University of Florida
Reviews

Totally Safe

In 4 years I never heard of any serious crimes happening on campus. We have our own police force which is really cool because they aren't busy with Gainesville "crimes" and can focus on the campus. Also we have blue light poles which have an emergency button on them. You push it and it calls the police for you and tells them your location. You can always see the next blue pole from the one you are at so if you are running from someone you can push each red button and the police can track your path and determine where you are heading to help find you.

I Love It Here!

I really love UF but Gainesville can be a little boring. If you don't like to drop a lot of cash then there is a limited number of things to do around the city. But I love the campus, the professors for my major, and of course, the Football! Being able to go to football games and be a part of this large community of fans is a wonderful experience. The Gator Nation truly is everywhere and I am so blessed to be a part of it

LOVE THIS NATION

It's no wonder we're called the gator nation. The pride at this school is incredible and seeps into your very core. I love how social it is and how easy it is to make friends. There's never a dull moment at UF. From home football games, crazy frat parties, eating out with friends, there is always something to do. The majority of the professors are also great. They really care about your intake of knowledge and growth at the University of Florida. I just finished my freshman year, and If I could I would do it all over again.

Chose Healthy Food Options

I did not have a meal plan during the school year. However, I did visit the dining halls and I went to the markets that were open late. The food was good at the dining halls and they had healthy choices as well. Additionally, the markets were convenient and were open late. The only bad thing about the food plan and markets are that they are expensive.

How to Earn an a- or Higher at the University of Florida

Seeing one's hard work pay off gives the individual confidence in their performance and allows them to stay positive for their future courses. Thus, many students want advice on how to maintain a good GPA when taking challenging courses. My advice, is to find the local tutoring business and take advantage of all of their services. Additionally, when attending their tutoring services make sure to pay attention and review until the test day. Lastly, make sure to practice, practice, practice. Many of the challenging courses at UF are in the math and sciences. Therefore, it is important to review and practice as many problems as possible because the solution to the problem will not seem as easy to get during the test. One last thing, do not freak out before the test/be nervous. Try to be confident in yourself and if you don't do so hot on the test the first time, make sure to better the second. However, don't always have the mentality that there is a next time. Always try to do your best from the beginning.

DIVERSITY

Seriously I could describe people all day - my school is HUGE. There is every fashion statement (including the ones that don't actually exist), every combination, every look, possible to find on this campus. Students have their own niches and friend groups - you have relationships within these groups and through other extra-curriculars and events you participate in. Greek life is huge.

UF Loves It's Athletics

While UF may be looking to save 1.2 million on cutting specific sections of libraries throughout campus (not good), they certainly are excited about athletics, student safety, and having fun activities available to everyone at all times. Reitz Union is amazing - very accessible and it's like a mini city with tons of food, resources, and important people. The Southwest Gym is exceedingly nice, as is the FL pool, stadium, and even the smaller racquetball gym near the Hub. Again, UF loves athletics and spends money on fitness like no other. Additionally, UF spends money on safety - which is necessary, but getting ridiculous. They're apparently installing cell-phone chargers stationed around campus, much like the the 'blue-light' stands that allow people in danger to call the police/call for help. General campus aesthetics are good - tons of people, busy, always something to do, lots of resources and trees.

Almost Perfect

The upkeep and maintance of the facilities is surprisingly good at UF, despite the age of the school. There are always prompt and periodic repairs or renovations going on, and the maintance team is very active and can even be called in my students, in terms of campus housing. For the most part, the buildings have very good layout, are always clean, and functional according to the purpose they serve. High tech, up to date, and visually pleasing!

We Have the Best Athletics

Our teams are extremely competitive. Especially baseball, basketball and lacrosse. And obviously football until Tebow left

YAY

FLORIDA IS AWESOME. I LOVE IT SO MUCH. PARKING IS HORRIBLE.

Parking

parking is terrible, too many students, not enough parking, things are very far

There Is a Variety of Apartments!

The campus holds events for off campus housing each semester. The university helps and advised students in the transition from on campus housing to off campus housing, or directly to off campus housing. The prices range according to how far away the apartments are located from campus. Prices are fair, and living conditions are great!

Many Choices

There are many choices for off-campus housing and there is a large range of prices. It is relatively easy to find a reasonable price for a good apartment. Most of the apartments are very close to campus which is a huge convenience. You can live farther away but will have to pay to park on campus and/or take the bus which can be time consuming.

Off campus dining

There are so many different restaurants to choose from here, and if you want to change up your plans for lunch, places like Tijuana Flats, Red Mango, Firehouse Subs, and Dunkin Donuts are right across from campus. Aside from that you can have a wonderful meal in case you want to go out for lunch or dinner with friends and family.

Dining halls

It already costs a lot to get a meal plan on campus, and sometimes in the dining halls the food isn't all that great. I have gotten woozy a couple of times as a result, therefore this year is the last I will buy a meal plan.

UF Athletics

There is nothing quite like going to a Gator football game (or any sport for that matter). I had the liberty of attending UF while Tebow was there and nothing quite beats going to one of his football games. The UF student section has a strong allegiance and fan support.

Greeks Make up About 30%

I find greek life to be great. There is a house for everyone. If you are interested in joining you can get in. However, activities and popularity depends on the specific house. They dominate campus but provides an unlimited opportunity for everything on campus.

DRUGS

Alcohol is very very common. Weed is also fairly common. Other drugs are much less common and out in the open as the policies on them are much more strict.

Very Social

UF is one of the biggest party schools in the country

Not Really Sure

I'm not very into the club scene but there are lots of places to go if you are. Midtown has more of a bar feel to it whereas downtown is mostly clubs and dancing. They have buses to take you downtown so you don't have to drive/find parking which is convenient.

Proud Protection

Although drinking is the most popular activity at UF. But there are rarely any serious drug problems that the campus police can't handle.

Greekdom

The Greek life here is what you make of it. Some people feel as if they must go greek to have popularity and some don't care. I am friends with people who are greek. They are cool to me and do not seem to be glorified (not by me that is). I think it just depends on the person and how often they are around greek people and attend their events to say whether it is a positive or negative atmosphere.

Environmental Science

I love my major, but I have had to work hard to create a schedule of classes that I truly enjoy. It is worth the extra time to look over the schedule of courses to find good classes and do the extra research on teachers. Otherwise, you can get stuck in busywork classes with boring teachers or in classes that are harder than they need to be. But after learning this I have found phenomenal classes with great professors.

Fantastic College Experience

UF is your classic college town and provides the opportunity to experience everything you want to in college. You just have to take advantage of everything the school has to offer. I couldn't have made a better choice. There is an amazing football team and school spirit, excellent academic choices and education and endless ways to enjoy your time here.

Parties

I'm not big on partying but there are plenty of clubs, and hangout locations within walking distance of the dorms if you really wanted to. Of the few house parties I've gone to the atmospheres are usually relaxed with drinking games and chatting. I have heard from friends of parties being broken up but mostly because of the noise level since they were living in an apartment complex. A lot of restaurants have problems with serving alcohol to minors and many were put on probation in the summer of 2011 because of it. The city has started to crack down on underage drinking. There are a few restaurant/bars that underage groups could go to and everyone is allowed into the clubs but anyone underage is stamped or given a bracelet so the servers know not to serve them alcohol. As for transportation the buses run til about midnight, and after that there is a service called SNAP that transports students around campus if they cannot find a ride. the problem with snap is that you absolutely have to be on or at least near campus or they will not reach you. Otherwise get a designated driver or use a taxi. It is never good to stay out late by yourself in Gainesville there have been quite a few assaults and robberies late at night.