Why UF?

Colleges and Universities A-Z University of Florida
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We’re in Florida and my daughter will be a NMF for 2020. While she really hopes to go to school OOS (Mid-Atlantic/NE), everything is a reach because the schools we can afford are also very selective OR they are less selective, but she needs an very competitive full tuition or full ride scholarship to attend. I think she has a reasonable shot at a few, but they are all reaches in one way or the other. So that brings us back to UF…

Since she’s not a fan of the weather or football, why/how is UF a great school specifically for undecided students? I know UF does well in the rankings and is increasingly selective. They not doubt offer great resources and opportunities for juniors/seniors. But I think it’s essential she has a great education in her freshman year as well so she can find her path, not just attend huge lecture/online classes designed to weed out students. (Okay, I’m being a bit harsh, but there’s some truth there as well.)

If she was confident in her major, I think UF could be a great choice. But after her recent visit to a top LAC, UF just seems to fall flat in terms of individual support, guidance, and career counseling for undecided majors. She’s just not feeling the love…

We’re familiar with the honor’s program but I’m hoping there’s more that we’re missing. Does UF have any special programs/cohorts for top students in their freshman and sophomore years? Do they offer any additional support for NMF students re: research or internship opportunities, similar to UCF?

I’m not asking this to be snarky, because I would truly love for her to get excited about UF because it may be the best option we can afford. But I keep thinking about the familiar refrain I hear on CC about how students should love their safety/match schools, and she’s just not there yet.

Her specifics in case they matter - 4.0UW, IB program, second right now in class, tons of APs (mostly 5s, but a few 4s), one IB (6) but many more this year, club and varsity swimmer, swim team captain, other normal volunteering and misc. ECs - nothing at state/national level, NMSF, 1550 SAT one sitting. Interested in science/math fields (not STEM or engineering) or finance/business econ/inv. banking.

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That’s confusing since the S in STEM is Science and the M is Math (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics). I"m sure you meant “not technology or engineering”. :slight_smile:

I normally don’t respond to these type of questions (Why UF?), as each person’s reasons are different. However, a few points…

At UF, or any public university (including U-Michigan, UVa, UNC, UCLA, UCB, etc.), there is not a lot of hand holding. You really do have to take the initiative. That can be a negative, for all the reasons you’ve listed, but it can also be a positive. It helps the kids take on responsibility and develop initiative. I like to think they are a bit more ready to take on the responsibilities of adulthood, after graduation.

UF is VERY friendly for students that haven’t yet decided on a major. They don’t consider major in admissions (for Freshman), and it’s fairly easy to switch majors around your first two years. Not a lot of barriers between majors (with very few exceptions). In fact, during freshman preview, UF will actively promote exploring majors and not to get LOCKED into one.

UF is also a huge COMPREHENSIVE university. it offers a FAR large selection of majors and areas of study that most LACs. The opportunities are UF are almost endless. However, it’s up to the student to take the initiative.

If they need a lot of hand holding, then a smaller LAC may be a better option. But, once again, everyone is different, and you know your child far better than us.

Good luck!

PS: At UF, a few years ago (2?), we had Robert Birgeneau (ex-chancellor for the University of California-Berkeley), give a speech. It was around the future of the Public Research Universities, but he did tell us a story. While he was at MIT (he’s a Physics professor), he would often hire Grad/PHD students from Public Universities, over privates, because he knew they would all work hard and take the initiative.

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@TrendaLeigh UF is a large, public university and with that comes some of the issues you raise. It’s an incredible community and a true college town, which distinguishes it from the state schools in Fla, in my opinion.

It is a tough comparison to put UF side-by-side with a classic LAC in the northeast. Just a different beast.

Have you taken a look at the Wilkes Honors College at FAU? It is separate from FAU’s Boca campus, actually located in Jupiter, adjacent to the Scripps research facility. It’s part of the state university system but is striving for a LAC feel. I’m sure the school would love to have your daughter and the honors college is selective.

As for an overall evaluation of UF, I think @Gator88NE hit the main points. My daughter could not find Gainesville on a map during her junior year but attended a pre-college program at UF the summer before her senior year and fell in love with the place. She had never been to a football game of any kind until she was a UF student, but she enjoys them now – even though she still doesn’t understand the game too well. Asked me why the team loses the ball after only 4 downs…

Most kids who go there love it, but it’s big and that can be a challenge. Let us know where she ends up.

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@TrendaLeigh As Gator88NE said, UF can be a great fit for an undecided major. Like other large public universities, she will find the most available options for majors which would be significantly more limited at a LAC.

She will find more focused attention in the Honors program at UF, including advising, research opportunities and special events which could help her narrow her focus. (However, I would think that she would need to have an area of interest in order to do research…) I suggest that SHE reach out to the Honors program to find out more and attend one of the Fall Information Sessions to get a more in depth understanding of the program. It may still fall flat, but at least she has all of the information.

