Uni in the USA: A British Guide to American Universities and Colleges > All New: Colleges and Universities Added in 2009 > The University of Florida (new review!)
Gainesville, Florida
www.ufl.edu
Undergrads: 35,900
Grads: 16,200
How many Gators does it take to change a light bulb?
If it'll help them win the next football game, you can have as many as you need.
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The University of Florida may look from the outside like another bog standard massive state school, but it doesn't take long talking to students before you realise that their incredible enthusiasm and pride radiates from this place being something very special. Despite nasty budget cuts following the recession which hit Florida's real-estate economy harder than most, UF continues to improve its fantastic academic reputation as a public Ivy, recruiting ever brighter students and ever more cutting-edge research programs. Sporting opportunities are unparalleled, and not just for the few dozen athletes who make it into the top teams. With an incredibly vibrant campus life, which more than makes up for the smallish college town of Gainesville, a diverse student body and wonderful college atmosphere, UF is soaring on an upward curve. Join it before admissions become "swamped".
The Campus
With more than 50,000 students (third largest in US) and a hefty faculty, the UF campus qualifies hands down as huge. The monumental size (2,000 acres!) is complemented by an attractive red brick pseudo-European style, with lots of lovely areas for hanging out and walking or jogging. UF even has its own stunning lake, which is apparently swarming with alligators (no one seems very concerned by this...). Perhaps this is the reason for UF students and sports teams being known as "the Gators," and for the 90,000+ football stadium (and a popular local restaurant) being known as "The Swamp".
Students speak well of their campus: everything is confined to a clearly defined area, and despite the size, most of the buildings that a typical undergraduate will use on a day-to-day basis are contained within a manageable space. At peak times the campus is a crush of bustling students, but despite being hectic it is well maintained and always provides a pleasant place to study. As with many big schools, "parking sucks", but the on campus shuttle-bus system is excellent.
Ranked by the Princeton Review among the top ten schools with "dorms like dungeons", UF students affirm that on-campus residential opportunities are "gross" and "disgusting". Particularly worthy of avoidance is the notorious and overpriced "La Mancha" dorm block, where naive international exchange students often end up because of the shorter contract terms. The advice on the street is to choose where you live carefully: don't go for the first thing you come across. The popular US website craigslist.org can be helpful for this - definitely check it out.
The Gator
The UF student body is a friendly assortment, seemingly diverse and full of affluent white folk at the same time (the wealthiest 30% of Gators represent the wealthiest 0.5% of the country). Unsurprisingly, with more than double the number of undergraduates of Oxford and Cambridge combined, students "run the gamut" of types and personalities. "It's like high school", explained one student, "you've got the jocks, the sorority girls, geeks, Christians, you name it." There's also a good-sized international component, which integrates well.
What's great is that UF encapsulates the diversity of Florida itself. There's a healthy mix of Southern Floridians and Northern ones, the former known for being laid back beach-lovers and the latter known as Southern Christian conservatives. The university is proud of its diversity, and students report an excellent level of interaction encompassing minorities and people with unusual backgrounds.
The main thing to bear in mind is that with 50,000 in one place, no one is going to be holding your hand at UF. Things get daunting for freshmen very early on, especially when they are immediately whisked into the unfamiliar autumn football season when everyone goes nuts, before they even get a chance to familiarise themselves with the enormity of the institution.
The size is the main barrier to integration, and students earnestly recommend that you make an effort to make friends with classmates from day one to avoid marginalisation. The key to not being overwhelmed is getting a foot into the smaller groups, like sports teams or student organisations, or even fraternities if you are so inclined. Everyone is laid-back and welcoming, and especially at the beginning of the freshmen year you're all in the same boat, so you have nothing to lose by a big social push at the outset. One thing that can help is the "Navi-Gators" program, which essentially pairs international students with locals and facilitates integration.
Although there's still a big range, Gators as a whole are rapidly becoming "more academically focused", as Florida's population expands and competition for places sharpens. "I spent twelve hours working in the library on my birthday", said one pre-med student we talked to, while her friend smirked and replied "whereas I spend all day doing nothing." What is for sure is that you won't find anyone working on football days, and increasingly basketball days either. The Florida Gators are a big deal, and students are emphatic that "if you don't follow football, then you will follow it when you come here." School spirit is a vital part of the experience, and wearing Gator T-shirts will earn you approving remarks in surprising places around the world.
Hitting the Books
The sheer immensity of the University of Florida means that you can shape your education here into anything you want it to be. The college is a slackers' paradise, and you can feel free to sit your four years out in low-level lecture halls without concern for your grades - your experience will still be fun if unrewarding. For those who want to learn something, however, "the school can be as academically challenging as you want it to be”. Increasingly, students are choosing this option, and reaping spectacular benefits.
