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Gainesville as a college town
Posted on 3/1/21 at 3:42 pm
Posted on 3/1/21 at 3:42 pm
I am hoping that some UF alums here can give me some insight on this. My son was recently accepted at the University of Florida, and is fortunate to be able to attend cost-free. He is very excited about the opportunity, but is also seriously considering some other schools. One of his hesitations is that he doesn't have a very good sense of what the student experience is like at UF and in Gainesville, as none of us has ever visited before (we live out of state) and opportunities for campus tours are limited because of COVID.
Anyway, any tips/pointers from UF folks here? What is Gainesville like as a place to live and go to school? If we do decide to make a visit in the next month or so (even if it is limited to a self-guided tour), are there any places on campus or in town that we should definitely check out? Any advice would be appreciated.
Anyway, any tips/pointers from UF folks here? What is Gainesville like as a place to live and go to school? If we do decide to make a visit in the next month or so (even if it is limited to a self-guided tour), are there any places on campus or in town that we should definitely check out? Any advice would be appreciated.
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Posted on 3/1/21 at 3:49 pm to profwilson
Does your son like swamps and mosquitos? If so, he'll love it.
Hell, what am I saying, you're from Louisiana so it'll be just like home.
Hell, what am I saying, you're from Louisiana so it'll be just like home.
Posted on 3/1/21 at 3:52 pm to profwilson
There is a mall near the stadium.
Posted on 3/1/21 at 3:54 pm to profwilson
Typical college town as best as I can remember, plenty of places to drink and party. The traffic has gotten to be a pain in the azz last time I was there. The beaches are only a little over a hour away (Atlantic) or 1 1/2 hours to the gulf (Tampa, everything north of Tampa is mangroves). If he gets hungry and low on funds he can always eat lunch for free from the Hare Krishnas on campus. Plus we have the best football team in the SEC east which has won 2 National Championships in the 21st century.
This post was edited on 3/1/21 at 4:02 pm
Posted on 3/1/21 at 3:55 pm to profwilson
Congrats 1st of all. Getting into UF is tough these days. As an out of state student having tuition paid for is even better.
I’m an old school grad and also grew up in G’ville. I’ll leave it up to someone younger to offer their take. It’s not all swamp and mosquitoes.
I’m an old school grad and also grew up in G’ville. I’ll leave it up to someone younger to offer their take. It’s not all swamp and mosquitoes.
Posted on 3/1/21 at 3:57 pm to kywildcatfanone
Graduated from UF and even stayed for a few years after getting a job there. I would live there again, but I love being on the coast too much.
Posted on 3/1/21 at 4:00 pm to profwilson
Kids will have a good time at any SEC school. No matter what the town is like, most kids do most everything on campus. I have a good friend who graduated from Tennessee and he knew very little about Knoxville even after graduating. With 20K+ students on every campus, there is plenty to do.
Posted on 3/1/21 at 4:01 pm to Auburn80
Florida is a very good school
Not a typical state school either
I would strongly consider their offer
Not a typical state school either
I would strongly consider their offer
Posted on 3/1/21 at 4:02 pm to profwilson
Not strictly student experiences, but you have nice beaches at Crescent Beach, an hour due east. And an hour to the west, Cedar Key, you can go fishing on the gulf and there are great seafood restaurants. Not far to the north, you can go tubing at Ichetucknee Springs State Park. You can play golf 12 months a year.
Gainesville itself is nothing special at all. I lived there 1979-1986. I don't think much has changed in that regard. If you do visit for a couple of days, go to Crescent Beach for a day, and drive out to Cedar Key for dinner one evening.
Gainesville itself is nothing special at all. I lived there 1979-1986. I don't think much has changed in that regard. If you do visit for a couple of days, go to Crescent Beach for a day, and drive out to Cedar Key for dinner one evening.
This post was edited on 3/1/21 at 4:31 pm
Posted on 3/1/21 at 4:07 pm to BamaGradinTn
It's the second best school in the SEC.
The only towns that are a cut above in the rest of the SEC are Fayetteville, Athens and Nashville.
I'd take the offer. UF degree is worth 10x more than all the other schools besides Vandy.
The only towns that are a cut above in the rest of the SEC are Fayetteville, Athens and Nashville.
I'd take the offer. UF degree is worth 10x more than all the other schools besides Vandy.
Posted on 3/1/21 at 4:17 pm to profwilson
I grew up in Gainesville, have close relatives there, visit there often. It is nice University town. UofF is pretty big and now it is spread out...hard to get a fix on central campus... but downtown is very trendy wine-bar-artsy and hip, the location in N.Central Florida is in the "bluegrass" limestone region, hilly terrain, not at all flat, quite pretty. Coeds are amazing and academics is top 3-4 in SEC.
