Sorority Girl
Michelle Balaun2020-09-24T15:40:30-04:00So They’ve Joined a Sorority Congratulations! Your daughter has found a place to call home in Gainesville besides the University itself. Being in a soro [...]
Bright Futures
Michelle Balaun2020-04-28T12:13:12-04:00The Future Is So Bright You'll Need Shades! **SEE END OF BLOG FOR CHANGES EFFECTIVE WITH THE 2020-2021 ACADEMIC SCHOOL YEAR** Bright Futures has long be [...]
Staying Fit and Keeping Freshman 15 At Bay
Michelle Balaun2020-08-19T11:29:03-04:00Freshman 15, Keeping Fit! Keeping fit matters. It helps mentally as well as physically. The phrase “Freshman 15” has its own claim to fame, actually inf [...]
Places of Worship for Students
Michelle Balaun2020-09-14T11:21:07-04:00Continuing Traditions of Worship Worship can be a fulfilling addition to your college life. For all students, being able to continue to worship, pray, a [...]
Are Your Student’s Valuables Safe – Everything Safe?
Michelle Balaun2020-06-26T15:52:10-04:00How Safe Is Their Stuff? One more thing to worry about: is the stuff safe? Right up there on the anxiety ladder along with the call from my college daug [...]
Graduation at UF
Michelle Balaun2023-12-20T09:57:14-05:00Remember When... Remember when our kids were little and we couldn’t imagine them ever leaving us and going off to college? Now, if you're anything like [...]
Mother-Daughter Time
Michelle Balaun2020-03-19T15:45:04-04:00First-Timer I remember my first mother-daughter weekend in Gainesville. Although it was a sorority event, we did not participate in all of the planned a [...]
U.F. Move.In.Day.
Michelle Balaun2020-07-22T21:26:02-04:00U.F.M.I.D. (Move-In Day) UF’s move-in day is…well…a LOT of work. Wear comfortable clothes and shoes, and be prepared for many trips to the car as well a [...]
So your student wants to be a Gator?
Michelle Balaun2020-10-28T12:23:30-04:00So your student wants to be a Gator? That's understandable - Time Magazine ranked UF as the best school in Florida. UF is a great university, right down [...]
Lost and Found
Michelle Balaun2020-04-28T14:51:42-04:00Oh No...It Happened! It's Lost. Have you ever lost anything really important before? My daughter spent the summer studying abroad. She was warned about [...]
Homecoming at UF
Michelle Balaun2020-09-17T17:12:43-04:00Gator Growl? Being part of a huge Gator Family (16 of us went to UF including my 90-year-old uncle when it was an all-boys school); I have been to my sh [...]
Sick at School
Michelle Balaun2020-09-29T13:53:17-04:00Mom.........I'm sick. It’s bound to happen. At some point, the phone will ring and your mature, independent college student will cry “I don’t feel well. [...]
Where the Wind Blows, Stormy Weather!
Michelle Balaun2020-09-01T13:47:29-04:00Florida Weather = Storm Having grown up in South Florida, I have made it through more than 45 Hurricane seasons. Yikes! But with that much hurricane pre [...]
Family Weekend
Michelle Balaun2020-10-01T20:06:41-04:00Gator Time = Family Time As a Gator Alum as well as a Gator Parent, any time an opportunity rolls around to enjoy some Gator football with my daughter, [...]
Budget 101
Michelle Balaun2020-10-16T15:24:43-04:00Asking for Money? I can vividly remember being in college and having to make the dreaded call home to my father to ask for money after I blew through my [...]
Study Abroad UF
Michelle Balaun2020-08-18T14:15:37-04:00Study Abroad? Not all classrooms have four walls. The best often have no walls. Nowhere is this more evident than with the growing number of students th [...]
PACE Yourself
Michelle Balaun2020-06-12T14:23:31-04:00Pathway to Campus Enrollment In 2015, UF launched a new enrollment program called PaCE, Pathway to Campus Enrollment. PaCE is a program designed to meet [...]
Books, Books, Books
Michelle Balaun2020-08-20T14:51:36-04:00Book Time A lot has changed since I was a student, but one thing has not: Textbooks are expensive! Sure, the format differs, but the cost for books and [...]
Get Involved
Michelle Balaun2020-08-10T15:03:04-04:00Get Involved With an undergraduate enrollment of over 35,000, spanning over 2,000 acres, UF is huge. That massive size means that students should find a [...]
Health Insurance
Michelle Balaun2020-10-15T11:14:00-04:00The Plan for Insurance Students at many colleges today must have a health insurance plan that meets their University’s minimum requirement. HaveUHeard t [...]
Dance Marathon
Michelle Balaun2020-10-23T13:44:34-04:00You Can Dance If You Want To Perhaps you have seen the Facebook or Instagram posts from your student or friends’ kids that say #FTK or #ForTheKids. Mayb [...]
Sports
HUH Expert Parent2021-04-23T12:43:18-04:00Sports = Football Did U know...UF students get in FREE to all Gator athletic events, other than football, with their Gator1 ID Card. Regular season even [...]
Radio and TV Stations Are you watching?
HUH Expert Parent2019-12-19T17:01:19-05:00Media Stations Media touches all of our lives, TV, Radio, Internet, there are lots of options that we call our favorites. For students coming from large [...]
Honor Roll
Michelle Balaun2020-05-28T21:52:47-04:00My Student Made Honor Roll It's always something of a goosebumps moment when a gold-embossed, cream-colored, linen envelope arrives in the mail. At this [...]
