University of Florida

Responses from the Student Interview

From a student  who identifies as Major: Political Science
Minor: Spanish
Student Self Identifies as: White Heterosexual Female

Summary

I have an internship for the Gainesville Mayor election campaign. I’m involved in a club called Camp Kesem. They put on a camp every summer for kids who have cancer. I’m also associated with Greek life.

Background

Gender Identity: Female
Race/Ethnicity: White
Sexual Orientation: Heterosexual

High School Experience: Public magnet school in South Florida with a graduating class of about 750 students. There was a culture of going to college.
First-Generation College Student: No
Major: Political Science
Minor: Spanish

Extracurricular Activities: I have an internship for the Gainesville Mayor election campaign. I’m involved in a club called Camp Kesem. They put on a camp every summer for kids who have cancer. I’m also associated with Greek life.
Did any of your extracurricular activities have a particularly big impact on your experience? In what ways?
I feel like all of them have helped in one way or another, but especially being in a sorority. I live in the sorority house now, and it’s really comforting having so many people that are actually your friends and your family who care about you.

Academic Experience

Can you describe your weekly coursework for Political Science?
Most of the upper-level courses have grades based on a couple of big things. I don’t study much during the week, but if I have an exam coming up, I’ll study a lot for a couple of days before the exam. The major graded assignments are mostly exams, papers, and I really only have one class with weekly assignments.
Is there anything you feel the Political Science department does especially well or poorly?
I feel like there’s a lot of diversity within the courses I can take for Political Science, and they have special topics every semester that aren’t regularly offered, but the professor volunteers to teach it. I’m in one of those right now and really like it and wish it was a regular thing. There’s a lot of diversity in what kind of politics you want to go into, whether it be American politics, or if you like international relations or comparative politics. There’s a lot for everything. [See the Political Science requirements here.]
How would you describe the learning environment? Do you think it’s particularly competitive or collaborative?
I don’t really feel like I’m competing with my peers. I’m the kind of person that goes to class, pays attention, and then leaves without socializing much. I work better when I’m focused.
How accessible have your professors been?
They respond quickly to email. Their office hours usually work, and if you happen to have class during them they are good about scheduling an appointment that works for you. Even before or after class when I ask them something they’ll actually stay and talk.
Do you feel that people are open to multiple schools of thought in the classroom?
Yes. So far, the politics classes I’ve been taking haven’t been super political. Things don’t get heated, maybe once or twice but it’s an environment where we can speak and talk about how we feel about learning certain things. Right now, I’m not taking classes about American politics, so nobody really gets heated about politics in Nigeria. I enjoy more comparative politics.
Why did you pick your major? Are you happy with your choice?
Originally, I started as Philosophy with the end goal of going to law school. I took a philosophy class, and it wasn’t bad but wasn’t something I thought I’d like learning, so I switched. In high school, I took AP Comparative Politics and it opened my eyes to what I like learning. I picked my major because I had great teachers in high school and they really shaped how I learn. I’m also not very good at math or science.

Reasons to Attend

1) There are so many options academically. Everyone is really helpful and it’s good if you don’t know exactly what you want to do yet.
2) It’s a big school and I know people from small towns may not be used to that, but I think it’s the perfect size. It’s not super crowded but is enough people.
3) People are very proud to go here. I don’t know if respectable is the right word, but there’s a great sense of community, especially during football season. Everyone loves being a Gator, and once you are, it’s part of who you are.

Reasons Not to Attend

1) I like that it’s a college town, but some people may not like how it’s just the university and Gainesville. Don’t come if you’re expecting a life outside of Gainesville.
2) Don’t come if you don’t care about learning. Everyone I know actually likes going to class and enjoys learning new things.

Around Campus

Where have you lived on campus?
Freshman: Cypress Hall with one roommate and two suitemates.
Sophomore: Sorority house with one roommate.
How was transitioning from South Florida to Gainesville, Florida?
I don’t like driving so that part bugged me the most. If I want to go home it’s four hours away. Transitioning to living in Gainesville wasn’t that hard. I got homesick a little bit, but it really wasn’t that bad and I like living here.
Can you describe the level of safety you’ve experienced on and around campus?
I’ve never had an issue where I’ve felt like I was unsafe. There are definitely a lot of resources if you were to be in trouble. There are the Blue Light systems, which are great. The police department is helpful, I called them one time and they were super nice.

Social Opportunities

What kind of nightlife or weekend activities do you like to participate in?
There are a lot of flea market things on the weekend. High Dive has a food truck rally every couple of weekends, and those are really fun. There is Midtown, which has bars, and I like seeing movies. There are also sports that go on. Tonight I’m going to the gymnastics meet, or there is baseball, basketball, and volleyball. It’s all free.
What is the impact of Greek life on nightlife?
A lot of Greeks work at the bars. Inside the bars, it’s mostly Greek life and they all kind of have their own corners. People mix, but most of Greek life goes out. [15% of UF students are in a Greek organization.]
How happy are you with the weekend activities or nightlife at your school? Is there anything you would change if you could?
I’m happy with it, there’s enough to do. I’m also kind of a homebody, so staying at home all day isn’t the worst thing in the world for me.

Campus Culture

How did you meet your closest friends?
Through Greek life. Freshman year we have meals in our sorority house where you come and meet and get to know people. When I first joined, you get a buddy every week who shows you around, and you’re supposed to get to know them. It’s really easy to get to know people.
How would you describe the overall social scene?
For me, social life can revolve around partying, but there are other aspects. It’s a big campus, and there are lots of things that bring students together to socialize and make friends. The Reitz Union has a free Friday thing where you can do movies or activities.
To what extent do you feel people of different races and sexual orientations mix socially?
I think Gainesville is a very liberal and accepting city of the LGBTQ community. It’s not weird and you don’t get discriminated. In terms of people of color, to be honest I don’t really see that many. Maybe it’s because I’m in Greek life, but even in my classes there isn’t a lot of racial diversity. It’s not obsolete and there is the Multicultural & Diversity Affairs. There are spaces for them to meet and mingle. I’m also from South Florida and all of my friends where Hispanic growing up, so I’m used to a really diverse environment. [About 53% of students are White, 6% are Black, 18% are Latino, and 7.5% are Asian.]
To what extent do people in Greek life and not in Greek life mix socially?
People within Greek life are mostly friends with others in Greek life because it’s an easy way to meet other people. It’s not like you can’t be friends with somebody not in Greek life.
How do you like the size of Florida in terms of undergraduate enrollment? [University of Florida has about 36,400 undergraduate students.]
It’s fairly big but I never feel crowded except in between class changes. I never feel like there are so many people that I can’t take it.

Careers

Has the alumni network helped you find internships or jobs?
No, but the internship I have I got through the department of Political Science. They send out emails about opportunities and internships every now and then.
What have you used the career office for? How helpful have they been?
I went one time because I had to go for class. I got my resume reviewed, and that’s really helpful.

Financial Aid

Have you used financial aid? If so, accommodating was the office to your needs?
I have the Bright Futures Scholorship and Florida Prepaid, so I’ve never needed financial assistance. I had to go for class to learn more information about what they provide, and they seem very helpful.