a few helpers that were like you, but they were overshadowed by the ones who just didn’t seem to care. And this experience is not the only reason I don’t want to go to UF. I was already leaning toward Auburn. It’s closer and I like the “feel” of the school better. It offers everything I’m interested in, and the benefits it gives to National Hispanic Scholars are too good to pass up. UF’s program only made my decision more certain. I know UF doesn’t need to impress us, but like I said, they should at least make it worth our while.</p>
<p>FloridaGator3: Thanks for your input! That’s exactly what I thought the school would be like. Everyone knows UF is a good university, but that doesn’t mean the faculty should be snobby and demeaning. Even if a school has great academics and athletics, the attitude of the people there can make it an undesirable place to go.</p>
<p>You are correct that UF doesn’t go out of their way to make anyone feel special or particularly wanted. I remember early in the year getting an invitation for a special honors day to showcase the honors program early in the Fall. It was a wonderful program, but it was really frustrating being told about such wonderful programs and opportunities that MAY await you if were lucky enough to get admitted in Feb. That was odd. But, again … that is typical UF. They can tell you a bunch of wonderful stuff and tell you that you are the type of student they want at their school, yet not promise you admission.</p>
<p>Auburn was WONDERFUL. They hosted a Presidential Scholars Day and really made the kids feel wonderful. They had handwritten letters to each student welcoming them for the program. They gave these kids embroidered backpacks. long sleeve T-Shirts and hosted a wonderful luncheon and dinner. They made my daughter feel wanted. They offered full tuition, study abroad money and a nice bit of $ for technology bonus as well as first choice of dorms.</p>
<p>UM was another who was very welcoming. Offered her amazing merit scholarships that paid most of tuition given the bright futures we have and FL prepaid. They paid for an overnight hotel and dinner to show her around.</p>
<p>UCF offered several scholarships which would have been more money in her pocket. Rollins offered a full ride, University of Ga., etc …</p>
<p>BUT … she still picked FLORIDA. This was basically the only school where they really “couldn’t care less” if she attended or not. There was no $$ to go there. No wining and dining. BUT, I can honestly say as a UF Alum that being a Gator is the most amazing experience. I did not sway my D (nor did my husband another Gator Alum) … we told her that we would support her whichever school she decided to attend.
There is just something special about UF.</p>
<p>OBTW … her second choice of the bunch was Auburn. That campus was amazing and the people there were the nicest by far. Never thought this Gator would say that :)</p>
<p>Wow, judging by the disposition of many of these posts, I am glad some of these people aren’t going to UF.</p>
<p>One girl was mad that there was a party and she didn’t get any ice cream. What is this Kindergarten?</p>
<p>If you want to go to a university where they send you post cards and make you feel good about yourself go to an inferior institution such as Auburn or Florida State.</p>
<p>If you want to belong to a school with better undergraduate specialty programs in addition to a better academic experience, go to University of Florida.</p>
<p>Don’t insult me just because I felt a certain way about UF. It’s my opinion, as well as the opinion of many others who attended. If you disagree, that’s fine, but you don’t know me and you have no right to call me immature. You obviously didn’t read my post thoroughly if you think I’m being whiny about merely the party and the ice cream.</p>
<p>I don’t necessarily want a university that will make me “feel good about myself.” I want to be where I can enjoy my entire college experience, not just get the “best” education. Auburn is a very good school academically. I love the location and how it’s closer to my home. It would also be cheaper for me to go there. All of things plus my experience at the Outstanding High School Scholars Program make me prefer Auburn. What’s wrong with that?</p>
<p>Just because you’re such a huge fan of the school doesn’t mean everyone else will be. Get used to it.</p>
<p>As a student at UF, I would have to disagree with you IntangibleGator. I don’t think UF has very good undergraduate programs and my academic experience hasn’t been all that great. (Not because I am doing poorly. I am pre-med and have done very well in all my classes so far.) It seems like UF is more concerned with their graduate and professional schools than their undergrad programs. I would not consider Florida State or Auburn inferior schools to UF.</p>
<p>Navarre, sorry UF didn’t cater to you hand and foot, you probably shouldn’t go to a school that doesn’t beg for you to attend.</p>
<p>Like I said before, I didn’t expect to be treated like royalty. I expected EFFORT. And being welcoming is NOT the same as begging someone to attend.</p>
<p>I think that it is time to let this subject go. Those of us that went, learned something about the university. Keep in mind that it was just a snapshot, not a full length movie.</p>
<p>Navarre2: I totally understand why you liked Auburn. It is a great school with a great campus life and academic program. Good luck to you. I am sure you will love your college experience.</p>
<p>Thanks WynGator. :]</p>
<p>Instead of just letting the subject die, I’d rather just leave this thread open to those who also attended the program so they can share their experiences. The purpose of this thread was not to bash UF, and my father and I didn’t mean to make that impression. </p>
<p>But honestly, I’ve already toured Florida and spent the night there. I don’t know what else I can do to receive the full picture. (Other than actually enrolling)</p>
<p>I don’t think you’ll ever get the full picture by just attending an informational seminar at any university.</p>
<p>If you want a fair evaluation of the atmosphere of UF, ask someone who is currently up there taking classes. I’m sure you have friends that graduated from high school last year that are currently attending UF. Ask them what they think so far. </p>
<p>Here is good information that would give you better insight on UF without having to enroll:</p>
<p>[Best</a> Colleges - Education - US News and World Report](<a href=“http://colleges.usnews.rankingsandreviews.com/college/national-freshmen-least-most-likely-return]Best”>http://colleges.usnews.rankingsandreviews.com/college/national-freshmen-least-most-likely-return)</p>
<p>US News understands that there are many reasons for students leaving a university after they enroll, but, they think retention correlates to how great of a job a university does of taking care of their students.</p>