Adam Samei’s eyes darted across a flood of unfamiliar faces. He walked along the sidewalk near the University Auditorium, searching the buildings to find a landmark he recognized.
He stopped.
“Where am I?” the 18-year-old asked under his breath, twisting his neck around.
Samei walked another block and stopped again.
“This is the wrong way,” he said, sounding unsure.
Samei decided to follow a group of people walking toward Turlington Plaza and found himself at the Hub, his intended destination.
More than 6,000 freshmen began their first Fall semester at the university Wednesday. They joined the masses of returning undergraduates and graduates to fill out UF’s student population of about 50,000.
Samei, who plans to double-major in political science and international studies, moved into his Yulee Residence Hall triple Sunday.
On the first day of school, Samei gave himself plenty of time before class, in case he got lost — which he did.
He accidentally walked into an Italian class in Matherly Hall instead of his scheduled First Year Florida course. Samei asked the professor to let him sign onto ISIS on the university-owned computer to find the right room.
“It was a computer error,” Samei said. “I had the wrong room number.”
When he arrived at his classes, he made sure to land a seat in the front row so he could see the instructor.
“You have to make sure you make a great first impression on them,” Samei said.
He takes academics seriously. Samei graduated from high school with a 4.5 GPA and said he forbids himself from letting his UF GPA slip below a 3.8.
Throughout the next four years, Samei hopes to join a fraternity and get more involved with Student Government. After that, he plans to pursue a master’s degree and attend law school.
But for now, he would be happy just to find his Statistics class.
At 2 p.m. Wednesday, Alex Solomon welcomed the first day of class with beer and barbecue.
The 22-year-old aerospace engineering senior placed his tray of leftover Sonny’s and an unopened 24-pack of eight-ounce Coors Light on his coffee table. He was wearing the same tank top he slept in. His 11:45 a.m. class hadn’t seemed worth walking to when it looked like it might rain.
“I actually did the math,” Solomon said while cracking open a drink. “This is more alcohol per dollar than an 18-pack of regular cans.”
He paused the explanation to chase his morning vitamin regimen with more beer, which he calls “the fuel that gets me running at maximum efficiency.”
“Also,” he added, “it’s easier to chug.”
Solomon’s roommate appeared not long after he finished his first beer. The pair decided to go to Salty Dog Saloon before Solomon’s 4 p.m. class.
The day continued, and Solomon mused about starting his final year of college as he walked to Midtown.
“I’m looking forward to football season,” he said. “But I couldn’t get tickets because I’m only taking seven credits.”
When it was time for class, Solomon found a seat in the back of his lecture in the Florida Gym. There, he used the distance from the professor to his advantage.
Solomon played Bubble Shooter on his iPhone, checked his Facebook page and looked up periodically to watch the video the professor was showing.
It wasn’t a bad first day for a man with only three days of class a week.
“Four years ago, you couldn’t have told me I’d be in Salty Dog at 3 p.m. drinking a pitcher,” he said. “It’s ideal that the bars are closer to my house than classes are.”
Contact Shelby Webb at swebb@alligator.org. Contact Michael Scott Davidson at mdavidson@alligator.org.
Freshman Adam Samei sits in his statistics class Wednesday during the first day of classes.
Senior Alex Solomon, enjoys a beer at Salty Dog Saloon before his class.
