<p>Congratulations on your acceptance to UF! I noticed a lot of people, including peers of my own tend to come to College Confidential. Thus, I figured I may as well establish an account to give out a big announcement. I am here to invite all new Innovation Academy admits to the Innovation Academy's Class of 2017 facebook page.</p>
<p>Now I HIGHLY HIGHLY recommend you guys join this and get to know eachother. Part of the IA program, is the small college at a big university feel. I am in IA, and I cannot begin to even described how beneficial this was. When I began my UF career, transitioning was done simpler because I knew many of the students I was started college with thanks to a facebook page we have together. We got to know eachother and we started to become like a family before we even began our college career. Our bond is so strong and we gain so much attention from University faculty. I always heard from past UF students that they felt kind of like a number. Actually that's the same case with some regular UF students that are my friends right now. But for me, I don't feel like a number at all, I feel welcomed, important, beloved. And much of this is due to the facebook page where the inaugural class got to know eachother.</p>
<p>The name of the facebook page is "Innovation Academy Class of 2017." I and a couple other inaugural IA students will moderate the page to answer any questions and concerns you guys may have, however, we want the page to be a place where you guys can talk to eachother. Get to know your peers. I for one do not plan to get too involved in the page because I want you guys to be interacting with eachother to the max.</p>
<p>The IA team, admissions, and head University personnel are excited for your guys arrival. Make this Fall productive; take the opportunity to get job experience, shadow experience, volunteering, and etc. </p>
<p>Haha, nahh I’m a Spidey fan lol. Never liked X-Men too much (Bought I loved the First Class movie!). My username is Lightsabertooth since that’s also part of my name and all…I WAS going for sabertooth but uhhh yeah lol…kinda couldn’t pick that name heh. And ty for compliment! lol</p>
<p>Dang it, ummm, try typing simple “UF Class of 2017” and it should still pop up. Please let me know if you still can’t find it, I may have to tweak the name.</p>
<p>I found 3 groups, 2 of them are open and one is a closed group but they are all just class of 2017… they don’t say anything about the Innovation Academy.</p>
<p>Okay I changed the name to UF Innovation Academy 2017, it SHOULD work now. Why does facebook have to be like this sometimes lol</p>
<p>@neelyt: lol, thanks man! Yeah, I’m part of both the Class of 2016 (in general) and IA page (for my class). The Class of 2016 page is full of advertisements and all that. If I post there to just say “hi”, I won’t get any replies for the most part, maybe just a like or two</p>
<p>It’s not coming up when I search that. Can you just paste in the link to the page. It would be something like, <a href=“http://www.facebook.com/ufinnovationacademy[/url]”>www.facebook.com/ufinnovationacademy</a> Sometimes they add a number. Just go to the page and copy it.</p>
<p>Edited to say: Okay, so that fake link I put up is actually a real Facebook page, but it is just IA in general, so what is the one for this year’s class called? Thanks.</p>
<p>Hi, I got accepted to IA. Can you give me like a quick summary of what it exactly is? Like I know it’s a program that starts in the spring semester and has a small school feel to it, but what is it really about?</p>
<p>I just wanted an actual student’s review on the program</p>
<p>DISCLAIMER:
They don’t tell you this, but as an IA student, you are not officially recognized as a full time student at UF. Hence you can not join school organizations like greek life etc. A lot of people don’t know this coming in.</p>
<p>Easttowest94, I’m in a fraternity right now (and I can live in the house during fall without being enrolled at all; last night I got my big), I have a mentor in the mentor/me tee M and M program for the IIE organization, I am about to submit my CEI ambassador application, I have friends on the lacrosse team, trigators, the entrepreneurship club and more, and well…basically, I can do whatever I want. For fall, uf has it where we don’t have to be enrolled full time status for certain things like, football. I don’t need to be enrolled to pick up student tickets. </p>
<p>Looking at the academic side of IA, I’d say its far better to get a degree through IA because of that innovation minor. You literally study and practice (your) innovation, creativity, entrepreneurship, and leadership skills, as well as group work and service learning projects. That’s literally everything employers are looking for nowadays, and I went to career showcase, both days. Every employer I talked to loved the idea about IA because of what it fosters. Some even told me that once I update my resume more and get older, to find them and they’ll try to get me a summer (in which I’d work with my advisor how to make up those classes in summer) internship/fall internship or co op. </p>
<p>The only time you’re super restricted is your “pre-enrollment fall” which is the fall before you start uf. That would mean, for new IA admits, the fall of 2013. But uf has this thing called fall connection where it’s 2 classes for only $600 online, study abroad opportunities, and I had friends who went anyways to the fall and they were able to get a head start and do some clubs and organizations, getting an on campus job, and doing whatever it is they weren’t restricted to in the fall. This next up coming fall won’t be so restrictive for us in the inaugural class. </p>
<p>I can’t begin to describe how rewarding the cohort part of IA is. I feel like I have a family here at Beaty east.</p>
I really appreciated all of that advice!</p>