University of South Florida-Main Campus Top Questions

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

Kimberly

It is okay to feel alone in the first couple of months. Everyone else is alone as well and is in the same situation. You don't have to be best friends with your roommate either, as long as you can live with them it is okay. Your RA isn't a bad guy and they are there to help you out even if it means sacrificing their friendships for your happiness. Going 1000+ miles away from home is going to be hard, but it is 100{4a082faed443b016e84c6ea63012b481c58f64867aa2dc62fff66e22ad7dff6c} worth it.

Eric

Is wish I had more guidance as to the variety of majors offered and the career paths that followed. Being a naive adolescent, I entered into and graduated with a major I had no prior knowledge of. When starting my career, I found that the avenues this major offered were not in my interest and I was left with starting over. I ended up finding a career that suits me perfectly that is far from my original college major. Additional support and guidance as to the major/career path would have been advantageous in my situation.

Emily

The school itself is wonderful and quite safe. However the surrounding areas of the school can be a little sketchy at times, especially at night. Thats why I always carry my pepper spray with me at all times. The school however is quite safe with the police station on campus located less than 3 minutes away from the main residential area. There are also blue lights everywhere in which the police respond to in 90 seconds or less. Overall I feel very safe at my campus but I like to take precautions just in case.

Jose

Before coming to this school I would have liked to know how to manage my time much better. It was always easy to manage the workloads that I would get in highschool, but spending some time in college taught me that the there is going to be a lot less time to relax, and a lot more time doing homework and studying.

Derthalie

I wish i would have known how to better manage my time and money. While the environment is nurturing and kind, this is still college, and i do still need financial support to pay for books, tuition, room and board, and my meal plan.

Caitlyn

I wish someone had stressed how beneficial and convenient living on campus (or at least nearby) would be. Living in St. Petersburg and having a 45 minute drive (at least) to and from the campus has become extremely tedious. Not to mention, involvement in clubs and organizations would be much easier. Currently, I only have classes three days a week, so going to Tampa on a day when I don't have school just seems unecessary.

Leighton

Before attending the University of South Florida, I wish I would have better understood the importance of extracurricular involvement, outreach, networking, and service so that I could have fully utilized the resources available to me during the completion of my Bachelor’s degree. Now that I am completing my Master’s degree and am searching for internships, I realize how many doors would have been opened to me if I would have explored all of the opportunities offered at USF in order to better stand out amongst a sea of graduates.

Kamari

Before I came to school I wish I knew how I would change as a person. Attending college changed my personality a lot. When I was in high school I was a shy not really outgoing person who was afraid to talk to others. Once I arrived in to Virginia State University, I became open to trying to new things and outgoing.

Azhar

That there was no Biomedical Engineering major for undergraduate students. Also that the MCAT average for the school was a 24

Amanda

I wish I had known how much time I needed to put into it. I didn't do too bad my first semester but if I had put in more time to studying then I would've had A's in all of my classes. I also wish I could have saved up more money for college or applied for more scholarships.

Kaitlyn

I wish I would have known just how expensive college really is. It's different when you don't have to pay for school and aren't very independent. Then all of a sudden you have to be responsible, start paying your own bills, waking up to make sure you get to class, and going to work.

Bianca

I wish I would have known that parking was really expenisve. It's crazy how much they charge students to park. College students don't make enough money as it is.

Justine

I wish I had spoken more Spanish.

Mauricio

I was unaware of all of the scholarship resources available to Latinos prior to my first semester at USF. Some guidance in financial aid programs prior to the beginning of my first tenure would have made a considerable difference in my personal financial standing, as I was forced to pay for my first 3 years of college out of pocket.

Beatriz

Before I had come to this school, I wish that I would have known how much time would be crunched, especially considering the finances that I'd be paying for, the clubs, organizations, and student resources I'd have access too, and the load of homework that I would also have to prioritize.

Justin

The costs of fees and books. The requirement to take summer classes to graduate on time.

Briena

I would have liked to know that while school work is most important, you must remember to have fun and find a positive way to relieve stress. Remembering to save money, if you are working, is very important; there may come a time that you need the extra money when you least expect it and it is nice to have something to fall back on.

Jasmar

I wish that I would have known that the library is not connected to the school before enrolling.

Amara

I wish I would have known about more scholarship opportunities before I came to this school.

Jessica

Nothing. Everything was great here.

Courtney

I wish I knew more about how large-scale classrooms worked and about the relationships between professors and students in college. Also I wish I was given more information on studying habits or time management skills before coming.

Logan

My experience at this school would have been better if there were more emphasis on teaching how to study. This is a good university, but it takes dedication and self preserverance to succeed.

