Dear class of 2012: You'll have to excuse us.
When you come swarming onto our campus in a week, we might send the occasional taunting laugh in your direction. From time to time, we might snicker as you amuse us. We're sorry.
It could be the campus map you're clutching. Make sure to carefully tuck that away in your backpack, which is stuffed with every single textbook you own. Or maybe it's the fact that you're completely decked out in Gators gear. We like Tebow too, but save it for game day.
OK, I'm done. Really, the teasing is all in good fun.
And really, most of it stems from jealously, at least for me. While life after college creeps ever closer as I enter my senior year, you still have miles and miles of road ahead of you.
You still have plenty of time to soak in the sunshine and the crowd's deafening roar during football games in the Swamp. You still have many opportunities to spend the night partying your ass off instead of studying for your exam in eight hours.
And if you don't spend too much time on the first two, you still have the rare chance to receive an excellent education for an even better price.
It's an exciting time, for sure. Hopefully, the special edition we concocted just for you can make the transition to UF a little easier. Every year, the freshman experience is shifting and morphing, and we try to keep you ahead of the curve.
With a budget that seems to shrink on a semesterly basis, you might want to know what cuts affect you.
With a No. 1 party ranking that students pride and Bernie and Co. despise, you might want to know what nightlife spots are worth checking out.
And with weed-out courses that can wear you down, you might want to know which offbeat courses could lighten your course load.
For more than 100 years, the Alligator has worked to inform and entertain the student body, and we're happy to extend a welcoming hand to you.
We hope you enjoy the New Student Edition.
