University of Florida - Academics

Quick Stats

College Prowler Take

With about 1,700 professors here, it can be difficult to characterize them as a single group. Generally, most professors are very willing to help you outside of class—you just have to take the initiative to seek out help. The University of Florida has a reputation as one of the most prestigious universities in the country, so expect coursework to fit that. Don’t think you won't have to study and don’t expect an easy A. Yes, there will be courses you’ll hear about on campus that are an easy A, but those are few and far between. Become comfortable with “Club West”—you’ll be spending time in there for sure.

At some schools, you can have either breadth or depth: a lot of majors with only a few faculty and classes in each, or a more restrictive choice of majors with tons of professors and plenty of courses. UF, however, offers both. You can go from animal science/pre-vet to wildlife ecology to math to history to English and education. All of these positive aspects won’t just fall in your lap, of course—this is too big a place for anyone to hold your hand for four years—but if you take some responsibility for your own education, all your academic dreams can be met at the University of Florida.

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Students Speak Out

gatorgirl1 says: University of Florida 2012 Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies, and Humanities

I'm not gonna lie, UF is a... I'm not gonna lie, UF is a challenging school academically compared to other public universities. UF was named a "Public Ivy" by U.S. News, so that just shows how competitive UF is. In the end, it's definitely worth all the hard work to get a degree from here. 12345 Academics: May 23, 2009 Report

Alisa206 says: University of Florida 2011 Arts, Visual and Performing

I Havent Started Yet A Well i havent start college yet i am still in high school. But for our school rusluts we are great in academics. We try to fouces on our academics before everything else 12345 Academics: March 18, 2010 Report

Anonymous says:

I have had a wide variety of... I have had a wide variety of teachers, just like at any school. Some teachers lecture to large classes, while others teach smaller, seminar-style classes. In order to really get to know my teachers, I’ve gone to office hours. I have found that most teachers are interested and are willing to help when students make the effort to talk. 12345 Academics Report

Anonymous says:

A few instructors even use their... A few instructors even use their own textbooks, so they really know what they’re talking about. It really depends on what field you plan on studying. 12345 Academics Report

Anonymous says:

You will have TAs for some smaller... You will have TAs for some smaller classes, and they’re usually cooler about skipping class and giving off Fridays, because they’re still students also. 12345 Academics Report

Facts

Did You Know?

Whether you know what you want to study or not, UF has got what you need—the University is among the nation’s top three schools in terms of number of majors offered on a single campus. There are almost 100 undergraduate majors, over 200 graduate programs, and professional programs in dentistry, medicine, pharmacy, veterinary medicine, and law.

As the nation’s third largest university, many students may worry about the lecture halls that feel more like a skybox rather than a classroom. Although, there are no personal skyboxes in which classes are taught, some classes are relatively large. It would be difficult to expect otherwise with more than 53,000 people on campus. Carleton Auditorium, for example, seats around 650. The New Physics Building is another auditorium classroom that may intimidate you. Think stairs. Lots of them. However, class sizes get smaller after the first couple of years.

If you earned the popular Florida Bright Futures Scholarship, expect to be “testing out” for some of your credits. In an attempt to save the state some money, students are required to submit College-Level Examination Program (CLEP) scores, meaning the state has to pay for fewer places in general-education courses. IB, AP, and dual-enrollment scores can sometimes take the place of CLEP scores, but you shouldn’t worry about any of this until you meet with an academic advisor during the summer orientation program (Preview).

Several courses are offered via TV and the Web. You can watch them from your dorm, in the computer labs, or off-campus if you have cable. One warning: there is a great temptation to tape them and watch them “later.” If there is a chance that you will succumb to procrastination and never get around to watching 18 hours of ECO 2023 during the last week of the semester, you should just go to class in the mornings.

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