If you do want to get the most out of the academic side of things, then it is important to plan your classes thoroughly. Many students expect great teachers and courses to be laid before them, but in reality they have to be sought out. Too many students endure online classes or 600-strong lectures before realising that things could be better. Finding which classes are the best depends principally on word-of-mouth, but things change rapidly as professors are switched or dropped, so pay attention. There is an online drop-out system active for the first four days of each semester - so if you don't like the look of a class on day one, change it as soon as possible.
The faculty here is equally varied, with some low-level classes taught by inexperienced teaching-assistants or grad-students, while the superstar professors only become available to the older, luckier or most persistent. Mostly, professors (no matter how high-flying) are more than happy to help their students outside of class, and it is common to operate an "open-door policy" which means students can contact their teachers whenever they're in their office.
The best aspect of UF's academics lies in its research opportunities. The university is brimming with innovation in exciting new fields in every discipline. Graduate students benefit from this more than undergraduates, but you can still attempt to get involved - try contacting professors before arriving at the school to check out research openings: this can help you avoid the anonymity of the mammoth freshman classes and the irritation of seeing all the professors' attention going to the PhD and Masters candidates.
Stellar departments at UF include accounting, journalism, pre-med, certain engineering departments and the veterinary school. Agriculture is also very big, and actually receives more funds than any other department. Science research benefits from a nuclear reactor (though this is normally inaccessible to undergrads). The Liberal Arts school, home of most undergrads, is "not the best", as one student put it, though anthropology has a good reputation. Unfortunately, budget cuts have hit academics hard, with lay-offs and course-cuts, and the axing of the entire documentary film institute, previously a highly respected part of the school.
Social Life
UF is the official #1 party school in the country, at least so says the Princeton Review. What the rankings don't tell you is that UF is also chock-full of awesome activities, some of the best sports in the country and a raving Greek life. "We're definitely not the number one party school," students laugh, insisting that the nightlife is "overblown". Instead, they say that there are loads of bars and house parties for those that want them, but that it's just as popular to get involved with the host of other activities on offer. Whatever you do, don't expect Miami. There are nothing like the venues or attitudes of the big cities, and the sprawling oak trees and hanging moss of small-town Gainsville make it miles from the stereotypical idea of Floridian life.
Still, it can be hard not to agree with one student's analysis that "the social life revolves around Gator football and drinking." Home games are marked by insane orgies of blue and orange, booze, thousands of supporters (not just students) and general chaos. Everyone is involved, no matter how much they may have disliked sports before coming to UF. It's infectious. (For the trivia fiends, the famous sports drink Gatorade was invented in UF to enhance the performance of the football team, a point of pride for many students.)
When there isn't a football game, however, excesses are not the norm. This doesn't dull the dynamics of campus life, and with between 300 and 400 student organisations, students affirm that "you can find any club you want". Whether it's comic books, judo, debating, community service, movies, local bands, high-profile guest speakers, academic groups, political activism, the student newspaper (7th best in the country) or the huge range of sports, there is a lot to see and do, and you should definitely "dive right into the free resources you have on campus...we have just about everything, you just have to find it."
UF students love to keep themselves fit. There are three mega-fitness centres, plus smaller gyms and every imaginable facility, all free. Intramurals are incredibly popular and very easy to get involved in, with sports competitions for everything from basketball to bean-bag tossing. Also big are outdoors activities among the natural wonders near Gainseville, including springs, sinkholes, woods and rivers. Although UF is about as far from either coast as it's possible to be in Florida, the beach is a couple of hours away and can be a fun day-trip.
Outside Those Ivory Walls
Gainseville is a smallish student town, dominated by the university and essentially reliant on it for its economy. Your experience of the town depends on your attitude; some enjoy it as a fun, quirky little community but big city dwellers may find it claustrophobic and unfulfilling. The town is actually quite poor, leading to some clashes between locals and students, who are perceived as privileged.
Getting In
The school is ever-more competitive, and the application success-rate is now around 35%. As Florida’s premier state school, you will be competing with the brightest and best of the state (some of whom have recently to turn down their acceptances at places like Harvard or Duke as their family's finances have disintegrated).
UF has one of the largest budgets in the country, and a huge level of state funding that is now being slowly rolled back. It is rated as one of the best value universities, but unfortunately it's the in-state students who benefit most, since anyone in Florida with the required level of SAT scores and GPA (which in recent years has been almost everyone) is automatically awarded a large scholarship, meaning their fees are almost nothing. For international students, the options are limited to merit-based scholarships or establishing eligibility for in-state tuition rates by living in Florida for a year prior to application.
Famous Grads
Wendy Thomas - namesake of Wendy's restaurant chain
James R Thompson - NASA Director
Chris Linn - Vice-President of MTV