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The University of Florida is a top-notch institution offering a well-rounded education, excellent faculty, and vibrant campus life. With its strong academic reputation, research opportunities, and diverse student body, UF is an excellent choice for students seeking a world-class education.

Key Benefits:

- Academic Excellence: Top-ranked programs in engineering, business, and sciences
- Research Opportunities: Hands-on learning and working with renowned faculty
- Diverse Student Body: Welcoming and inclusive... Read More environment for students from all backgrounds
- Campus Life: Numerous clubs, organizations, and events to suit various interests
- Athletics: Strong programs in football and basketball fostering community and school spirit

Considerations:

- Large Class Sizes: Potential difficulty getting individualized attention from professors
- Competitive Admissions: High standards for admission
- Limited Social Scene: Gainesville may not offer the same level of social activities as larger cities
- Hot and Humid Climate: Potential challenge for some students

Overall, the University of Florida provides a great educational experience with its strong programs and vibrant campus community.

(For this review, I attended the university's College of Journalism and Communications. I specifically attended for a Bachelor's in Telecommunications on the news route, as opposed to the production route) If you go for a telecommunications or journalistic degree with the intent to enter the industry (something the university excels at), you'll probably get your money's worth with the actual program they offer. They have an entire news station set up for students to learn about and practice radio,... Read More television, social media and web publication skills in a practical setting. Faculty will act as managers for a variety of different mediums (radio, T.V., etc.), and program requirements mirror actual industry demands (you're expected to be able to put together professional-level packages, stand-ups, VOSOTs and live shots by the time you hit your senior year), helping students to know what to expect once they graduate and head out on their own. Students in the course are also provided with industry-grade equipment: cameras, tripods, computers, editing software, basically anything that a reporter will need to use when on the job. Each student is also provided with a 32-gigabyte SD Card -- courtesy of that college -- in order to manage their video during reporting sessions. There is also the expectation that students are able to memorize the Associated Press stylebook, and the college is 'very' thorough in that regard (two years later and I 'still' remember every single rule in that book!). Overall, the college gives the students all of the resources they need to perform well in an actual newsroom, as I've managed to put all of these skills to use in my own career as a journalist post-graduation. If students are looking for more opportunities to practice these skills, the college also offers a variety of extracurricular activities. Instead of just performing journalistic work, there are also opportunities for students to "try out" for anchor positions on the station's newscasts. As the college's in-house news station has a fairly decent news studio, it's definitely a great experience for students to try their hands at. There's also the "News in 90" online newscasts, which, as the name might imply, is a segment that outlines major stories for the day in 90-second intervals. It's a great option for students who are pursuing producer roles in the industry, as it requires using college-affiliated aggregation sites to collect information and video. While the program is rigorous, the real issue comes with the fact that the school also requires students attend classes that in no way contribute to their education in communications. For example, I had to spend a semester in a course titled "What is the Good Life?", which, as its name might suggest, focuses on 'studying' how to have a good life. On the surface, it seemed like a decent enough class for students in philosophy or literature majors, but the teacher herself was a very ardent Marxist and imposed a lot of her political beliefs into the course. This resulted in many lessons where we didn't really discuss how to have a "good life" and instead talked about how patriarchy was bad, white people are bad, science is bad, individualism is bad, and so on and so forth. That's a fairly common theme with many of the non-program classes the university requires students to take (and even a few of the actual program courses). Nearly every professor at the university will expect you to fall in line with their personal politics, and they make sure to include it in their actual lesson plans. I've been told that I'm a racist and a potential rapist (again, not for anything that I said or did; it was merely on account of my race and sex), and -- if they happen to say something that's false -- to "shut up and just listen." I went to administration faculty about professor harassment in several of my classes, but they simply transferred me to an online alternative or refused to help at all. To give an example of some of the issues I face, I was taking a course on "Ethics in Media," which largely focused on how to ethically engage in quality journalism. On the first day of the course, the professor was giving a speech on how women were underpaid in the industry as compared to their male counterparts (something that wasn't relevant to the course material we were learning about). I made sure to speak up about the fact that the claim he was making was explained by extraneous factors, and I then cited specific sources from evolutionary psychologists to support it. In response, he began shouting for approximately 30 minutes about how I wasn't credible because "I'm a man" while sporadically waving his hands in my face (I should also note that this was during course hours in front of the rest of the attending students). I went to one of the administrators of the college afterward about the incident, and their reactions was to transfer me into an online variant of the course. From what I was told, the professor received no disciplinary consequences and is still responsible for teaching the in-person course. Even disregarding my personal experience with harassment, the amount of irrelevant coursework the university demands all students take on seems more than a bit ridiculous. While reviewing my degree audit, I found that, were I not required to take all the courses that weren't relevant to my degree program, I could have graduated an entire year earlier. From what I could uncover, the university is able to charge students (or third-party institutions, if financial assistance is being used) more money for each course a student takes, which is fairly standard for many public universities. As such, the university will require that students take a hefty amount of non-degree-relevant courses in order to boost the amount that the school receives under the guise of making students "well-rounded." It's an annoying feature that isn't necessarily exclusive to the University of Florida, but it's certainly something to keep in mind if students wish to attend. Financial services was very helpful, though! As I was attending the university while using my parents' G.I. Bill benefits, I had a 'lot' of questions and concerns as to which course would be eligible for coverage, how often I would need to attend in-person classes and more. The department was very helpful in that regard, and they almost always responded in a timely manner (holidays notwithstanding). If you have issues with financial assistance or simply have questions about your own financial obligations, the department will be a great resource for you. In all, I would say that the school prepared me for a position in the industry, as I've been able to excel in my current career as a result of the skills I picked up there. The coursework was rigorous, and the college I attended offered enough extracurriculars that I was fairly well-off in terms of experience by the time I graduated in 2019. If you're going purely for a practical education, however, you'll be sorely disappointed by the amount of irrelevant coursework the school piles on you. If I hadn't had to take the classes that didn't contribute to my actual major, I likely could have graduated an entire year earlier. Furthermore, I can't express enough how hostile an environment these classes can be if you don't follow the professor's politics to the letter (the example I gave prior was just one of many similar incidents). Harassment was a common theme of my experience there, and leadership of the university will be more than happy to let it slide. Your experience here will be largely dependent by how much passion you have for journalism and where your personal politics lie (or, at the very least, how effective you are at hiding them).

