1st Steps in the Gator Nation

So, I went to Preview July 15th and 16th, this was my 1st time ever setting foot at UF and it was a very good "Ready, Get Set, GO!" type of thing. Preview had a lot of information available to new students, and if you had done the Preview Prep thoroughly, you were pretty much set. Most of preview was there to help you figure out what classes you want to take and should take.

We were put into groups of about 15-20 students and given a preview staffer to help. We sat through at least 3 lectures and met in our small groups 4 times. When we weren't being told about our classes we were informed on how to survive as a college student; safety, rules, conduct, wellness, etc.

We also had the opportunity to become a member of the Student Alumni Association and buy tickets to Gator Growl (the homecoming pep rally). We also received our required reading book, which must be finished by August 20th for the little gathering to discuss the book.

You will stay in Broward hall the night you sleep there, and it is your responsibility to wake up and eat in time to check out and continue with Day 2 of Preview. In my opinion Day 2 was a lot easier to handle than Day 1. A big concern of mine was making friends...or in this case temporary friends. This was also a lot easier than expected. Just remember that everyone is in the same boat as you are and your about to enter college, a little Independence isn't a bad thing.

~Caitlin

Dear Visitor...

Welcome, one and all, to the wonderful inside world of UF! Whether you are reading this blog because you are a new student, prospective student, veteren, loyal friend, or simply because you stumbled upon it by accident, looking for something entirely different, we are grateful you have! For, who knows? Perhaps you may discover some new and interesting things about college life, about the university, about us, and maybe about yourself.

I suppose I should probably introduce myself here, in case anyone wanted some background info: I'm Vanessa, a freshman at UF, and I first started classes in Summer B, rather than in the Fall. I'm living off-campus, which isn't usually the norm for freshman it seems, but it's not uncommon either. So far, I'm enjoying my time here, and I'm quite happy with my decision to come for the summer; I think it will make things a little easier come Fall. Also, contrary to what I first thought, Summer B does not exactly give me copious amounts of free time, so I will try my hardest to post when I can!

College was a pretty foreign place when I first arrived, but life has become a bit more routined now. And as the time goes by, I'm sure we will all learn and grow much more than we anticipated. So if you want to journey with us through the unknown world of college, be our guest! And if there's anything specific we can tell you about, let us know!

Other than that,
Benvenidos a UF! :)

-Vanessa

Welcome to Your Fake Real Life!

If you are reading this blog it's probably because you have decided to go to UF or are trying to figure out if UF is the school for you! (And if its neither of those reasons that's fine too). College is a big step in anyones life and usually a step that requires a lot of adjusting and figuring out what the heck you're supposed to do. Hopefully you make or have some really good friends to help you along (think of this blog as your really good friend if you have not made any yet.)

There will be several authors for this blog. I figured that college life is so different for everyone that by getting a diverse  group of writers, we will be as helpful as we can. You will be able to find stuff like:

• classes we are talking
• what we think about those classes
• college events that we attend
• ways to save money
• things we wish we had know before
• living conditions in apartments and dorms
• study tips (?)
• and personal stories about things we do on campus (pg-13 of course!!)

The authors of this blog are friends from high school, who are lucky enough to be attending UF together as well. I'm hoping to be able to play with the technology on blogger and create an about us page so you can learn a little more about us.

~Caitlin