<p>As everyone returns from Preview, it would be nice to hear and perhaps learn from your experiences. What would you have done differently or wish that you had brought with you? Please post here to benefit all of us who have yet to attend. I had heard that you/we would be wise to bring to preview a copy of all preregistration documentation ( AP scores from last year, copy of your latest report card, immunization form record, prepaid student ID card, copy of $200 tuition deposit confirmation receipt). There have been "issues" in the past where registration appointments were lost due to missing information.</p>
<p>Ufstudent, did you go to the May 16-17 preview? Anyone?</p>
<p>Well I see them around. I dont know why they make preview so long. And I just found out the they require you guys to now stay till 5pm on the second day. When I went (2years ago) I was on my way home after I registered for my classes in the morning. </p>
<p>I can tell you my experience. I thought it was boring and the information presented was very repetitive.You start from 8am-7pm on the first day and then 8am-5pm on the second day. (WAY TOO LONG). Out-of-state might have some problems meeting people because a lot of people from florida resgister for preview when their friends are going, so you will see groups of friends when you stay at broward for the night.</p>
<p>Hi, Seiclan:</p>
<p>We just did Preview and here is an overview.</p>
<p>Day 1</p>
<p>Starts at 8AM in the Reitz Student Union. You will park in lot 5 and walk to the Reitz Student Union. There are plenty of students stationed along the route to answer questions. You check in on the 3rd floor, near the ballroom. Parents and students split up for the morning sessions.</p>
<p>Parents topics include Successful Transitions, Academics 101, Money Matters, Gator 1 Central, Lunch Break (you can meet your student for lunch), followed by a session on Your Students Health.</p>
<p>By this time it is 3pm, you then can attend breakout sessions witeh your student, which include overviews on the Career Resource Center, Computing at UF, Things to do in Gainesville, Student Health care Center, AIM Program Study Abroad, Gator's Guide to Florida, etc. You will have time in the afternoon to attend two of these sessions, which you choose.</p>
<p>At 3pm, its back to the Ballroom in the Reitz Student Union, where you get an address from the vice present (of UF, not US), Alcohol education and Campus Safety. The Campus safety presentation is 45 minutes long. It was probably about right for the students, but might be too long for the parent. There was a lot of fidgeting and no applause at the end of this presentation, so be ready for it. </p>
<p>Day 1 is very organized and all the activities take place in the Reitz Student Union Building. The ballroom got very cold, with most people there wishing they had brought a sweater. After lunch, many people came back wearing sweaters they had purchased in the bookstore.</p>
<p>I would recommend wearing very comfortable shoes. You will be parking in Lot 5, which is located across from the Physics building. It is about a 10-15 minute walk from your car to the Reitz Student Union Building. </p>
<p>Back to Day 1 activities.....After the long safety presentation, you will walk to the dorm. During our preview session all students stayed in Broward. When you leave Reitz, you will walk to your car in lot 5 to get your students luggage and then walk to Broward, or whatever dorm you are assinged. This is about a 30 minute walk.</p>
<p>You'll meet your student advisor from the preview staff outside the dorm. You will then proceed on to 3 more activities, Check-in, resource fair and dinner. You will be split up into three groups, with each doing a seperate activity in rotation, until you have completed all 3. The resource fair is in the basement of Broward. It is VERY crowded, so I would recommend letting everyon else go through first. The resource fair really wasnt that useful or interesting. Maybe it will be for you, but for us, it was not one of the high-points.</p>
<p>You will finish about 7 and then walk back to Reitz for skits presented by the preview staff. It was over about 8:15pm. You will then go to your hotel. Your student will return to the dorm and will work on reviewing a catalog of classes for their meeting with the advisor on Day 2. Their preview advisor will be there to help them.</p>
<p>Day 2 </p>
<p>You will meet your student at about 8am to pick up their luggage. If your student stays in Broward, look for the bike racks and meet your student there. You can drive right up to that location. </p>
<p>Students spend the day meeting with their counselor to set up classes and going to Gator 1 Central to set up bank account, meal plan, bookstore account, buy their parking decal, etc. It is well organized. Some parents went to the Gator 1 Central to help the student set up their bank account with Wachovia the on-campus bank. We use a different bank for all of our banking, so my son did not need me there. I told him he could call me on my cell if he had any questions or problems. He did not. </p>
