First I'll answer the consideration questions and then provide my overall opinion.
- The best thing about this school is the opportunities you have at it. Everything you'd ever want in college you can get here -- studying abroad, challenging classes, parties, football, basketball, community service, religious organizations, artistic outlets, dance classes, everything!
- The other side of the coin of having such opportunities at such a large university is that you are not spoon fed, at all. If you want those opportunities, that double major, that study abroad program, that housing arrangement, that class, you need to find out the ways to get it and get it yourself. Of course, a start is to make yourself go see an advisor (in my major, you aren't required to have an advisor), which are always there for you to guide you if you *come to them.* You need to take initiative.
- Some people criticize UF for being so big but if you talk to any UF student they'll tell you the same thing: "You only realize it's so big when you're at football games and you see how big the student section is!"
- People are impressed when I tell them I go to UF. They definitely respect it as a sound and prestigious institution.
- I live on campus, so I guess technically in my dorm! But I go to Library West a lot, or more specifically, the Starbucks!
- Gainesville is the definition of a college town.
- They are professionals who take their job and the standard of the education and experience at UF very seriously.
- There has been a lot of debate about making our Library 24 hours and finally it happened for this semester! So the Library is 24 hours Sunday - Thursday. This issue has been hotly debated for years among students and student government, and now finally happened.
- IT'S GREAT TO BE A FLORIDA GATOR. Yes, there is a TON of school pride!
- One thing unusual about UF is the way some of its classroom buildings are designed. UF has won awards for environmentally friendly designs of buildings, like Turlington, but they are a maze to get around at first!
- I will always remember my first Homecoming parade!
- The most frequent student complaints are about not being able to get the classes they wanted or the housing they wanted.
My overall opinion is definitely a favorable one. One of the biggest pull factors for going to UF is the relative cheap price of tuition, especially if you are a Florida Resident and are eligible for Bright Futures Scholarships. (And if you happen to have Florida Prepaid!) You get a very good education from a prestigious university for a very little price.