The University of Florida

I've been at this school for two years now and cannot wait for this part of my life to be over. I'm actually loading up my course schedule in an attempt to get out a year early. To put it lightly I haven't been happy at this University. I have advisors who are oblivious to their students and who are only there to push for preprofessional development, but by 'pushing' all they really tell you is to get good grades and attend the pre-health workshops. (The pre-health workshops are run by a guy who had to drop out of medical school and is just there to tell you that pre-health professions are a waste of your time and that you'll be miserable if you choose to pursue one) So, without advisors like you might find at a more student-friendly university you are stuck to navigate the online course signup website alone and the only resources you have when picking classes are the reviews by your student peers or using www.ratemyprofessor.com

Most of the teachers are pretty inaccessible. They are all required to hold office hours but either you find the office crammed with students who have no idea what is going on in the class due to poor teaching or a half distracted professor who would much rather just let you sit there and work individually rather than ask questions. To be fair I have had some outstanding (and rare) teachers at this school that are really passionate and dedicated to their students, but at a university with over 50,000 kids a lot of the professors have become grinds themselves and are no longer dedicated to 'teaching' their classes. This is a useful fact for students just trying to make the grade because there is no innovation in the teaching so if you can get your hands on the course material from previous years you're pretty much set.

As far as student life is concerned there are a ton of organizations on campus that suffice as resume fillers, but for the most part unless you have an elected position in the club no one is going to take you all that seriously. There are a ton of club sports though that many students are really passionate about and it is pretty easy to join up as long as you join at the beginning of the semester.

Housing is a pain in the rear. No one really stays on campus after their freshman year but the off-campus choices are pretty weak unless you're willing to really pay out (if you're an instate kid who's going to UF for free you can consider the price of quality housing to be your tuition) Definitely don't sign onto any leases without talking to current tenants about pest issues or maintenance problems. Not to name names but there is a certain leasing company in Gainesville that owns the majority of the apartment complexes around the university and they are a nightmare to work with. I got stuck in a lease for a year and was miserable. I ended up turning off my refrigerator and just eating/cooking at friend's houses because the bugs were so bad.

To sum it up I went to UF because it was free and if I had to do it again I would never have come here. I'm still trying to transfer but its hard to sell yourself to a more prestigious college from a place like University of Florida.

2nd Year Female -- Class 2011

Extracurricular Activities: B, University Resource Use/ spending: F

The professors were arrogent and hard to get ahold of. It seems much of the time that you are just another number. I'm glad I transfered to FSU when I got the chance. Avoid at all costs!

3rd Year Male -- Class 2011