<p>Parents have a very loose schedule on Day 2, which can incloude Gator 1 Central with your student, Family Regional Receptions, Campus Walking Tour, Dorm Tour,etc. You can do all of these activites or only the ones you choose. Parents are not on a set schedule on Day 2. </p>
<p>There is a presentation for both parents and students at 4:15, you attend either the "On-Campus" or "Off-Campus" living experience, both in Reitz.</p>
<p>Overall, it was very well orgnized and executed, both parents and students seemed to be happy with the knowledge and help they received. You will do a lot of walking on Day 1 and bring a sweater and comfortable shoes.</p>
<p>My son brought along all the information you suggested in your post above, but encountered no difficulties. In fact, he is thrilled that he got all the classes for the fall semester at the times he wanted. </p>
<p>Good Luck! You'll enjoy Preview.</p>
<p>Thank you so much Gnu! That was really helpful. Which meal plan did you sign up for?</p>
<p>My kid eats very small meals, but eats 3 meals and one dessert in the evening each day, so he signed up for the unlimited plan. I think most of the girls were signing up for smaller plans. </p>
<p>On the morning of Day 1 of Preview, meal plan student advisors will be positioned near the ballroom entrance, so you can get all the details right after you check-in.</p>
<p>I told my son just to get the unlimited plan so he doesnt have to worry about it. He is 6' tall and weighs about 135 lbs, so hopefully he falls victim to the notorious freshman 15. :)</p>
<p>i went to the 16th-17th preview.</p>
<p>everything about the above poster seemed right, i guess from a parents point of (assuming you are a parent :) ) The only thing that got to me was your estimated time to walk from place to place. from the parking lot to the reitz is about 5 minutes and from the rights to broward is 5-10 min.</p>
<p>From students point of view:</p>
<p>Check in; split from parents
go to the morning welcome in the auditorium
split into your small groups (groups a-x) the groups are completly random excepts for honors and aim. your small group meets in a room and discusses all the basics of college like gpa's, selecting courses, credits, etc.</p>
<p>at about 11 students go to the college sessions where they can learn more information about the specific college/major they will attend. after the first one students go to a second major they are considering.</p>
<p>12:30 is lunch and back to your small group ( you eat with your small group). students figure out what classes you need for your major and how to navigate ISIS. then you start to create a rough schedule.</p>
<p>15 min break</p>
<p>2:40-3:10 first break-out session (see gnusasaurus post)
3:15-3:45 2nd break-out</p>
<p>Next hour is about campus safety, alcohol wellness, speech from VP of student affairs</p>
<p>Go back to cars and get bags to put in broward</p>
<p>5:30-7:00 rotations (dinner, check-in, resource fair)</p>
<p>7:15 Hour skit from preview staff</p>
<p>next you meet with your small group to discuss different situaitons/experiences in college</p>
<p>9:15 everyone starts making there schedule according to period and to make sure no classes conflict with the other so when you meet with your advisors you will know exactly what you want.MAKE BACKUP CLASSES you're not necessarily going to get the classes you want(or at least the time you want it)</p>
<p>roommate selections are based on whos in front/behind you. so stay in line with your friend and let them know you want to stay together</p>
<p>the 2nd day is preety much the same like gnusasaurus said, except for at the end everyone is preety drained. bring a sweater!!!</p>
<p>good luck everyone :)</p>
<p>uf student,</p>
<p>Your walking times (15-20 minutes) are probably a good estimate for a student. For an out of shape 52 year old (with a watch), I think I was pretty close. :)</p>
<p>gnusasaurus: i know how you feel. When I was walking up the hill towards the reitz, my calfs(i dunno if that's right) were burning the heck out of me!</p>
<p>When you are an old guy, you're breathing pretty hard after coming up that hill. :)</p>
<p>If, like me, you feel the need to get a soft drink from the vending machine after walking to Broward....DO NOT use the vending machine in the hallway on the way to the men's room. That was the SLOWEST vending machine I have ever used. I can't figure out why it look so long to dispense.</p>
<p>There are other vending machines on the same floor. Maybe they are faster.</p>
<p>You guys will get use to it fast. You calves will start to hurt fast else if you are from somewhere flat (ex. south florida) anf come to gainesville where there are inclines everywhere. I think the largest is on center drive going toward the psych, new engineering, and SHANDS. Also you will learn to walk a lot. Walking from JWRU to broward isnt that long compared to other distances.</p>
<p>i became inclined to ocala. everything around me is flat..and if you've been to ocala you know that you have to drive to get to anywhere you want to go.
