University of Florida
HUH Expert Parent2018-08-02T16:35:23+00:00University 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 Balaun2019-02-01T13:15:17+00:00A Student Perspective Sometimes the thought of choosing a career is scary. Attending career showcase is important for all students no matter what year b [...]
Finding an Internship
Michelle Balaun2019-02-01T13:17:22+00:00Best way to prepare for a job! What better way to learn about a prospective field or career than to do an internship? Obviously, I am a big believer in [...]
Graduation at UF
Michelle Balaun2019-02-09T14:17:31+00:00Remember When... Remember how when our kids were little we couldn’t envision them leaving us and going off to college? Now, if you are like me, you can’ [...]
Tax Time
Michelle Balaun2019-02-01T13:24:27+00:00Always Right Around The Corner! Taxes, we have to admit, are not fun but necessary. As you are preparing your return or having a CPA prepare your return [...]
FAFSA
Michelle Balaun2019-02-01T13:16:29+00:00What is – FAFSA? First Applicants Find Substantial Assets, of course! FAFSA is the national Free Application for Federal Student Aid but, based on how [...]
Off Campus Living
Michelle Balaun2019-02-02T14:19:29+00:00Economical to Extravagant Off-Campus Living Just a few months in from your freshman starting college and they bring up the subject of where they want to [...]
Florida Prepaid
Michelle Balaun2019-02-01T13:17:42+00:00What Does It Pay For? Many of us who have lived in Florida, planned for our students’ education by taking advantage of the Florida Prepaid program. The [...]
Make the Call to Admissions
Michelle Balaun2019-02-01T13:20:29+00:00If You're Worried Then Call... Typically, on the second Friday in February, UF comes out with their acceptance letters. My older daughter, my niece and [...]
Dropping A Class
Michelle Balaun2019-02-01T13:15:57+00:00Here's how to do it right. Drop Deadline April 12th Withdrawal with 25% Refund (W assigned to all Spring courses) is February 1st Dropping the Subject– [...]
Valentine’s Day Gift Guide
Michelle Balaun2019-01-15T09:50:24+00:00Sent With Love As far back as I can remember we always celebrated Valentine’s Day; it was a tradition I grew up with and continued when I became a mom. [...]
Favorite Apartment Rentals
Michelle Balaun2019-02-01T13:16:44+00:00Favorite Apartment Rentals Here are some great tips about our favorite apartment rentals. With both of my daughters, I have two, not one stayed in the d [...]
They’ve Been Accepted
Michelle Balaun2019-02-01T13:25:25+00:00They've Been Accepted Congratulations Class of 2023… It is great to be a Florida Gator for so many reasons. You can now take that sigh of relief that a [...]
Bright Futures
Michelle Balaun2019-02-01T13:14:49+00:00Bright Futures – Shining Bright On Friday, March 9th, Governor Rick Scott signed the SB4 bill, which amongst other items encourages universities to grad [...]
Dance Marathon
Michelle Balaun2019-02-01T13:15:46+00:00You Can Dance If You Want To Perhaps you have seen the Facebook posts from your student or friends’ kids that say #FTK or #ForTheKids. Maybe even fundra [...]
Orange and Blue Debut
Michelle Balaun2019-02-01T13:21:53+00:00It's Gator time! Now that the Gators have a new football coach, the spring game will return to its Saturday tradition. The Orange & Blue Game is a f [...]
First Time Student Loan Borrower?
Michelle Balaun2019-02-01T13:17:30+00:00You'll Need to Do This. What is Entrance Counseling? In July of 2016, the U.S. Department of Education made it a requirement that, in order to have stud [...]
Spring Break
Michelle Balaun2018-11-26T15:37:35+00:00Letting 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 [...]
Family Weekend
Michelle Balaun2019-02-01T13:16:35+00:00Gator Time - Family Time As a Gator Alum as well as a Gator Parent, any time the opportunity presents itself to be able to share in some Gator football [...]
Budget 101
Michelle Balaun2019-02-01T13:14:54+00:00Asking for Money? I can vividly remember being in college and having to make the dreaded call home to my father to ask for money. My parents had three d [...]
The Next Four Years
HUH Expert Parent2019-02-01T13:25:15+00:00The Next Four Years So you have a student ready to spend the next four years at UF? That means you will undoubtedly be visiting once or twice. If you ha [...]
Meal Plan and Other Ways to Eat
Michelle Balaun2019-02-01T13:20:51+00:00Burgers and Pizza and Fries… Oh my A Guide to Meal Plans The start of college is right around the corner and many of you might be envisioning your stude [...]
Orient Yourself
Michelle Balaun2019-02-01T13:21:59+00:00I Remember When... I remember when my daughter was attending UF Orientation a few years ago. This was my second go around yet I was still wildly excited [...]
Interning in New York City
Michelle Balaun2019-02-18T10:44:21+00:00Who doesn’t want to live in New York City? Ok, I am a little partial. I am a born and bred New Yorker, living in S. Florida for 25 plus years, and I sti [...]