Kayla

I wish I would have known how addictive the freedom college life gives. The classes are not always on the same days and certain classes do not require you to attend them, such as the lectures. This freedom though, to decide for yourself on whether to attend that lecture--especially for the first year--can easily slip away. Freedom is a major part of the college life and I wish I would have respected it more than I did.

Jose

The work load is a bit overbearing at times and if it not taken with a serious and positive attitude, the amount of effort placed into it can certainly be reflected in test scores and such.

Kevin

I expected traffic to be bad, and I expected the cafeteria food to be subpar. I just wish I had learned how to cook quick meals cheaply besides the usual Ramen noodles or cereal.

Amanda

I wish that I would have know all the time that you have to put into the class outside of the classroom setting. When you first enter into college as a freshman you are excited that you only have to go to class about 17 hours a week. But for every hour of class there is about two to three hours outside of the classroom setting that you must spend reading, studying, working on homework or projects. However, with time management skills this is easy to adjust to.

Roger

I wish I would have known the condition of some of the dorms on the campus of the University of South Florida. Some of dorms are really in poor shape. However besides that I really cannot complain about much else.

William

They have programs and clubs for all backgrounds and situations. If you are a new student go to the new student orientation, they will tell you about these organizations but also research on your own.

Jonathan

I wish I would have known how difficult the classes are; however, students at the University of South Florida receive a great education.

Travina

I did not wish for anything in particular. I came here knowing what I knew and was completely fine with it. I learned a lot since I've been here and that capacity of knowledge continues to grow on a daily basis. This univeristy is truly great, and I have nothing bad to say about it.

Nahomie

I wish I had known what the "size" of this school meant. 47,000 students or so means, auditorium style classes with 400+ students having to answer questions with "clickers", is possible. Because the school has such a large student body, many other things are handeled in a colonized fashion as well: particularly administration. I wish I had known the graduate rate. It's very easy to stay a little longer than intended. I wish I had done more research in regards to the majors and their course outlines.

Brandy

I wish I would have known that there is a maximun dollar amount for financial aid which I was unaware of when taking out loans in the past.

Keonna

Wish I'd have known from the beginning that staying off-campus is way cheaper.

Leontyne

n/a

Amy

That financial aid was going to be difficult to receive and that it doesn't cater to the "non traditional" student

Rebecca

What the whole program would require.

Marke

Before coming to this school, I wish i had known what I can do to make my stay in this community the best it can be. New students hardly know what to do with their free time and end up partying. However, the students who know the school the best are the upperclassman or alumni. Since coming here in the Fall of 2009, I feel that I have wasted a semester by not getting involved in the school. Not only that, but I believe that becoming more involved in the school would have been more enjoyable anyways.

Caitlin

I wish that I had decided to become a nurse my freshman year instead of taking useless classes my first year. I wish I would have gotten involved with campus life sooner, but I'm glad I finally have.

Kyle

I wish I would have known that college was going to be difficult. I think I took it a little too lightly at first.

Rosena

There is nothing I wish I'd known... I did my reseach before applying to the University of South Florida...

Sabrina

I wish that I would have known how much scolarships there are available for students who transfer to a university. I would have been more proactive in writting essays and working to get my GPA higher than a 3.2 so that my 'resume' would be more impressive.

Trini

I wish I had known how large the class sizes were. I have come to realize that I like a smaller class setting.

Katherine

I wish I had known that there are never any used textbooks in the bookstore. The bookstore is supplied by Barnes and Noble and I think they charge students more than you would pay if you went on the Barnes and Noble website. I wish someone had told me to go to an off campus bookstore to buy my books.

Julie

I wish I would have known how many scholarships the school had to offer. Financial service information and scholarship oppurtunities would greatly have helped me with my internal struggles of always worrying how I was going to pay for my education. Also, I wish I would have known exactly how important the SAT and ACT were and how to study for these crucial tests.

William

I wish I would have know how different college is from high school. I wish I would have prepared more in high school and took it more serious because I could have gotten more scholarships. College is very expensive and there are a lot of fees.

Veronica

Nothing really.

Nicole

If I had come into my first semester of college with the knowledge that I would be swamped by an incredible amount of paper work, then I would not have been as stressed out about it. If I had come in with the mental mind set that certain things have to be done by myself and not my mom or advisor, I would not have minded the many processes of becoming a full time college student, and I would have accepted it as something everyone has to deal with. As it was, I thought I was not going to survive.

Katherine

I wish I would have known the entire process of transfering credits from other colleges. Before I enrolled at my current institution, an advisor told me that I only needed 16 more credits to recieve my bachelor's degree. I ended up taking almost three times more credits than that amount. If I would've known that I could've taken similar classes at community college, I would not be a three year senior.

Christina

More about tuition and fees. As of right now I can not afford school.

Tania

I wish I would have come to this school first rather than going to a private college then community college and finally to USF.