As it turns out, the University of Florida’s mascot is the Gator. And they’re really into sports. So into sports that they have a football stadium for 90,000 people! And it’s always full during games!
I’m in Gainesville, Florida, and as a student ambassador at UBC (and because I have nothing to do for 2 weeks) I was curious to see the UF campus and go on a tour of a university as big as UBC.
I was surprised to notice that a lot of the things are very similar on the tours. Their tour guides highlight the same things we do about big schools – all the student groups, involvement, opportunities, resources… etc. They also have 12 libraries, and class sizes are about the same. Also, they have the exact same emergency pole system!
What I liked the most was the campus – it’s green and lushy (is that a word?). All their buildings are made of brick, which makes it kind of nice. I guess I also liked the school spirit -it’s all Gators and everything is blue and orange- but I’m not a fan of school spirit coming from violent sports.
The tour guide was very friendly and approachable (as I hope we are!) and people go to class in dresses and flip flops. However, even though it was a great tour and it seems like a great university, I wouldn’t think it twice if I had to decide between UF and UBC.
While Gainesville is a nice town, it doesn’t even compare to Vancouver. Our online systems seem to be much better (library/ssc/vista/websites), and I don’t see how I could concentrate in academics with such a humid and stuffy weather! It doesn’t seem to be as multicultural as UBC, or to have as many international experience opportunities.
I guess it’s a good sign that after two years I’m still in love with UBC :D.
Awesome comparative study, haha! This makes me want to visit other universities.