If you’re reading this: Welcome to the first edition of The Independent Florida Alligator for the Fall 2015 semester. Whether you’re a freshman leaving home for the first time or a world-weary senior who has already hit every Midtown bar and is well versed in the culture of Club West, you ought to be excited; UF is one of the most exciting places for a young person to pursue a higher education.
It certainly helps that Gainesville is a vibrant, diverse city with every kind of spot for every kind of person. If your ideal Friday night consists of barhopping dirty, crowded nightclubs soundtracked to loud, thunderous trap music, Midtown is only a hop, skip and a jump away from the main campus. Alternatively, if you like to spend your Friday nights sipping on caffeinated drinks and debating the merits of latter-day David Bowie albums with bearded liberal arts students, Maude’s Classic Cafe is always a viable option.
Speaking candidly, my own experience with UF is somewhat atypical to that of the average student’s. The first time I ever set foot in Gainesville was in 2012, while I was a freshman at the University of North Florida in Jacksonville. Although I had only come to party with friends from high school, I fell in love with both the school and the city almost immediately. The Gothic architecture of the campus buildings exuded a sense of history and prestige other universities could only hope to emulate, while the enthusiasm and passion I observed in other students was unlike anything I had ever experienced.
For the next two years, I had one singular goal: to become a part of The Gator Nation, and to join a long tradition of accomplished, proud Gator graduates.
After buckling down and boosting my then-mediocre GPA, I submitted my transfer application — which was denied. Apparently, a social sciences statistic credit — when it ought to have been business — didn’t fit the necessary criteria for political science majors looking to transfer to the university.
Following some soul-searching (and more than a few beers), I had decided that I’d come too far for it to end like that. From there, I made a few phone calls and reached out to any university official that would listen. And then, I waited.
One day, following a fateful lunch with my father, I opened up my application status to see those magic words: "Welcome to The Gator Nation."
I view my journey in getting here, as well as my own trials and tribulations in getting acclimated, as emblematic of the UF experience. Sometimes it’s going to kick your ass and take you for a spin. But it’s when you get up and somehow make it possible to not only pursue all of your extracurricular activities but excel in school as well that you realize sometimes you need to get your ass kicked in order to become a better person.
Being a UF student, like being an actual alligator, means being tough and resilient.
We here at the Alligator are giddy about what the coming semester holds.
If you are interested in working with in opinions, do not hesitate to send your resume, as well as two writing samples, to opinions@alligator.org. We will also be holding an open house this Friday at our office from noon to 5 p.m. We look forward to meeting, informing and conversing with all of you.
