University of Central Florida Top Questions

What's the one thing you wish someone had told you about freshman year?

Kamila

I wish I had known about the honors program here at the University of Central Florida. The honors program consists of challenging courses that may help with one's academic course study, opportunities to study abroad with the honors group to do research; take foreign language courses abroad; and courses that may suit your major. Also, the honors program gives you the opportunity to apply for many scholarships that may fit your criteria.

Karla

Before I came to this school, I wish I would have been more familiar with the campus & lecture styles. Since these areas were very different for me, my adjusting time was longer.

Jonathan

I wish I ad known about the dual enrollment in high school. I could have a better understanding on calculus and physics if I had.

Malcolm

I wish I knew more about the surrounding area. UCF is not a college town which doesn't much of the student population yet I wish I knew how metropolitan it really is. Community's dot the area and you get a more at home feeling then college lifestyle feeling.

Syed

I wish I known the resources before I arrived to the University. UCF provides you with endless resources that help get involved, do better academically, volunteer, etc.

Mary

I wish I had known how to balance my time more efficiently. In high school I spent very little time studying. When I got to college, I quickly learned that being a student was now my full time job and I had to devote much more time into my studies. At first, it was difficult for me to balance my time since I was used to my old habits. Eventually, I got into a routine and learned how to manage my time.

Moyosola

Before coming to the school, I wish I had known more about what college life was about. Adjusting to the work load was not a problem but finding time to balance academics and social events was. I wanted to make sure I kept my grades up and above 3.5, which I did, but I also needed a stress reliever. It took me two semesters to find what worked for me and now I don't feel the overwhelming pressures that I felt in the first semester. Having a balance of work and play never fails in the long run.

Emily

Before coming to the University of Central Florida, I wish I had known about all of the greek life opportunities here on campus. As much as I love student organizations and students being a part of groups that help them not only with school and meeting friends, I do not enjoy all of the parties on greek row or the sense of competition and rivalry between the different fraternities and soroities.

Molly

I wish I would have known how bad the parking situation was.

Aned

I was late for registration so the enrolment process was very fast. I did not have the time to visit the campus or talk to an adviser. I wish that I had visited the campus before that way I would not been so lost.

Theresa

I wish that I had a better grasp of the parking situation before I came to UCF. It can be difficult as a commuter to find a parking spot unless I have morning classes.

Chelsey

I wish I would have known that the scholarships weren't as easily obtained as they made them seem. I graduated from a two year institution and went to UCF as a transfer student. Although the transfer scholarship was supposed to be by academics they still went by financial need. My parents still claim me on their taxes so it goes by their income, not mine.

Kristen

I wish i would have known more about the clubs offered and how to find the clubs I was interested in. It was a little difficult to find the sports clubs because they are sponsored through the recreation and wellness center and not Office of Student Involvement. Even if there was more communication and OSI could have referred me to the Recreation and Wellness center sooner.

Kristen

The only difficulty is scheduling classes. UCF has so many students it is nearly impossible to get a good schedule and take the classes you need to move foward.

Anthony

I wish I had known how to more efficiently use online websites and other links to help me in my studies and classes. And to have know where to go on campus to help with specific problems either with homework or other information I didn't fully understand from class. Lastly I wish I would have gotten a better idea of the geography of the school before attend the classes.

Kayon

I wish I had known how different the people were going to be. I came to Orlando expecting the college students to be a little less friendly and was surprised at how kind some of the students are at this school. The students have manners and are very helpful in many situations and have helped me to realized that there are still come kind hearted people in this world.

Anne

I wish that the financial aid department was more willing to help and was more accessible to students.

Erin

I wish I would have known about the actual size of the campus and the amount of students enrolled at the university. The campus is very large, and is modeled a bit like the solar system; Everything is circular, there are no straight routes to your destination. Parking at the university is also a hassle, considering the number of students who drive. My school has about 54,000 undergrads, so you need to arrive on campus earlier than you normally would in order to find a space remotely close to where you need to go.

Andres

I can't think of anything out the top of my head, i was pretty well informed about everything before going to my current school.

Edward

To have not rushed into my major so fast. I overloaded on classes my spring semester and i wasn't able to pull it off, hence my gpa dropped to a 3.0.

Zachary

To better plan my schedule because there were certain classes that were only offered everyone 1-2 years, and because I didn't know this going in there were times when I couldnt take the classes that I had wanted to because they weren't offered. Availibility of classes continues to be a problem that plagues the Univeristy of Central Florida.

Stephanie

I wish I would have known before coming to this school that joining organziations is such an important aspect of the college life. Not only does it create networking opportunites but it also helps create long-lasting friendships. In high school a lot of people are involved in organziations to get the attention of prospective universities. But when they come to college they are not as involved. UCF has tons of organizations available and it's incredibly important to be involved and active in school organziations. Its the best way to create opportunities in a competitve world.

Joseph

Information on my desired profession such as the better route to get there or options.

