Out of about 2,000 applicants across the country, one of UF's students was chosen to blog about her first year of college for Seventeen magazine.
Mary Liu, a freshman, was selected for the "Freshman 15" out of more than 300 UF applicants.
Liu writes two blogs and films a 30-second video blog each week for the magazine's Web site.
She said she is hoping she can act as a mentor to students across the country and give them a realistic sense of what college is like.
"I'm not going to try and craft a perfect college experience for readers," Liu said. "I'm going to keep it real."
Liu, a political science and economics major, was born in China, spent time in Texas and has lived in Gainesville for the last eight years.
She decided to apply when the UF Honors Program sent an e-mail to incoming students in the summer about the opportunity.
So far, the biggest challenge she has faced this year has been stepping out of her comfort zone.
Before she came to UF, she considered herself an open-minded person. After meeting new people at college, she realized she had to learn to adapt to people with different perspectives and backgrounds.
"You've just got to recognize it will be stressful at times," she said.
"Just take it in stride and don't be afraid to open yourself up to new experiences."
Michael Murphy, a clinical associate professor in the UF counseling center, said students can face serious adjustment issues their first year.
Generally, it's students' first time living away from home, and freshmen face challenges they must overcome, Murphy said. These include making new friends, learning how to relate to parents and dealing with a different caliber of student in the classroom, he said.
He believes Liu's blogs may be able to help other students and thinks it is an interesting way to reach them.
He said the blogs will only be an effective tool if Liu represents a normal freshman experience and overcomes her challenges in a healthy way.