I loved the University of Florida, it is a very proud, uplifting, and large community. My courses were large in size but some of the professors were really passionate about their studies. I appreciated the internship requirement and felt I learned the most from this. I would encourage new student to explore the elective options, their are a lot to choose from! The University of Florida also puts on a lot of student led career fairs and informational lectures. I would highly recommend attending these,... Read More great opportunity to network and learn about on campus clubs.

Gator Nation gave me so much! It was amazing to enter as a scared freshman and feel connected to the campus almost instantly. I was able to find my home at UF, but that was not without trying. UF is a large campus and I was surprised when several hundred students would be in one lecture--I never thought I would belong or make friends. Although I love my alma mater, not everything was great. It was difficult to connect with professors, and you can easily get lost in the crowd. I would never change... Read More my experiences, but have found greater happiness after graduating from what people call the "best four years of your life."

Attending the University of Florida was easily the best decision I have made throughout my 21 years of life. This school has provided me with a firm background in general education and fully excelled in my actual major of teaching me about Health. Not only is it a great school, but it has a great name to help with future employment. UF has lots of resources for students from tutors, to resume readers, to job finders, etc. This school provided with the full college experience with its D1 sports teams,... Read More abundance of clubs and activities, and most importantly it's rigorous course work to prepare for my future.

I absolutely loved my time at the University of Florida. I met some of the most incredible instructors, classmates, and community members during my 4 years there. I was a member of the Innovation Academy, which is a smaller cohort of students who are working together to create prototypes and better the community. For my last year of my undergrad, I had to move back home due to familial issues, so I was able to re-enroll as a UFO (University of Florida Online) student to complete my last few credits.... Read More I can say that the quality of education was just as rigorous and rewarding as on-campus classes were, and I couldn't be prouder to be an alumni of The University of Florida. Go Gators!

My undergraduate college has given me more than I could have ever imagined. To begin, the community is so welcoming. Any interests you have, you can probably find an organziation doing it, and if not, you can make one yourself. The professors are always willing to help, and are always available to talk even outside of class. I also love the diversity that this campus has. You really get to see all kinds of people, and experience different cultures. In terms of my program, I couldn't have picked a... Read More better major. I feel prepared for graduate school, and think that I have the tools to do well. This school is also great with first-generation college students. Being one myself, I got a full ride to the university and didn't have the burden of loans weighing me down. I must say though, it gets REALLY hot. Great university, great people. Go Gators

At the time of my enrollment at UF, the economics major had just switched from the business school to the College of Liberal Arts and Science. Although I wasn't able to get as involved with the business school opportunities like every other economics student prior to 2015, I was able to dive in to the diversity brought forth by CLAS, which opened the door to a minor in religion. My experience at UF has been positive in the sense that there are many ways to get involved professionally, culturally,... Read More recreational and academically in and out of UF and Gainesville. This university is always evolving and making progress toward bettering their programs and the college experience, so if you do decide to attend UF, make sure you give feedback so that we continue to improve.

The University of Florida was an amazing transformation experience for me. As a first-generation low-income student I was able to network and find people who supported me in thriving. I was involved with many organizations at the University of Florida. There are a multitude of groups and activities for all interests and types of people. I personally was interested in service and engineering. The groups that I got involved with helped me grow professionally and academically as well as personally.... Read More Additionally the University of Florida has a fantastic career and resource team. If you are struggling with building your resume or writing a cover letter they will assist you. The team will also help you prepare for an interview and find an internship or job that best fits you. I think the majority of their students work some internship or job over the summer. There is also a ton of other resources on campus such as fitness centers and mental health centers. I suggest to take advantage of these because they will help you grow personally. If you are struggling with an identity this can be a great resource. Lastly the University of Florida is a top 10 public institution in the United States. UF is the top public school for a reason. You will find a home here and if you enjoy sports or socializing there are plentiful opportunities for that too. Oh and living in Gainesville is cheap! Rent is not expensive and the cost of living is not very high.

Going to UF was the best decision I made. Through on campus programs I made incredible connections with others as well as developed myself as a professional and a leader. The anthropology department was tightly knit and incredibly helpful through my academic career. I made great friends and learned many valuable lessons from my professors throughout. UF is a research school which was even applied through the liberal arts department in which we were provided many opportunities and tools to conduct... Read More our own research.