Kenrick

I come from a family background than is not cognizant with attending college, making me a first generation college student within my immediate family. Being so, I received little preparement from family members, information-wise, as to what was to be expected. Now that I am here, I must learn primarily through trial-and-error. What I truly wish I knew prior to my attending UCF is the depth of self-reliance needed. This includes time management/scheduling, transportation, and most importantly, hefty decision making skills in regards to financial necessities. By far this is what i strive to conquer.

Areial

I wish I had known about all the bookstores and websites that sell the textbooks I needed at a lower value than the campus bookstore. Besides that, I did a lot of research on UCF before I got here, so I didn't find out any unpleasant surprises.

Jackie

All of the opportunities that exist if you put yourself out there

Vanessa

I should have known that it will be a lot of walking to get to class, library, to see an advisor from the parking lot.

Kelley

I wish I would have known how much textbooks were going to cost. Some semesters are better than others, but the overall price for textbooks needed is usually somewhat overwhelming. I wish I would have known more alternative sources for books other than the campus bookstore to find the best deal.

Karla

I wish I had known that many resources are available for free to students.

Conner

I wish I had realised what it was like on the inside of the school before I had judged it and gone elsewhere. I grew up by UCF and never even considered it until finances became tight, but now that I am a student there and I have had the experience, I really like it and am looking forward to finishing my Bachelor's Degree there.

Ricky

I wish had known about these fees University Of Central add to your tution because that really put a damper on my finacial aid cause these fees raised my tutuion up an extra $400 which took atoll on my final refund of my finacial aid and this really made my expenses a lot harder to pay for.

J-Anno

I wish I would have known that I wasn't going to be able to afford to live on campus before I went to school. I didn't receive enough financial aid to live on campus. I have to commute 1 hour to and from school every day and I feel as if I'm in community college all over again. I'm not having the opportunity to enjoy the maximum university experience.

Jelena

I wish I had more opportunities to explore the main campus and scholarship opportunities.

Roberta

What i wish i would of knew before coming to The University of Central Florida is the high rate for student affliated off campus housing. If i would of knew that i would of probably did 2 years at a community college near home and save enough money then came to University of Central Florida.

Ximena

Before I started attending the University of Central Florida, I wish I would have known that there are many resources around campus to help you succeed and have one of the best college experiences.

Jacquelyn

Honestly I think that I was really prepared to go to this school, their admission sessions as well as the tours of the school are fantastic! The on;y thing that I wish I had known a litter better would have been that without a doubt studying is a must!

Kyle

I wish I had known had big the school was actually going to be. Some of the class sized are often to large to have an accomadating student to teacher interaction. Despite the class size the quality of teaching is good and the technology that they use for teaching is also up to date.

Brittany

I wish I would have known better study skills. They would have helped me excel from the beginning; I got my self into a hole with my grades that I spent my summer digging myself out of. It taught me alot about dedication as well as about myself, but I could have saved the trouble if I would have had better study skills.

Courtney

Prior to attending , I wish I would have known all of the different majors an what they entail. I also wish I would have know more about the in's and out's of the school (clubs, organizations,etc).

Tiffannie

I wish I would have known how to not procrastinate. I am really bad on time managing skills, I wish I would have learned apply my time properly. Also, I wish I would have known how big the campus was, because that would have given me time to adjust. Since I origianlly came from a smaller school it was a little intemidating but now I really love it.

Jennifer

The most important part of choosing a college is doing the research into the school and speaking to the students who currently attend to hear about it their experiences. I wish I would have had a better understanding of how tuition prices and fees worked. Florida residences have multiple public services that make college affordable so most of them do not have to worry about tuition fees. As an out of state student expenses are very high and I am forced to struggle with balancing a full time job and being a student full time.

Anthony

I wish I had known how much work it is to go to school full time while you are working full time. It has taught me that anything is possible. It is a matter of how much you want it.

Shannon

I wish I would have know that it was not going to be like high school, as far as the academics go. After not doing so well my first exam week I quickly learned that I was going to have to work hard and study hard if I wanted good grades. Thankfully though I was able to pull up my grades in time and finish the semester happy with my final grades.

Dustin

I don't think there is anything I wish I had known about this school prior to attending it. It really is an awesome university.

nancy

That buying textbooks on Craigslist is cheaper than buying them at the bookstore.

Hannah

I wish I would have known how different the grading process is from high school. If you have an 89.9 B, there is a great chance that your professor will not bump you up to a 90 A. There is also a plus/minus system.

Sarah

That there are a lot of resources available and many organizations and clubs to get involved in. Gettting involved sooner rather than later is key!

Kelly

I feel that The University of Central Florida provided me with all teh information I needed before I started my firts semester in August 2010.

Sabrina

Before coming to this University, I wish I would have known a little more about the Minors offered and what steps I would have to take to obtain a Minor. I also wish I would have known about the GRE sooner because I feel like I haven't had enough time to prepare for it in my last year of college.

Sandy

How important it is to get involved with school activities.