In NY i did a lot of walking, went to school with 4 floors, and lived on the 3rd floor of my house which is on a hill...so like you said it won't be a big of a deal later.</p>
<p>Also want to warn parents/students. When you visit broward dining to go eat. That is not the service and choices you will get when you start school in the fall. </p>
<p>*They dont now dress up in the red suits that you see.
*They dont always have a smile on you face, and act nice to you.
*And you will never get all the food choices that you got during that time.</p>
<p>Everyone on in the red suits are the managers or they are the good employees that do their job well. For Fall/SPring they hire students that could care less about having good service. They just want to impress parents so they will buy the meal plans.</p>
<p>Also I still think unlimited plan is way too much. You will never eat that much. Save you money and get a lower meals per week or block plan.</p>
<p>im just going to get declining balance</p>
<p>We just got back from Preview and although we were really tired afterward, it was a great trip. Every presenter at UF worked really hard to share important information in a positive manner. The student presenters and advisors had lots of energy and enthusiasm. The folks who already posted did a great job of summarizing the experience. </p>
<p>I think they found a way to moderate the temp in Reitz because most people seemed comfortable, even in shorts. I also suggest that students bring a pillow for the overnight. Some of the parents seemed quite grumbly on the second day. There wasn't much for them to do and they were probably tired from the previous day. I suggest that parents take a good book to read while the students are meeting with their advisors on the second day. Plan on having several hours to sit. </p>
<p>Also, parents should not to complain too much in front of your student (or other students for that matter). If you can't block out two days from your busy lives to spend with your kids before they leave home for a long time, you sould probably send your kid to Preview alone. We were really surprised at how many parents complained that Preview was too long...too boring...too tiring. One mom even yelled at a presenter (because she didn't have an extra copy of a booklet for her) right in front of everyone. Then the lady ran out of the room yelling, "Forget it!" Imagine how her kid felt...</p>
<p>Most people were very positive and friendly though. We learned a lot about UF in a short time. The campus was clean and busy, but not crowded. The weather was warm but not hot. The incoming students seemed like really nice kids. Good luck to everyone. Try to enjoy every minute of this adventure...you can sleep when you come home.</p>
<p>We just returned from Preview, and I'm afraid I'm a bit negative about it. The student staff was fantastic. They were all over the place. I never had to look for a staff member when I had a question. They were friendly and enthusiastic, just perfect for the job. </p>
<p>The presentations were repetitive and the schedule was exhausting. 8AM to 8PM on day one, without a break. Lunch in Reitz Hall, without your student. Dinner in Broward Dining, with your student. The woman who spoke from 3 to 4 was very monotone. I got up to go to the rest room, and when I looked at the audience on the way back to my seat, fully half of them were asleep! And there were 12 people in the back corner of the ballroom, stretched out on the floor, sound asleep. </p>
<p>All the parents were complaining (not in front of their kids), and after the last session, one man said, "They could have done all this in about five hours time". If you've done any research at all, on any topic on the UF website, you already know nearly everything they're going to tell you at Preview. I must admit however, I had not researched campus crime and date-rape, and those topics are covered at Preview. And the student skits were fun to watch, a nice break in the monotony. </p>
<p>IMPORTANT HINT: Try to sit in the middle section of the ballroom, not in the two side sections. It's a beautiful room, but the acoustics are pretty bad, and you won't hear very well sitting in the side sections. We sat in a side section on the second day, and couldn't hear a word they said. There is volume, but all the words are muffled. One of the presenters even apologized for the acoustics on the first day.</p>
<p>ANOTHER HINT: The ballroom was freezing, but our breakout session rooms on the second day had no air conditioning at all, and no open windows! RUN to get to your breakout rooms early, so you get a seat. It was 100º in the room, and a few of the people who were standing got sick and had to leave.</p>
<p>I'm still glad we all went, and I'd do it all over again for my son. He was so thrilled and excited the whole time we were there. It was a great experience for him, and I give all the credit for that to his wonderful student group leader and the other terrific student staff. They really saved the day.</p>
