University of Florida
HUH Expert Parent2020-05-07T16:04:41-04:00University of Florida Gainesville, FL 32611 (352) 392-3261 Congratulations! If you are on this page, you have a UF student! Read on to find out the insi [...]
Career Showcase
Michelle Balaun2020-08-06T20:41:17-04:00A Student Perspective Sometimes the thought of choosing a career is scary. Attending a career showcase is important for all students no matter what year [...]
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 [...]
Favorite Apartment Rentals
Michelle Balaun2023-05-08T15:57:58-04:00Favorite Apartment Rentals Here are some great tips about our favorite apartment rentals. In my case, neither of my daughters stayed in the dorms beyond [...]
They’ve Been Accepted, Now What?
Michelle Balaun2020-06-09T16:37:30-04:00They've Been Accepted Congratulations Class of 2024… YOU'VE BEEN ACCEPTED! It IS great to be a Florida Gator for so many reasons. You can all now take t [...]
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 [...]
First Time Student Loan Borrower?
Michelle Balaun2020-07-09T12:28:33-04:00You Need to Do This What is an Entrance Counseling? In July of 2016, the U.S. Department of Education instituted a requirement mandating that all studen [...]
Spring Break
Michelle Balaun2020-04-30T12:42:36-04:00Letting Off Steam before Finals Mention Spring Break to most parents and immediate visions of lawless partying comes to mind. I get it. I grew up in For [...]
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 [...]
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 [...]
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 [...]
Dress for Success and be ready for Adulting!
Michelle Balaun2020-08-18T14:48:18-04:00Time to look the part! As they get closer to graduation, one of the greatest changes our students are about to experience is the need to abandon their s [...]
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 [...]
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 [...]
Banks and Credit Unions at UF
Michelle Balaun2020-06-24T16:02:27-04:00Many Places to Grab Money, Banks Galore! Leaving for college comes with so many new things, but handling their own money can be one of the scariest. We [...]
Money, Money, Money
Michelle Balaun2020-08-19T20:49:04-04:00When Will Financial Aid Money Disburse? The time has come to pay for the first college bills. For some reason, this always cues panic. I remember receiv [...]
An Insider’s Guide to Campus Dorm Living at UF
Michelle Balaun2020-06-04T16:55:32-04:00Campus Living -- We have the inside scoop! For sure, start your process by reading about the dorms and where you should live on campus on the UF Housing [...]
Managing the Gap, when they are in between
Michelle Balaun2020-06-26T13:16:51-04:00It's Gap Time...Where Will They Live? Although it feels like you just moved your students into their dorms, you now have to move them out. The worst par [...]
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 [...]
Are U Ready For Some Football
Michelle Balaun2020-10-22T11:04:57-04:00You can almost hear the crowd roar... Now may not yet seem like the time to talk football. But if you are planning on coming up for a game in the fall, [...]
The ABC’s of 529 Savings Plans UF
Michelle Balaun2020-08-24T11:32:26-04:00What 529 Pays When you decided to have kids, I would bet your first thought was not, "How am I going to pay for college?" But it might have been your se [...]
Birthright Israel – Hillel and the trip of a lifetime!
Michelle Balaun2021-01-14T16:20:14-05:00Young Jewish students trip. Birthright Israel is the gift of a free, 10-day trip to Israel designed for young adults of Jewish heritage, aged 18–32. Man [...]
The Best Apps For Students
Michelle Balaun2020-11-10T13:02:44-05:00UF and College Studying Apps Remember when you were in college and everything you needed was easily accessible via apps on your phone? No? Well, me eith [...]
The Stress of College
Michelle Balaun2020-06-01T12:23:24-04:00The Stress of College Stress. It affects all of us, including our kids. Honestly, what do we expect from balancing a full schedule, the welcome distract [...]
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 [...]
Spring Sports are fun in the sports!
Michelle Balaun2020-05-14T16:11:21-04:00There is always more than football! Spring may not feature the iconic collegiate sport of football, but there are tons of other sports to enjoy! (Don't [...]
Beauty and the Beast
Michelle Balaun2021-06-10T14:57:30-04:00Beauty and the Beast It's not just for fairy tales. Getting that beauty treatment makes her happy. As the mother of girls (one who's a performer), I kno [...]
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 [...]
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 [...]
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 [...]
Planning to Sublease an Apartment at UF?
Michelle Balaun2023-05-08T15:52:57-04:00Here’s How to Sublease - The Supply is Greater Than the Demand HaveUHeard that students generally sign a lease for twelve months when they move into an [...]
Eating on a Budget
Michelle Balaun2020-07-09T16:45:35-04:00Budget Eating Is Possible Keeping your college kid eating while at the same time balancing their food budget is a real challenge. Through the years, I h [...]
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 [...]
I’m Not Your Maid, but here is a solution
Michelle Balaun2020-09-04T15:16:26-04:00Cleaning Maid Services Needed? I never thought I would be saying this, but sometimes it is actually a good idea to hire a cleaning service for your stud [...]
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’ [...]
Searching for Scholarships – Find Your Way
Michelle Balaun2020-08-19T20:01:51-04:00Searching for Scholarships Congratulations on Your Child Being Accepted! Now that that’s settled, the idea of actually paying for college looms. Hopefu [...]
Food for Thought – Some Students Need Help
Michelle Balaun2020-07-01T15:13:46-04:00No Student Hungry, Food for All! Much like the young students featured in the national campaign, No Kid Hungry®, there are many students at colleges thr [...]
Volunteering Turns Your Compassion into Action
Michelle Balaun2019-12-19T10:40:37-05:00Volunteering with passion is key. From personal experience, I have found that those who volunteer with passion and find purpose in their work also gain [...]
Dropping A Class
Michelle Balaun2020-09-20T15:09:24-04:00Dropping the Subject Will it be okay when you think dropping a class is the best choice? When my daughter was a junior, she decided to take a very heavy [...]
Sorting Out College Life – A Guide to Laundry
Michelle Balaun2020-07-20T11:38:31-04:00Laundry, the worst chore ever! I spent my daughter’s senior year of high school teaching her how to do laundry. I even tried using enticements (aka brib [...]
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 [...]
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 [...]
Working While in College
Michelle Balaun2020-11-10T13:02:16-05:00Working or Not Working, That is the Question. Some students have to work to pay for college. Some consider their school work their only job and are fort [...]
It’s All About the Delivery, get it now!
Michelle Balaun2020-09-15T12:50:24-04:00Delivery is the way To Go! Taking time away from studying to eat a meal sometimes feels impossible. Your student's choice can often mean the difference [...]
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 [...]
What Not to Bring with You to College
Michelle Balaun2020-04-28T11:03:09-04:00You really don't need that at college! If you haven’t started shopping for your incoming college freshman yet, whether for things for their dorm or clot [...]
Technology Needs for UF Students
Michelle Balaun2020-08-18T03:24:37-04:00HaveUHeard that Microsoft Office 365 technology is free? No need to clean your glasses! It says exactly what you thought it did: Free technology for all [...]