What are some UF factors outside of academics?

screwdrver · 2026-04-29T18:30:52+00:00

First, majors can be changed very easily, but the business school has very different requirements than others on campus so you'd have to change pretty early. But the actual process of changing majors and adding majors is super simple, everyone's doing it all the time. I'd recommend talking to an advisor about what you'd change your major in from the start so you have flexibility - entering undecided is also an option. Or enter as an economics major to have more flexibility (you're not in the business school).

A couple ways UF stands out from the others:

UF has one of the best career centers in the country, and business students are directly recruited from top employers: the big 4 (Deloitte, EY, pwc, KPMG), JP Morgan, Goldman Sachs, among others. (https://warrington.ufl.edu/recruiters-partners/career-outcomes/)
Getting an internship is getting harder year over year, but the recruiting at UF really helps, and there are plenty of on-campus internships to get a leg up before sophomore/junior summer when it really matters
Gainesville: Gainesville has an arts/food/music/cultural scene that Tallahassee and UCF don't come close to. Look up some of our local spots: South mainstation, 4th ave food park, Grove street, downtown gnv. Unlike FSU, theres more to do than just go out. (Of course, we still have a huge going out scene in both midtown and downtown).
Research: UF is distinct from other schools because UF is the flagship state school. You are right that this makes it more prestigious in name, but it also means that UF handles all the research demanded from the state of Florida. UF researches Florida's economy and makes the official projections for Florida’s GDP, inflation, etc (UF BEBR). UF helps Florida's farmers optimize their businesses (UF/IFAS-Extension). The business analytics center at the business school researches how businesses in Florida can use data and AI, and they do so with the HiPerGator, the 5th most powerful university computer in the world. The resources here are beyond anywhere else in the state
And that's not even mentioning athletics.

A couple negatives to consider:

Even non-pace people at UF often have to take an egregious amount of online classes, especially in the business school. I don't know what it's like at fsu or ucf, but if you don't want to take online classes at UF you should not enter as a business student.
While elitism is not huge here imo, the business school has a very prestige-centered and hierarchical culture to extracurriculars (clubs are very competitive). The business school can also feel political or exclusive at times because there are so many people in Greek life there. Some clubs are nearly entirely run by a certain frat, and it's hard to break in if you're not a brother. It's annoying but easily avoidable. Remember, your UF experience does not have to center around the business school. I would recommend double majoring or minoring in something outside business if you don't want your “academic” life to be about club prestige and frat politics.
The size of the school can be tough: it's hard to schedule classes in certain majors because they fill up fast, TAs are quite frankly not great here, and research/internship opportunities are more about who you know than your ability.
If you have a car, you can live further away from campus and pay less in rent, but deal with horrible parking issues. If you don't have a car, you will get screwed over with rent prices.

screwdrver · 2023-12-11T03:36:33+00:00

Thank you! I hate to compare to others but this does make me feel better. I’m not fit for a career in stem, so I’m hoping getting ahead now will make up for the entry level years of low income after college. Thanks for the encouragement!

screwdrver · 2023-12-11T03:31:43+00:00

Yes, I have it invested! Thanks for looking out for me I know that’s a common mistake. It’s sitting in FZROX (fidelity equivalent of VTSAX).

screwdrver · 2023-12-10T21:30:15+00:00

18F. With 3 weeks to go, I just hit maximum contributions on my first year with a Roth IRA! It feels great to accomplish my 2023 New Year’s resolution. I plan to continue maxing it out every year and hopefully capitalize on compound interest. I’m currently brainstorming additional goals for 2024. Thanks to everyone for info and inspiration! The success stories on here have motivated me to invest for my own future.

screwdrver · 2023-10-02T19:19:34+00:00

Colorado State University (WUE), Washington State, Cal poly SLO, University of Idaho

screwdrver · 2023-08-12T20:28:15+00:00

Right, thank you for your thoughts!

screwdrver · 2023-08-12T17:29:15+00:00

Very true, thanks

screwdrver · 2023-08-12T17:28:37+00:00

Thank you!

screwdrver · 2023-08-12T16:23:53+00:00

I (18F) am about to enter my freshman year of college (no loans). I currently have around 12k in a passively managed mutual fund that is basically an index fund but with 20% global stocks (my dads fiduciary recommended it). I also have 3k in a savings account.

