Did a lot of people from here apply to University of Florida for fall 2024?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Makes tremendous sense for in state kids due to low cost. Not as attractive to oos due to online classes and for some, DeSantis meddling.

Haven't heard him meddling with UF.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Has anyone actually had their kid attend UF? If so, what was your experience like?

It’s been good for my child. It’s huge and definitely no hand holding. Very much sink or swim, which is OK for this child. For some of my other kids, I think they would have gotten lost.
I don’t personally like the campus. I hate University that runs through there and every year a couple of students are killed as pedestrians. Lots of kids have scooters to get around which I also personally hate.
It’s very reasonably priced and my child is getting a very good education.

Errr, I feel like this would make national news if true.

Not sure what to tell you. There is a parent advocacy group for it.
https://www.gainesville.com/story/news/2022/08/25/uf-promotes-pedestrian-safety-through-partnership-fdot-and-ufpd/7843444001/
https://www.wuft.org/public-safety/2021-02-09/gainesville-community-calls-for-not-one-more-with-programs-to-address-spike-in-pedestrian-safety-issues?_amp=true
https://news.ufl.edu/2023/08/uf-fdot-traffic-pedestrian-safety/

There are some safety improvements being made but it’s an extremely dangerous road and the number of scooters doesn’t help. And very few of the kids on scooters wear helmets. You can believe me or not.

I believe this is true. The other negatives that I heard about UF is that the students are very competitive and cutthroat (esp. pre med)

Completely unrelated, I’m sure…

https://www.gainesville.com/story/news/2007/09/11/uf-has-largest-jewish-student-population/31536789007/#

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We have friends whose DC attends and loves it. Does social science and public policy - is a go getter worldly independent kid.

They currently live abroad but purposely got FL residency at some point and pay FL state tax there so they could apply in state for U Florida (knowing costs were so low for instate.) They never lived in FL before they left to live abroad.

Meanwhile their second ended up in school in TX.

We’ll see about the third.

There is no FL state tax.

- FL resident

Taxes come in many forms my friend - FL relies on property tax.

That’s a stretch as the poster said they lived abroad. I know many people who got in-state tuition to Florida after buying property and it’s doable but they check time spent in the state. Is it possible to get in-state by just paying property tax?

More likely they are abroad with the military and are just not paying state income taxes.

They are not military - many people who have corporate jobs where they are posted abroad will own a house in the US and have state drivers license and maybe even a car. They are not "state-less".

And if you are going to live abroad like this and have kids and are forward thinking - maybe you opt to choose your US state of residence with college in mind. Get property and drivers licenses. Some people do the same with state income tax in mind. FL fills both college and income tax buckets quite nicely.

I love all the expert naysayers here - why bother.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We have friends whose DC attends and loves it. Does social science and public policy - is a go getter worldly independent kid.

They currently live abroad but purposely got FL residency at some point and pay FL state tax there so they could apply in state for U Florida (knowing costs were so low for instate.) They never lived in FL before they left to live abroad.

Meanwhile their second ended up in school in TX.

We’ll see about the third.

There is no FL state tax.

- FL resident

Taxes come in many forms my friend - FL relies on property tax.

That’s a stretch as the poster said they lived abroad. I know many people who got in-state tuition to Florida after buying property and it’s doable but they check time spent in the state. Is it possible to get in-state by just paying property tax?

More likely they are abroad with the military and are just not paying state income taxes.

We are FL military living in another state, and though we own property there, I can tell you that FL doesn't really who claims them as their state of residence. The state you ACTUALLY live in, however...

Each state university system has it's own criteria for being in state. And being abroad with a US state of residence is different from being in the military (either abroad or living in a different state).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We have friends whose DC attends and loves it. Does social science and public policy - is a go getter worldly independent kid.

They currently live abroad but purposely got FL residency at some point and pay FL state tax there so they could apply in state for U Florida (knowing costs were so low for instate.) They never lived in FL before they left to live abroad.

Meanwhile their second ended up in school in TX.

We’ll see about the third.

There is no FL state tax.

- FL resident

Taxes come in many forms my friend - FL relies on property tax.

That’s a stretch as the poster said they lived abroad. I know many people who got in-state tuition to Florida after buying property and it’s doable but they check time spent in the state. Is it possible to get in-state by just paying property tax?

More likely they are abroad with the military and are just not paying state income taxes.

We are FL military living in another state, and though we own property there, I can tell you that FL doesn't really who claims them as their state of residence. The state you ACTUALLY live in, however...

If you're military, Florida only cares what is on your LES to get you in-state tuition. It's different for civilians though. They do track how many days you are in the state. I am in the parents group for a Florida school and they've been known to check toll passes, etc. Florida absolutely cares that you're not claiming in-state tuition without proof. They don't let anyone claim to be in-state given how attractive bright futures is to people with children in college.
-military with FL residency and a kid in Florida college

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We have friends whose DC attends and loves it. Does social science and public policy - is a go getter worldly independent kid.

