College admissions is competitive,

I don't think UCF really has a stereotype. There are so many students of so many different backgrounds that you can't really pin it down. Sometimes it is seen as the "leftovers" school by other in-state schools but I don't think that is true at all. UCF's students truly want to be there and are ready to embrace the UCF spirit of excellence.

I love University of Central Florida. Being in Orlando there is so much to do in your spare time. To the west 30 minutes are world class attractions such as Walt Disney World, Universal, and Sea World. Being so close to these makes really fun weekends with lots of great memories. To the east 45 minutes is the Atlantic coast line. At the end of a stressful week it is great to be able to go a chill out in the sun at the beach. The only thing I would change about the school is its transportation to all these opportunities for fun in the sun. For a student without a car it is really hard to get anywhere. There are buses that run to and from Waterford Lakes on the weekend which allows for shopping, dining out, or a movie. Other than that though there isn't really transportation anywhere else. UCF is relatively young school. It was founded in 1963 as Florida Technological University. Being such a young school there is definitely a more rejuvenating, alive, and excited vibe to the campus compared to other campuses I've visited. UCF is the second largest school in the nation but it certainly doesn't feel that way. The campus is small and intimate, you can get pretty much anywhere within about 15 minutes. It never feels crowded but you also have the chance to meet someone new everyday. When I tell people I go UCF it is a mixed response. I am originally from Colorado so some people are shocked at the distance. Most people actually don't know about UCF but when I tell them it is in Orlando they are pretty jealous. I spend most of my time on campus in my dorm with my friends. I am part of a special learning community so we have the opportunity to take classes together and go to special events together. Besides my dorm I also spend a lot of my time just walking around campus. I love just watching and exploring because I see something new everyday. Everyone, including me, is proud of UCF and all our traditions.

Being a freshman I haven't had that much experience with too many classes yet. However, with what I have had so far classes here are GREAT! The teachers are nice, personable, and want to see you succeed. The most important thing to remember is that you are at a big school so classes are probably going to be on the large side and teachers will probably have multiple sections of the class. It is pretty easy to get in contact with other students in the class but I find it best to just go to the teacher's office hours. Majority of the faculty offices are located in either Colburn Hall or Howard Phillips' Hall. This makes it easy to see multiple teachers at once. Teachers are more than willing to help you and meet with you outside of class. Like I said earlier, they want to see you succeed. UCF's academic are also geared towards success. For a lot of the majors, some internship credit is required. UCF makes sure you know what you are doing before sending you off, something I think will help with my transition after graduation.

Everyone here is so diverse that you can find any type of group to hang out with. The list of clubs and organizations is semi-intimidating, something I think is good because that means anyone could find their niche. Overall the students are pretty laid back and like to go with the flow. Sure everyone focuses on schoolwork and such but everyone also makes sure to have a good time. There is one specific free speech area on campus that can get a bit edgy and pokes at sensitive issues but it can easily be avoided by diverting routes or simply ignoring them.

Some of the more popular organizations on campus are student government, fraternities and sororities, CRU (a religious group), and of course the athletic teams. The most important thing about this campus is to get involved, find a group and make friends. There are a lot of special learning communities that students can live in which really helps. It is kind of like high school here where if you want to be in with the party crowd, then you get involved with them. If you don't want to be involved with that, that is okay too. There are so many options that no one is really ever pressured into one group or another.

The dorms are very well kept and have a great feel to them. They don't feel like prisons and encourage students to interact with each other. The dorms are also sort of one the edge of campus which is nice because you can kind of separate yourself from school and "home".

I decided to come to the University of Central Florida because of the location and the opportunity. Having lived in Colorado all my life I was ready for a change, and a warmer one at that. Additionally, I hope to work for the Walt Disney Company one day especially at Disney world. I figured, if I want to end here I might as well start here.