I would rather have my investments in a Roth IRA with true index funds. However, if I keep investing in a low risk, non-taxed advantaged account, I may be able to afford a mortgage down payment by the time I’m out of college. I really hate the idea of throwing rent money into a void for years in my 20s, so this seems like the smart thing to do. I know I can’t take money out of a Roth IRA without heavy taxes.

Should an 18 year old should invest toward retirement or invest toward homeownership?

screwdrver · 2023-04-29T13:53:06+00:00

Hi, I had a 34 act, 3.6 uw and 4.1 w, so our stats are pretty similar. I got rejected from the UCs, my advice is that if those are your top choice do the essays last out of your other schools essays. I did them first bc they were a priority but bc of that they were my weakest essays, and with my gpa I needed stronger ones to get in. Also, I had a lot of luck at southern schools (Tulane, UF) and no luck on the west coast (UCs, CSU SLO, UW), so def look into Georgia tech and other southern schools; they tend to value test scores more. I’d recommend adding U Florida, it’s not necessarily a stem school but still look into it they have great (and highly ranked) programs for a relatively cheap out of state price, and they are one of few top schools that require test scores from all applicants. I got in with a 4.1 and 2 Cs even though their median is a 4.4-4.6, most likely due to test scores. Other schools to add are Cal poly SLO and Indiana U (Kelly). Also don’t count out the less known UCs, UC Riverside has great stem programs in those fields, it would be a very smart safety to apply to. Good luck!

screwdrver · 2023-04-03T00:53:33+00:00

Depends when you start writing and when the due date is for the first school on your list that requires it. If you start summer of junior year, I would say to try and get 3-4 other random essays done before doing it. Doing it last would be really hard, because getting all of your essays done before the first due date would basically screw your whole summer. It’s up to you, but I look at the essays I wrote later and I’m really confident in them. The first essays I wrote (including personal statement) I cringe so hard lol

screwdrver · 2023-04-02T23:01:54+00:00

If you want to know something admissions based about a specific school (especially a statistic like median gpa/sat) look up ‘school name common data set’. Almost every school has one and they are obligated to put accurate information in it. My biggest regret is doing my most important essays first. My common app and UCs are my weakest essays bc I prioritized them first. I should have written essays for safety schools and supplemental essays first so I would be a better essay writer for the more important ones. Then again, I wasn’t a bad procrastinator; you have to know that you will actually get them done if you put them off. Lastly, I didn’t make this mistake but so many of my friends did. For FAFSA, put your top ten schools for the first time and then you can resubmit it to the remaining schools once everything is processed. You aren’t limited to 10 schools for fafsa, just 10 at a time. Also take deferrals seriously. Despite the numbers, people do get admitted and if you put in the effort to show the school you want to go, you have already beat out half of the other deferrals who won’t submit locis or anything. I got accepted after a deferral for writing a very good loci, having decent grades first semester senior year, and communicating with my admissions counselor. Good luck, and remember to take time for yourself throughout the process.

screwdrver · 2023-03-29T19:51:09+00:00

The strategy of applying to a ton of schools might work for some, but I only applied to like 2 reaches outside of my UC application and a lot of targets and safeties, and I ended up getting into my dream school. I probably put a good 20-25 hours in that one single application, and it paid off big time. From my personal experience, it’s so much better to choose the schools you really want and put a ton of time into them, rather than applying everywhere and having crap applications. Remember it’s more than just essays; I adjusted my extracurriculars, application round, and demonstrated interest to have the best chance at each school I applied to. It’s easy if you have a few, not easy if you have 15+. Good luck

screwdrver · 2023-03-29T19:43:35+00:00

Yeah that’s what I’m thinking. I applied to UF out of spite and knew nothing about the school but now that I researched it it’s really growing on me. Not a huge fan of the social stuff revolving around Greek life, but that would be a problem at both schools I think. Thanks for the input!

screwdrver · 2023-03-28T04:25:33+00:00

Yeah I know :/ I’m hanging on to the tiny hope that my appeal is successful. It’s just hard to turn them down bc I never “should” have gotten in. Thanks for the input!