Entertainment
HUH Expert Parent2020-01-10T16:42:54-05:00More than Football...Entertainment That's entertainment! Are you looking for more than the typical? The Hippodrome, a downtown landmark, is a must-see [...]
Nature vs Nurture Get out in nature at UF
Michelle Balaun2020-10-12T13:10:44-04:00Nature vs Nurture Do you love nature as I do? During my older daughter's high school graduation party, when she was excitedly celebrating her admission [...]
Fix it! Repair it!
Michelle Balaun2020-07-10T00:15:18-04:00Repair Shops Car, scooter, or bike, oh my! At UF, you will find all in large numbers. Talk to any student about which is the most useful at UF and you’ [...]
Getting There – Transportation
HUH Expert Parent2019-12-18T18:30:07-05:00Trains, Planes, and Automobiles...All the Transportation You Can Think Of Freshmen who bring their cars will quickly learn that parking during the fall [...]
Grocery Stores
HUH Expert Parent2020-07-09T14:28:23-04:00Let's Eat Calling all Gator chefs de college cuisine! Here's where to find your grocery stores. Those of you from Florida -- or any of the Southeastern [...]
Retail Therapy
HUH Expert Parent2019-12-19T13:35:56-05:00A Little Retail Therapy You will find almost every major box store including Target, Walmart, Bed, Bath & Beyond, Best Buy, Family Dollar Store, TJ [...]
Restaurants for Dinner Time
Michelle Balaun2020-08-18T03:06:10-04:00Dinner, Early or Late! Considering you will make many trips to UF to visit your student over the next four years (or more), it is well worth exploring t [...]
Wakey Wakey- Eggs and Bakey, Breakfast Bests!
Michelle Balaun2020-06-24T10:07:20-04:00Best Breakfast Restaurants Like any city, there are literally hundreds of dining options here in Gainesville, from fast food to fast-casual, from family [...]
Restaurants
Michelle Balaun2020-04-17T01:18:29-04:00Hundreds of Dining Options Like any college town, there are literally hundreds of dining options from fast food to fast-casual, from family-style to fi [...]
Hotels
HUH Expert Parent2020-09-01T12:23:38-04:00A Nice Place to Stay Although it won't seem like it on a busy weekend, there are definitely plenty of hotel options for your visit to Gainesville. Remem [...]
Tax Time
Michelle Balaun2020-04-29T14:19:00-04:00Tax time is Always Right Around the Corner! Taxes, we have to admit, are decidedly not fun. But they ARE necessary. Whether you are preparing your retur [...]
FAFSA
Michelle Balaun2020-10-02T10:23:23-04:00What is – FAFSA? First Applicants Find Substantial Assets, of course! FAFSA is the national Free Application for Federal Student Aid but, based on how a [...]
Tutoring
HUH Expert Parent2020-09-17T23:22:37-04:00Tutoring Can Help Like students at many other highly sought-after colleges, those who attend UF will be faced with challenging classes taught by respect [...]
Safety Matters
HUH Expert Parent2019-12-19T16:29:18-05:00Safety UF takes safety very seriously. Technology has changed the landscape of how they impart information to students through texts and emails, and soc [...]
U Matter We Care at UF
HUH Expert Parent2019-12-19T13:52:01-05:00We Really Do Care We know you care too! Now you have your college student moved in and they are ready to embark on a new independent life. As a parent, [...]
What U Should Do Before Heading to UF
HUH Expert Parent2020-06-11T11:36:56-04:00Before you leave! Before you leave to take your kid to college, there are a few items you will want to take care of that are extremely important. Althou [...]
Ready for The Next Four Years
HUH Expert Parent2020-04-30T13:53:42-04:00Are U Ready For The Next Four Years? You now have a student ready to spend the next four years at UF! That means you will undoubtedly be visiting once o [...]
Off Campus Living INfo on Every Price
Michelle Balaun2020-07-06T11:52:55-04:00Economical to Extravagant Off-Campus Living Just a few months in from your freshman starting college and they already bring up the subject of where they [...]
Rushing His Way
Michelle Balaun2019-12-19T16:52:30-05:00Is It Really an Animal House? Going back to 1978 with the release of “Animal House”, which became one of the most successful comedies of all time, to 20 [...]
Rushing Her Way
Michelle Balaun2020-05-12T11:22:08-04:00To Sorority or Not? Rushing In... Are you rushing in? For parents of incoming freshmen, you probably are starting to hear whispers about sorority recrui [...]
Meal Plan and Other Ways to Eat
Michelle Balaun2020-09-08T10:57:15-04:00Burgers and Pizza and Fries…Oh my! A Guide to Meal Plans With college right around the corner, I see you fearfully envisioning your student’s diet as on [...]
Orientation, You can Do It Yourself
Michelle Balaun2020-04-30T14:40:54-04:00I Remember When... I remember when my younger daughter was attending UF Orientation. This was my second go-around, yet, I was still wildly excited for h [...]
Move In? All the Tips and Tricks to Making it Easy
HUH Expert Parent2020-06-12T12:26:57-04:00Move-In Date! Apartments and Dorms Your student has been given their move-in date and dorm/residence assignment! Now begins the process of handling what [...]
Home Sweet Dorm
Michelle Balaun2020-09-24T16:16:19-04:00Does Their Dorm Room Feel Like Home Yet? You may be surprised at how one can transform a dorm that is mass-produced and industrial-looking into a warm a [...]