Dress for Success
Michelle Balaun2019-02-01T13:15:51+00:00Time to look the part! As they get closer to graduation, one of the greatest changes our students are about to experience is abandoning their shorts, t [...]
Computer and Phone Repair
Michelle Balaun2019-02-01T13:15:27+00:00Computer and Phone Repair My daughters have dropped their phones more times than I care to admit (or they care to share); so much so that even the insu [...]
What U Should Do Before Heading to UF
HUH Expert Parent2019-02-01T13:26:21+00:00Before 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. Most co [...]
Home Sweet Dorm
Michelle Balaun2019-02-01T13:19:12+00:00Is It Home Yet? Home Sweet Dorm You may be surprised at how one can transition a mass-produced, industrial-looking dorm room into a warm and inviting ro [...]
Moving Out
HUH Expert Parent2019-02-01T13:21:20+00:00Time to Move On... Moving out can be almost as hectic as moving into the dorms and apartments. You are typically assigned a move out time to keep the fl [...]
Care Packages That Really Help
Michelle Balaun2019-02-01T13:15:10+00:00Special Care - Care Packages When my older daughter left for UF, I wavered between giving her space to find her way and wanting to hear all about her li [...]
Money, Money, Money
Michelle Balaun2019-02-01T13:21:02+00:00When Will Financial Aid Disburse? The time has come to pay for your college costs and panic sets in. I remember receiving my tuition statement for my d [...]
Are U Ready For Some Football
Michelle Balaun2019-02-01T13:14:18+00:00You 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, y [...]
Types of Student Loans
Michelle Balaun2019-02-01T13:25:39+00:00What are your options? When I attended school back in 1979, my Dad had four of us in college at the same time. It was through student loans that my pare [...]
An Insider’s Guide to Living on Campus at UF
Michelle Balaun2019-02-01T13:14:06+00:00We have the inside scoop on places to live! You can certainly read about the dorms and where to live on campus on the UF Housing and Residence Educatio [...]
Grocery Stores
HUH Expert Parent2019-02-01T13:18:55+00:00Let's Eat For groceries, those of you from Florida or Georgia will be familiar with the major supermarket chain Publix. Publix is a Florida-based superm [...]
Finals Are A Bear – Send A Care Package!
Michelle Balaun2019-02-01T13:16:50+00:00Send Help Now! Final exams can be some of the biggest stressors for your student. I typically do not get to speak to my daughter during exam weeks. My c [...]
Managing the Gap
Michelle Balaun2019-02-01T13:20:44+00:00Where Will They Live? Although it feels like you just moved your students into their dorms, you now have to move them out. The worst part, aside from th [...]
Eating Healthy
Michelle Balaun2019-02-15T16:02:29+00:00OK To Be Eating...Healthy! As with other college campuses, the amount of burger, pizza, and fast food restaurants at UF and the surrounding campus is a [...]
Study Abroad UF
Michelle Balaun2019-02-07T17:02:14+00:00Study Abroad? Not all classrooms have four walls. No place is this more evident than in the growing number of students that study abroad. This is one o [...]
Health Insurance
Michelle Balaun2019-02-01T13:19:05+00:00The Plan for Insurance Students at many colleges today must have a health insurance plan that meets their University’s minimum requirement. And, if you [...]
Being Thrifty
Michelle Balaun2019-02-01T13:14:35+00:00When You Need to Stay on Budget Being a college student, it can be stressful to be thrifty and stay on budget throughout the semester. There can be inte [...]
Car Giving Them Problems?
Michelle Balaun2019-02-01T13:15:02+00:00Fix It here Many students, my daughters included, bring cars to UF. They like the freedom of being able to go to the store, drive home, run errands and [...]
Roommates and Residential Life
Michelle Balaun2019-02-01T13:23:04+00:00Roommates and Residential Life For many students entering college, this may be their first time away from home for an extended period of time. While dor [...]
Birthright Israel – Hillel
Michelle Balaun2019-02-01T13:14:40+00:00Young 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. M [...]
The Best Apps For Students
Michelle Balaun2019-02-07T17:38:30+00:00UF and College Studying Apps Remember when you were in college and everything was easily accessible via apps on your phone? No? Well, me either. Our kid [...]
The Stress of College
Michelle Balaun2019-02-01T13:25:20+00:00The Stress of College Stress. It happens to all of us, including our kids. As though balancing a full schedule, the welcome distraction of football sea [...]
PACE Yourself
Michelle Balaun2019-02-01T13:22:09+00:00Pathway to Campus Enrollment In 2015, UF launched a new enrollment program called PaCE, Pathway to Campus Enrollment to meet the growing demand of quali [...]
Tutoring
HUH Expert Parent2019-02-01T13:25:36+00:00Challenges - Tutoring Can Help Students who attend UF, no different than many other highly sought-after colleges, will be faced not only with challengin [...]