Something else to consider is that, since she has ‘tons’ of APs and IBs, she will likely have most of her General Education requirements completed via AP/IB. She will basically be a sophomore credit-wise and her first year course selection may be challenging without a general direction of what she wants to study… With the general-ed requirements completed, students are taking the prerequisite courses for their intended majors. The good news is that she will have that year of flexibility to figure out what the best fit is for her.

Not to get into your finances, but most top LACs and elite privates commit to meeting your family’s demonstrated financial need. Each school is required to have a NPC on their website to help you estimate (pretty closely, assuming you enter actual financial information) what your EFC is. Maybe you have done this. If not, it will give you a pretty good idea of what the actual cost will be versus the sticker price. I found that the EFC was more than what I WANTED to spend, but was doable with some sacrifices… Then it is a personal/family decision regarding how you want to spend your money.

Not sure what to tell you about the football and weather issues…:slight_smile:

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@Gator88NE, thanks for responding, and yes, I meant STEM-oriented, but not pre-med and not engineering. Thanks for reading between my confusing lines. I don’ t think she necessarily needs hand-holding, but I do feel she would benefit from strong faculty relationships and/or advising as she sorts our her career goals.

But I can see the advantages of a large university and that an LAC could seem stifling after a few years. I loved the college town feel when I was there! And it is nice to be anonymous sometimes as well…

@GatorDad305, she and I were talking about the fun of football games just yesterday even if you’re not into the sport. (Go Gators - 6 and 0!) She read about Wilkes, but thought it was too small - she also visited New College (wrong vibe according to her).

@fl123, great point about the flexibility the AP/IB credits provide. She’ll have time to explore if needed - or if she figures her path out sooner, she can double major, or just get her BS and get out of dodge (or Florida, as the case may.) It’s good to hear that the honors program, if she gets in, provides some additional support and opportunities. She was supposed to attend a session earlier and we had a death in the family - thanks for the reminder.

Our family is moving to NC when she graduates, which adds insult to injury since her goal has been to go OOS since 7th grade. :slight_smile:

Thanks for taking the time to share your thoughts! She can see herself going to UF - she just doesn’t love it (yet). This is an interesting journey, and we’re glad to have some great options in Florida/

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If your daughter is considering investment banking, UF has an amazing combined degree MSF program where you can graduate with a master;s in finance. Most importantly, the vast majority get top notch banking and finance jobs at the conclusion of the program. Ask about at the warrington college of business.

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@TrendaLeigh If she’s thinking business/finance and wants a smaller school in the Northeast you should look into Bentley. Small classes, great career services and lots of connections for jobs in Boston and NY. It has a high price tag, but I think they give pretty good merit money to someone with her stats.

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@Lat8erGator1, thank you. Now that piqued her interest! How amazing would it be to graduate debt-free with a MSF and an amazing job lined up right after college?

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@mamawitch, thanks for recommendation. She would need a full tuition scholarship to make it feasible, so I’ll call today to see if I can get a sense of the number of scholarships they offer and the stats.

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@TrendaLeigh
Good Luck. I am from ME and my S19 is now at UF. It’s hard to find schools and get a feel for them when you live so far away. There are a lot amazing schools in the Northeast. Check out US News Regional school rankings. A lesser well know nationally school might be inclined to give her more money because she’s geographically desirable. One thing I will say about UF from the impression of a 1st timer is that your daughter doesn’t have to be a number if she doesn’t want to be. My son is in the online Macro class with god only knows how many kids, but he goes to the live lecture every Tu & Th when they record the class. I don’t think he’s actually spoken to the professor, but that’s his choice. When we went for family weekend I was very surprised at the size of the room too. Maybe 50 kids could fit. It did’t feel overwhelmingly big. Now that’s not to say he won’t ever have a gigantic class in a gigantic lecture hall, but I think if your daughter wants a personal connection, and UF makes the most financial sense, she can stay after class, go to office hours and form relationships.

Good Luck with your search. I did so much research with my S19 and now D20 wants a completely different type of school!

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Yes, not that many people know about the MSF because you have to really seek it out and apply after your sophomore year but you should get in contact with them as a freshman to make sure you are on track with the courses they like to see and get involved with the speaker series to express interest.

The MSF UF website has annual reports from many years and you can track the job placements from all these kids. Many placements at the top investment banks in NY that typically only recruit at Ivy League schools. The vast UF alumni network helps the kids get internships their Junior summer and then that almost always follows up with a full-time job offer the next year.

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Good info @Lat8erGator1 My son is a freshman finance major at UF. I will pass this info along to him. He hopes to get a job in NYC after college. He just met with a peer advisor to talk about his track & courses. I wonder if they mentioned this to him.