Bicycles are plentiful and probably a good investment, typical college town amenities, bars, meeting places, fraternities/sororities. Gainesville is a older town... garden district along rock creek is refreshing. 2 hours to beaches... sink holes with ponds... hot summer, nice winter. Eastern Gainesville is probably a good place to avoid...go north and it gets backwoods redneck pretty dam fast... western Gainesville is nice residential, Devils Millhopper, Paynes Prarie are local scenic attractions and down I-75 about 20 miles is (or was) Cafe Risque (we bare all) where coeds earn extra.
Student housing off campus seems to be pretty decent from observation close to the University. Museums, art, sports... It isn't Alabama but I recommend it... good alumni organization, iconic mascot.
Bicycles are plentiful and probably a good investment, typical college town amenities, bars, meeting places, fraternities/sororities. Gainesville is a older town... garden district along rock creek is refreshing. 2 hours to beaches... sink holes with ponds... hot summer, nice winter. Eastern Gainesville is probably a good place to avoid...go north and it gets backwoods redneck pretty dam fast... western Gainesville is nice residential, Devils Millhopper, Paynes Prarie are local scenic attractions and down I-75 about 20 miles is (or was) Cafe Risque (we bare all) where coeds earn extra.
Student housing off campus seems to be pretty decent from observation close to the University. Museums, art, sports... It isn't Alabama but I recommend it... good alumni organization, iconic mascot.
This post was edited on 3/1/21 at 4:19 pm
Posted on 3/1/21 at 4:23 pm to profwilson
If you like meth and anal sex Jacksonville is the place to be according to some Navy guys now stationed at Ft Gordon.
Posted on 3/1/21 at 4:28 pm to Smokeyone
quote:
meth and anal sex --- Smokeyone Tennessee fan
Pay attention.... this is an expert's opinion on those subjects, along with butt-chugging.
But Jacksonville is a long way from Gainesville and Fort Gordon is an Army base, odd that Navy people would be there, but that is a Tennessee fan for you..
This post was edited on 3/1/21 at 4:30 pm
Posted on 3/1/21 at 4:33 pm to Smokeyone
Weird post. Especially from someone in Tennessee, a state with more meth users than Florida.
Posted on 3/1/21 at 4:37 pm to profwilson
When I go back I feel like the city is “growing up”. The downtown has greatly improved and much trendier now than it used to be. Midtown is going through revitalization, even the Archer Road area is much nicer. Not to mention the university itself is about to embark on $2 Billion in campus improvements over the next 5 years. UF is soon to be a top 5 public school, can’t go wrong!
This post was edited on 3/1/21 at 4:38 pm
Posted on 3/1/21 at 4:45 pm to bgator85
quote:
UF is soon to be a top 5 public school, can’t go wrong!
I believe they are very close if not so already. Almost every major is well respected.
Posted on 3/1/21 at 4:46 pm to Smokeyone
How ...or better why ...does this even enter into the conversation. Your response is both bizarre and troubling.
Posted on 3/1/21 at 4:58 pm to profwilson
It's a very typical college town. Really fun being a student and huge party school.
The women are hot as hell though and never have much clothes on. When I drive near the campus I break my neck at least 20 times it is ridiculous.
The women are hot as hell though and never have much clothes on. When I drive near the campus I break my neck at least 20 times it is ridiculous.
Posted on 3/1/21 at 5:20 pm to Smokeyone
quote:
If you like meth and anal sex Jacksonville is the place to be according to some Navy guys now stationed at Ft Gordon.
Gainesville is certainly a boring town compared to Knoxville. Who cares about the beaches of the Atlantic? In less time than it takes to get to the beach from Gainesville, you can drive from Knoxville to the idyllic hamlet of Newport, in the aptly-named...for a couple of reasons... Cocke County.
"On fight nights, according to pleadings filed with the U.S. District Court, there were crowds of up to 700 people. A “cooperating witness for the federal government noted that there were “approximately 182 cockfighting at the Del Rio pit in a single evening,” and in each fight, “between $2,000 and $20,0000 was gambled by the spectators” Another “cooperating witness observed a girl approximately 10 years old with a stack of $100 bills, gambling on several different cock fights.”
"You could go to Cocke County years ago, and you didn't have to look very far to find trouble," District Attorney Al Schmutzer Jr. said. He recalled a $20,000 contract on his head in the late 1970s for breaking up an interstate prostitution ring that served -- then robbed -- customers at a truck stop brothel so brazen it had no fuel pumps."
Posted on 3/1/21 at 5:26 pm to profwilson
Gainesville is boring and one of the worst GameDay experiences.
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