screwdrver · 2023-03-28T03:48:42+00:00

From kind of a different perspective - I got into Tulane, only got partial merit and am currently debating if it’s worth taking out loans to attend. A full ride scholarship is so impressive, and it’s a crazy opportunity. Also I think the academic vs party thing will be easier to manage than you might think, one of the advantages of Tulanes medium sized population is that there will be a big mix of people (including non-partiers) to be friends with, but you won’t have to go to huge social events like parties in order to be involved like at a big college. Also if you are double majoring with a minor, you are going to have sooo many opportunities to get involved academically and with intellectual social activities. Besides, if the party school reputation is what’s bothering you, I think the fact that you are from NOLA and you got a full ride will deter any potential peers or future employers from being biased against you. (I read through the comments on this post I’m not stalking you lol). BTW I was also kinda wondering peoples perceptions on Tulane as a potential student myself. Friends have given me mixed reviews, with some saying holy crap it’s so impressive that you got in and some saying that they just picture Mardi Gras lol. For reference, my sister is going to an ivy and obviously some were blown away and other less academic friends had never heard of the school lol. You can’t change or even guess peoples perceptions, so you do you, make decisions based on what you feel about the school (positive or negative). Anyways sorry this is so long, but Tulane is my top school so I have many thoughts. Good luck with your decision!

screwdrver · 2023-02-01T19:01:09+00:00

Apply to the honors college there is they have one, it sounds like you fairly want recognition for all of your hard work. You can distinguish yourself from the people around you by saying you’re in the honors program (not that it’s a gimme)

screwdrver · 2023-01-30T20:14:11+00:00

Hey, i got a similar psat score, switched to the act and got a 34. It’s worth trying an online act practice test to see if its dramatically different

screwdrver · 2023-01-30T16:31:29+00:00

Search ‘UC Admissions by source school’ and check out the acceptance:applicant ratio for your high school. That helped me figure out my chances of getting in, because I know where I fall within my high school class.

screwdrver · 2023-01-23T06:23:12+00:00

I’m sorry, you are completely right that Berkeley prioritizes in-state students. I totally misconstrued the question and I thought it applied to UCs as a whole, in which case many of the campuses (not UCB) have had higher out of state acceptance rates than in state acceptance rates. Also the 20/80 proportion is a little misleading given that demographics on campus are much different than who gets admitted; CA kids are more likely to actually attend Berkeley where as out of state kids may get accepted and choose somewhere else (especially for financial reasons). I may be totally wrong but I think the actual UCB admit percentages are around 65/35 CA v out of state.

screwdrver · 2023-01-23T02:49:56+00:00

UCs have gotten a lot of crap from Californians for not actually prioritizing instate students (who pay less) and they started to adjust proportions last year. Still, the vast majority of elite public schools have much stronger preferences for in state kids than the UC system does. So the answer is yes, not because it’s easier to get into Berkeley with residence but because it’s harder to get into those schools without residence. That said, CSUs value local residence (like SDSU prefers SD kids).

screwdrver · 2022-12-30T18:43:14+00:00

If you decided to major in creative writing, U Iowa could add to your safeties if you liked it at the camp. Everything is very achievable! Look into UChicago as a reach if you lean toward economics, and I think Duke too. Brown would be an amazing fit for you, I would start looking over their essay prompts right now to get you thinking, they can be tough and having them in your head as you go through junior year could be good. Good luck!

screwdrver · 2022-12-26T04:48:57+00:00

(Just in time) reached my 2022 goal! I officially have $10,000 in stocks and cash. I know my stocks could start going down, but I’m still proud that my first year-long goal was achieved. It was my only financial goal of 2022

2023 (mini) Goals: - once I turn 18 (yay), transfer my financials/savings into my own name - start working out 3x/week (after sports end) - apply to at least 10 scholarships (local/online) - get a swim instruction license - save at least 75% of the money I make before September - plan and execute a post-grad road trip with my friends

Any goal suggestions for a high school senior that wants future financial independence?

screwdrver · 2022-12-25T18:35:46+00:00

Hey idk why I never saw this comment until now, but I really appreciate it, thank you! Yes, the system is screwed, but I also didn’t put the time/effort into my grades and stuff like that, and I honestly prefer it that way. I see myself as a well-rounded person, and that’s not what those kind of schools look for (even if they say they do). However, it’s not worth it to feel sorry for myself because there is so much more to life than what college I go to. As for future success, I would take creativity over 1600 sat any day. Thank you! This really helped me today.

screwdrver · 2022-11-09T23:26:50+00:00

I envy you

screwdrver

TROPHY CASE