This fall, I am going to be a freshman attending University of Florita at Gainesville. I wonder, since I have never visited the campus, and the university is not telling me, how is the life there? Any tips about college living, food, courses, teachers to avoid? Any tip will be welcome. Thanks
Do you want advice specific to your college or general college/dorm living tips?
If it’s general info you want, I’ve got plenty to share.
Hey, KarlGrenze.
I can’t pack eight years worth of information into one little post, and you’d probably be better off adjusting in your own way, but I can share a thing or two.
Get active in the school community as soon as possible – that’s a good way to avoid homesickness. The Student Government office (in the Reitz Union, I think) has a book listing all of the official clubs on campus. Check it out.
Keep an eye out for the free concerts (usually given at the bandshell – behind the SAE building on Fraternity Row). They’ll be announced in the Alligator.
The Reitz Union game room has some cheap entertainment. Go by there often.
Look for the “secret” places in Gainesville…like Kanapaha Gardens, or Devil’s Millhopper.
Recognize that you’re just another number, and will very likely be treated as such. Be patient with everyone in administration…they do a good job.
Don’t think that going out and drinking is the only thing to do. Be creative and be resourceful. Ask somebody!
Keep Busy. This is extremely important. Sitting about, playing video games, etc. will probably ruin your academic standing.
Keep an open mind, and keep learning.
The best words of advice I can give are don’t live in East Hall and have your classes scheduled first thing in the morning. Considering all of the way more interesting places between the dorm and the classrooms, on the rare mornings I did wake up in time I never made it.
The Union is great. They have all kinds of cheap and free entertainment there. Things have probably changed, but most sporting events (except football and basketball) you could get in for little or nothing with your student ID. It was a quarter for baseball games.
The music students also give free concerts (required as part of the degree, or used to be). Those were pretty cool.
If you want a good science course, and if he’s still there, take Geology taught by Dr Perfitt. That is still my favorite course and the only one whose instructor I remember.
Above all, have fun.
Star Light Star Bright-general info is fine
Amulet and AlbertRose-thanks for the information
I came to West Chester University in Pa in the Spring of this year. I had no idea what to bring along with me, so I asked the dopers for advice. I had no idea how much advice I would get back.
Here’s a link to the thread.
http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?threadid=49234
As for my own advice on what to bring, here goes…
Bathroom
Shampoo
Soap and a Plastic Holder
Toothpaste
Toothbrush and a Plastic Case
Face Soap
Contact Case/Solution
A brush
A nice big carrying basket, preferably plastic with a handle and holes in the botton for draining to carry it all
At least 3 towels - you probably won’t be doing wash very often and there’s nothing quite like having to dry off with a nasty wet towel.
Cologne
Razor
Shaving Cream
Clothes
Take triple the socks and underwear you think you’ll need (again, there’s the whole laundry thing)
Plenty of comfortable clothes as well as nice outfits - you never know where you might wind up going.
Also, lots of people go to class in their pj’s.
Sneakers, sandals, snow boots, rain boots, nice shoes, grungy old shoes - you won’t want to be walking through the snow, rain, mud, etc., in nice sneakers.
Sweatshirts - those from your school are always a safe bet, but tend to be a little on the expensive side.
Room Stuff
Two sets of comfortable sheets. The extra will be nice when one is being washed.
A comforter as well as a light blanket.
Extra pillows and a body pillow - If your dorm room is anywhere near as small as mine, your bed will also become your couch, so extra pillows to line the wall are always nice, as well as decorative.
A foam egg crate for the mattress - they feel great to sleep on and also act as a divider between you and the matress. You don’t even want to know what probably went down on that bed before it became yours.
Tissues, paper towels, paper plates, bowls, plasticware, napkins - washing dishes in the bathroom sinks sux, trust me.
Salt and pepper shakers (can be found at the dollar store)
Cleaning supplies - windex is a great multitasker, pledge (for the rare occasion that you decide to dust), detergent, bleach, downy, downy balls, dryer sheets, and plenty of quarters, preferably in rolls.
Alarm Clock with big numbers
TV/VCR
Blank tapes to record stuff
Radio
Junk food is an absolute must
A mini-fridge and microwave - Check with your school first, as most have restrictions on the size or wattage of both. Mine allowed us to rent them for a small fee ($25 or so for each for the whole year)
Lots of decorating stuff for your room, especially for the walls - you will be in that room a lot and looking at the same boring walls all the time is enough to drive you insane
A map book of the area so you can go venturing out without getting to terrible lost ADC The Map People make great ones. The one I have is $40, but worth every penny.
Lots of extenion chords and power strips - you will inevitable have more chords than there are outlets.
Desk Supplies
Looseleaf paper
Notebooks
Folders
Pens
Pencils
Highlighters
Scissors
Rubber Bands
Paper Clips
Staple with Extra Staples
Post-it’s
A Dry Erase Board - for the desk and/or door
A Computer - there are almost always computer labs to use, but they aren’t always the best in quality, they are often packed, and nothing beats having a cpu in your room when you go for the inevitable all-nighter.
Extra printer paper
Extra ink
Tape
Masking Tape
Duct Tape - just trust me on this one
Tacky stuff for hanging up posters
A desk lamp
A journal
A Planner - another essential for keeing assignments organized
A Calendar - the big desk ones are great and usually cheap
3 1/2" disks, lots of them, especially if you won’t be having your own computer
A trash can
A Phone, preferably with an answering machine
Lots of pictures of loved ones, pets, etc. - it will help with the home sickness, even if it’s just a little bit
A watch
A few little tips…
Remember that college is much more than just going to class and getting good grages. It’s a complete life experience unlike any other. Have fun, but don’t go overboard either.
