Welcome to UF. You are now a student at the flagship academic institution of the state of Florida. With a University of Florida degree, you have endless career opportunities and a promising shot at some of the nation’s top graduate programs.
Prepare to settle in for four or five years.
Gainesville is certainly no Las Vegas, but there are plenty of ways to entertain and be entertained. The peculiarities of the city are best discovered by haphazard means. Spend some time walking around campus, downtown and by the prairie.
Bolen Bluff trail, just south of Payne’s Prairie, is one of the best nature walks the city has to offer. A 20 minute walk through the forest spills out onto an indescribably serene plateau with an abundance of wildlife.
For the music lover, Gainesville has countless concert halls, music venues and live-performance bar settings. All types of bands roll through Gainesville throughout the year, and the particularly savvy music enthusiast has a wide array of entertainment to choose from.
One of my favorite features of Gainesville is its central location in the state. Within two hours, you can be in Tampa, Orlando or Jacksonville for a weekend getaway. An hour and a half drive east will bring the occasional traveler to St. Augustine, the perfect night trip for stargazing or beach camping.
Campus life can be very rewarding, if one is ambitious and bold enough to throw themselves into involvement opportunities.
For a new student, involvement can be intimidating, but well worth the muster of courage necessary to try something new.
There is a club or organization for just about anything. I believe UF hosts over 800 different clubs yearly.
The Greek system is also a great way to experience thick camaraderie and make a solid group of dedicated friends.
Student political organizations, like the College Republicans, the College Democrats or Student Government’s Student Senate offer a chance to become familiarized with citizen activism, which is, in my opinion, an under-appreciated trait of the well-rounded individual.
Finally, there are programs through Florida Blue Key and its partnerships that are wholly oriented toward aspiring new-student leaders, information about which can be found in Room 365 of the Reitz Union.
Of course, as a Gator, we all get plenty of exposure to premiere academic sporting events.
Game days in Gainesville are city-wide celebrations, and homecoming is an experience one will not easily forget.
Also, don’t forget to come out and celebrate the Gator Nation with all of your classmates and friends at this year’s Gator Growl on Oct. 15.
With so many things to look forward to about being a Gator and making the most of your time in Gainesville, there really won’t be enough time to be bored or unhappy. Find the activity niche that fits with your personality, and use it to build yourself into the well-rounded adult that society will expect you to be upon graduation.
Bryan Griffin is a first-year law student.