They currently live abroad but purposely got FL residency at some point and pay FL state tax there so they could apply in state for U Florida (knowing costs were so low for instate.) They never lived in FL before they left to live abroad.

Meanwhile their second ended up in school in TX.

We’ll see about the third.

There is no FL state tax.

- FL resident

Taxes come in many forms my friend - FL relies on property tax.

That’s a stretch as the poster said they lived abroad. I know many people who got in-state tuition to Florida after buying property and it’s doable but they check time spent in the state. Is it possible to get in-state by just paying property tax?

More likely they are abroad with the military and are just not paying state income taxes.

They are not military - many people who have corporate jobs where they are posted abroad will own a house in the US and have state drivers license and maybe even a car. They are not "state-less".

And if you are going to live abroad like this and have kids and are forward thinking - maybe you opt to choose your US state of residence with college in mind. Get property and drivers licenses. Some people do the same with state income tax in mind. FL fills both college and income tax buckets quite nicely.

I love all the expert naysayers here - why bother.

Why not just post the details since it's a very specific set of circumstances instead of having people guess and then getting pissy?
Usually you still have to live in Florida for 183 days to be released from your old state's taxing authority.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Has anyone actually had their kid attend UF? If so, what was your experience like?

It’s been good for my child. It’s huge and definitely no hand holding. Very much sink or swim, which is OK for this child. For some of my other kids, I think they would have gotten lost.
I don’t personally like the campus. I hate University that runs through there and every year a couple of students are killed as pedestrians. Lots of kids have scooters to get around which I also personally hate.
It’s very reasonably priced and my child is getting a very good education.

Errr, I feel like this would make national news if true.

Not sure what to tell you. There is a parent advocacy group for it.
https://www.gainesville.com/story/news/2022/08/25/uf-promotes-pedestrian-safety-through-partnership-fdot-and-ufpd/7843444001/
https://www.wuft.org/public-safety/2021-02-09/gainesville-community-calls-for-not-one-more-with-programs-to-address-spike-in-pedestrian-safety-issues?_amp=true
https://news.ufl.edu/2023/08/uf-fdot-traffic-pedestrian-safety/

There are some safety improvements being made but it’s an extremely dangerous road and the number of scooters doesn’t help. And very few of the kids on scooters wear helmets. You can believe me or not.

I believe this is true. The other negatives that I heard about UF is that the students are very competitive and cutthroat (esp. pre med)

Completely unrelated, I’m sure…

https://www.gainesville.com/story/news/2007/09/11/uf-has-largest-jewish-student-population/31536789007/#

Uh- your point is....???

[Anonymous]

6pm - when will you be here?

I don't hear anyone at my kids school talking about UF.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We have friends whose DC attends and loves it. Does social science and public policy - is a go getter worldly independent kid.

They currently live abroad but purposely got FL residency at some point and pay FL state tax there so they could apply in state for U Florida (knowing costs were so low for instate.) They never lived in FL before they left to live abroad.

Meanwhile their second ended up in school in TX.

We’ll see about the third.

There is no FL state tax.

- FL resident

Taxes come in many forms my friend - FL relies on property tax.

That’s a stretch as the poster said they lived abroad. I know many people who got in-state tuition to Florida after buying property and it’s doable but they check time spent in the state. Is it possible to get in-state by just paying property tax?

More likely they are abroad with the military and are just not paying state income taxes.

They are not military - many people who have corporate jobs where they are posted abroad will own a house in the US and have state drivers license and maybe even a car. They are not "state-less".

And if you are going to live abroad like this and have kids and are forward thinking - maybe you opt to choose your US state of residence with college in mind. Get property and drivers licenses. Some people do the same with state income tax in mind. FL fills both college and income tax buckets quite nicely.

I love all the expert naysayers here - why bother.

Why not just post the details since it's a very specific set of circumstances instead of having people guess and then getting pissy?
Usually you still have to live in Florida for 183 days to be released from your old state's taxing authority.

Of course I'm not going to provide specific details beyond already saying this is not military but US citizens living abroad and working for a US company. I don't know exactly what hoops they jumped through. There are specific laws on IRS taxes and 51 different sets of laws for states regarding residency for tax purposes...which may be different than residency for instate tuition purposes. I'm not the one who started a pissing match. I just said our friend's DC was very happy with UF and is doing great. Others came on to try to debunk various details of their scenario.

If somebody else wants to know about moving abroad and jumping through these hoops they should talk with an accountant re tax law then then colleges in the states they are considering establishing residency for. But in most cases, I suspect families have more roots than this one did in their original state before moving abroad. For them - it wasn't difficult to pick up from the state they currently lived in and put in the steps needed to get FL residency. It has clearly worked for them, so I'm not making this up.