Don’t stress over declaring a major. Most people don’t have any idea what they want to do, even if they do have a major. Don’t freak about changing it either, even several times. It’s much better to explore your options now rather than later when you have <eek!!> real bills to pay.
The bathroom is going to be really weird at first. One helpful tip sent my way is to pick one sink, stall, shower, etc. and adopt that as “yours”. It’ll give you some sense of familiarity.
Go to class. It sounds dumb, but many college students find that one hard. Lectures are especially tough because the class is often so huge that the proff couldn’t possible take roll without taking up half the class period. Go anyway. It will help later when test time comes.
Talk to people about what classes and professors are good and who to avoid.
Hmmm… I guess that’s about it for now. Feel free to email me if you have any questions or need some advice.
Have fun!!!
Gainesville is a GREAT place for music. No idea records is housed there and some great indie/punk band came out of gainsville. Less than Jake, Hot Water Music, and Clairmel to name a few. If you are either a musician or a music lover gainsville is a great place to be. From my experience there it is a very college oriented town. Lots of parties and drinking. Fun place. I went to USF in Tampa which has no campus life. Definetly get out there and meet some people and take in all the experiences you can in college because the real world SUCKS! 
Amen! I lived in East Hall for my first two years and most of my classes were at the opposite end of the campus. The good part about living in East was that we could open the windows and hear all of the events at the O’Dome. BTW: the huge lawn in front of the Tolbert area was replaced a few years back with a dining hall. Some students suggested naming it “the place where I used to play football.”
You’re going to love Gainesville, Karl. I probably have a lot more advice I can give you, but this is all I can think of right now.
The Yulee area is a great place to live. I spent my last two years in Yulee Hall (double rooms as singles) and I absolutely loved it. Plus it’s right near the pool; my friends and I would bring our books down to the pool so we could study and go swimming at the same time.
Be aware that if you live in the dorms, there will be a fire drill within the first two weeks of each semester. Someone always gets caught in the shower and has to run outside in a bathrobe. Not so bad in the summer, but very bad if it’s cold in January. Not much advice I can give for this except to take quick showers until your dorm has its drill.
Also, I recommend bringing your hall and room key with you everywhere, even to the lounge or the bathroom. My roommate unintentionally locked me out a few times and I had to go down to the main office to get the spare keys (a big hassle since my ID was locked in my room too). If you bring your keys with you, then you won’t have to worry.
One of the great things about UF is that with a student ID you now get free transportation on the local buses. You can get to almost any part of Gainesville on the buses. This is great if you don’t have a car, or if you just don’t want to lose your parking space.
Football tickets sell out early (I believe they’re already sold out for the next season) so if you want tickets, be prepared to deal with many hours of busy phone lines, and call as soon as you get the order form.
Speaking of football, do not attempt to drive anywhere around Gainesville when there’s a home game! It took me 45 minutes to drive two miles when I tried this one Saturday (in my defense, I was picking up a friend who lived on campus so she wouldn’t lose her parking space).
Make sure the counselors/advisers are aware of any dual enrollment or AP credits that you have. I took my adviser’s word for it that I needed to take a math class in my freshman year. After suffering through a semester of calculus I found out that she read my transcript wrong and I already had all the math credits I needed. GRRR!
One of the best classes I took as a freshman was Theater Appreciation (THE2000) with Dr. Wehlburg. I don’t think he teaches it anymore, but if he does, try to get this class. Another fantastic professor is Dr. Eaverly in the classics department. She teaches a number of courses on ancient Greece and Rome, but my favorite was Pompeii Archeology.
It looks like I’ll just miss you up here, Karl, since I’ll be graduating in July. E-mail me if you have any specific questions, and I’ll do my best to answer them.
Good luck!
Hmmmm… maybe my geography is a little fuzzy, so I might be thinking of the wrong area, but… does this mean no more Mudfests?!?
[QUOTE]
*Originally posted by Amulet *
**
Your geography is fine. I haven’t lived in the Tolbert area since 1995 so I don’t know for sure if Mudfest is still held. However, I found a few websites with pics from recent years, so I’m assuming that Mudfest continues.
Anyone who’s interested can check out some of the pictures on the UF website.
Who, me? Why, I was born in Gainesville.
Two outstanding museums in Gainesville: the Museum of Natural History and the Harn Museum of Art, both on campus.
If you can get your hands on football tickets, hoard them. They do set some aside for students. Great stadium, great team. Learn to hate Bobby Bowden, the 'Noles, the Vols, the War Eagles etc.
Mostly harmless, just a college town. Lots of noisy bars etc. downtown and lots of apartment complexes on the fringes. Pretty mellow place, overall.
Oh and I almost forgot - tons of hot babes.
Well, if there’s something that will make me finally register, its people dissing East Hall! I liked East Hall. It was convenient to football, basketball, and the dining hall, and closer to your classes than many other places. I lived there in the 98-99 year. Now I have an apartment which is a million times better than any dorm.
Yes, Mudfest continues. It’s in the lawn between East and Tolbert Halls.
Pezpunk is right, there is great music to be found in Gainesville. My favorite local bands now are The Know How and Pawn Rook Four. If you like music, its easy to find a band you’ll love.
Football tickets sold out in 3.5 days this year, but you can still get some leftovers Friday mornings before the games. Go to at least one, you won’t be disappointed.
Anyway, I’m sure you’ll have lots of fun in Gainesville, everyone does. I’m graduating next spring, I’ll sure miss it. Enjoy your four (or more) years here!