<p>g8trmom---> I agree with you. If you research UF before going to Preview you will be very bored because you will have already learn all those things. Thats why I have negative opinions about preview; I came in with what classes with section # I wanted and small groups ending being boring. </p>
<p>Also student should check out the SG offices on the third floor of the reitz union. It hold all the information on the student organizations at UF (~600). Also you get to see the students that control the $11 million budget that they get.</p>
<p>I just got back from Preview yesterday evening. It was the first session for Fall admits. For the most part, I thought it was very good, although like the others stated, a lot was repetitive. I really did have fun.</p>
<p>The worst thing about the presentations in the grand ballroom was that the speakers had no life/action in their voices. I saw a lot of people dozing off ( I nodded off a couple of times myself). The presentations on the second day were even worse because by that time (afternoon on the 2nd day) everyone was pretty exhausted and just wanted to go home. There's a lot of walking, so be sure to wear very comfortable shoes. I really didn't know Gainesville had so many heels. Me being from Daytona Beach where there's hardly any incline, my poor little calves had to get used to it. </p>
<p>The dinner in Broward dining hall was very good (although really crowded, and you only have 30 minutes to eat.) , though ASMAJ says it won't be like this during the semester. </p>
<p>I met a lot of people. At the end of the night on Day 1, there was some sort of dance/party thing where I got to see a lot of people with no rhythm/coordination dance (me being one of them).</p>
<p>As far as the dorm situation, like stated above, everyone stays in Broward. I was in a triple dorm with two other guys. It didnt feel cramped then, but I'm not sure how it would feel to be put into a "temporary" triple when everyone has their stuff in the rooms.</p>
<p>Day2: Finally registering for your classes during a 1-on-1 session with an advisor. I was elated to to find out that all the classes I wanted were available at the times I preferred. I'm very satisfied with my schedule.</p>
<p>Some groups also went on tours.. I didn't get to go on one because somehow my advising session was skipped and I had to go about an hour later than scheduled, so I was off-track with regards to the other kids with the same advisement time (10:25am).</p>
<p>After lunch (we were in the racquet club.. again, awesome food.. not sure if this is a tease as well) morning advising kids went into the auditorium for presentations/videos and also we played a trivia game (prizes were candy)</p>
<p>Finally, after this we were able to go get our IDs. After getting your ID from Gator 1 central, you could then go sign up for a meal plan. Wachovia was also there for people who wanted to create a (free) checking/savings account since there are tons and tons of wachovia ATM machines on campus. The bank account could also be linked to your Gator 1 card.</p>
<p>sorry if this post was a little incoherent and unorganized.</p>
<p>BTW: I really liked the bookstore.. I really didn't expect it to look like that.</p>
<p>We were at the same preview. My daughter also got all the classes that she wanted at the times that she wanted. She was also in a triple for the overnight. I did the dorm tour of Broward and Jennings. Broward was nicer than I thought it would be. The East side (tho not the West) has new blue carpet and newish furniture. The rooms are pretty big for dorm rooms (bigger than I had at Boston U). The laundry room in the basement had lots of nice looking machines. Jennings had similar rooms though no carpet (tile). Very similar to Broward but 4 minute walk further from the center of campus/classes. My leg and hip muscles were aching every evening after walking all over campus during the day. We signed up for the declining balance meal plan instead of set meals (since my daughter would very rarely sit down to a full meal). I was really glad that everyone told me to bring a sweater since the ballroom was freezing on Day 1.</p>
<p>I was in Group E. I haven't signed up for a meal plan yet.. You can always do that online though, can't you? I'll probably end up doing the 14 Meal Option with $230 Flex Bucks or just set up a Declining Balance Account. I also don't really see myself sitting in a dining hall eating that often.</p>
<p>One aspect of Broward that I really didn't like was the fact that there were only 3 stalls and 2 showers (plus a bath tub, heh) for the whole floor. I'm not sure how the other residential halls are set up.</p>
<p>The whole experience really just made me more anxious about starting there this fall.</p>