[Anonymous]

My daughter is a freshman at UF, and she absolutely loves it! She is a liberal arts major who went in with sophomore standing. Some of her upper level classes have fewer than 15 students, and she has already connected with professors about letters of recommendation and research opportunities. She joined a sorority and goes to tons of the UF sporting events. I think UF truly looks at applications holistically. My daughter had great grades and extra-curriculars, hundreds of volunteer hours and a strong essay—but her SATs were on the lower end of UF’s range. My younger child has visited her several times, and UF is now at the top of her list too.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I'm curious as to how popular University of Florida is from the DC area.

Isn't DeSanti forcing out all the best profs with his crusade against education?

lol no tenured prof is going to abandon his sinecure.

Actually…

Data from the 12 public institutions in the State University System of Florida, analyzed by reporters at the Investigative Reporting Workshop at American University, show that she was far from alone: Nine of them saw a significant spike in faculty resignations in 2022. The University of Florida saw a 20-percent increase in tenured and tenure-track faculty resignations (391 total) from 2021. At Florida State, 136 faculty members resigned in 2022, up 28 percent from the prior year. Faculty losses from Florida International University, in Miami, including both retirements and resignations, rose from 82 in 2021 to 97 in 2022.

https://www.chronicle.com/article/why-faculty-members-are-fleeing-florida

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My daughter is a freshman at UF, and she absolutely loves it! She is a liberal arts major who went in with sophomore standing. Some of her upper level classes have fewer than 15 students, and she has already connected with professors about letters of recommendation and research opportunities. She joined a sorority and goes to tons of the UF sporting events. I think UF truly looks at applications holistically. My daughter had great grades and extra-curriculars, hundreds of volunteer hours and a strong essay—but her SATs were on the lower end of UF’s range. My younger child has visited her several times, and UF is now at the top of her list too.

Yep I went to UF and you’re spot on about it being holistic…it’s been that way for a long time and is well known at Florida high schools. Kids who want to go there need to have a well-rounded application with meaningful extracurriculars in addition to good grades and test scores. And even good grades need to be in challenging classes, the kid with a lower end GPA but lots of APs is more likely to be admitted than the kid with straight As in regular/honors.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My daughter is a freshman at UF, and she absolutely loves it! She is a liberal arts major who went in with sophomore standing. Some of her upper level classes have fewer than 15 students, and she has already connected with professors about letters of recommendation and research opportunities. She joined a sorority and goes to tons of the UF sporting events. I think UF truly looks at applications holistically. My daughter had great grades and extra-curriculars, hundreds of volunteer hours and a strong essay—but her SATs were on the lower end of UF’s range. My younger child has visited her several times, and UF is now at the top of her list too.

Did your daughter apply as an OOS? I heard that the acceptance rate for OOS is really low (like 20% or less).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My daughter is a freshman at UF, and she absolutely loves it! She is a liberal arts major who went in with sophomore standing. Some of her upper level classes have fewer than 15 students, and she has already connected with professors about letters of recommendation and research opportunities. She joined a sorority and goes to tons of the UF sporting events. I think UF truly looks at applications holistically. My daughter had great grades and extra-curriculars, hundreds of volunteer hours and a strong essay—but her SATs were on the lower end of UF’s range. My younger child has visited her several times, and UF is now at the top of her list too.

Yep I went to UF and you’re spot on about it being holistic…it’s been that way for a long time and is well known at Florida high schools. Kids who want to go there need to have a well-rounded application with meaningful extracurriculars in addition to good grades and test scores. And even good grades need to be in challenging classes, the kid with a lower end GPA but lots of APs is more likely to be admitted than the kid with straight As in regular/honors.

How much do you think test scores play into it? What were some meaningful activities that your kids had?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I'm curious as to how popular University of Florida is from the DC area.

Isn't DeSanti forcing out all the best profs with his crusade against education?

lol no tenured prof is going to abandon his sinecure.

Actually…

Data from the 12 public institutions in the State University System of Florida, analyzed by reporters at the Investigative Reporting Workshop at American University, show that she was far from alone: Nine of them saw a significant spike in faculty resignations in 2022. The University of Florida saw a 20-percent increase in tenured and tenure-track faculty resignations (391 total) from 2021. At Florida State, 136 faculty members resigned in 2022, up 28 percent from the prior year. Faculty losses from Florida International University, in Miami, including both retirements and resignations, rose from 82 in 2021 to 97 in 2022.

https://www.chronicle.com/article/why-faculty-members-are-fleeing-florida

And I imagine the people who are going to leave are the ones who are competitive enough to receive a tenured/tenure track offer elsewhere.