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 [...]
The Innovation Academy Explained
Michelle Balaun2021-08-31T14:47:51-04:00All the Questions Answered: Innovation Academy So you just got into the University of Florida— what an exciting day! How vividly I still remember the da [...]
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 [...]
More Veggies if you please! Here are our pleasing choices.
Michelle Balaun2020-11-05T12:07:29-05:00Vegan-Vegetarian Dining, love veggies. When my older daughter left for UF, she was a carnivore. In fact, one of her last meals at home was her dad’s ste [...]
Choosing or Changing Your Major
Michelle Balaun2020-09-18T01:13:30-04:00You can change your mind and your major! The University of Florida offers a million-gazillion (okay, a multitude of) degrees. How is your student suppos [...]
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 [...]
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 [...]
Transferring to UF
Michelle Balaun2020-06-10T19:35:06-04:00Better late than never...Transferring to the Orange and Blue Many students leave for college unsure of what they'll find. Some ultimately realize when t [...]
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 [...]
Trouble in Paradise
Michelle Balaun2020-10-20T11:50:18-04:00Your student got in trouble... Is your student having trouble? In trouble? Are they having problems with a roommate, an apartment lease, underage drinki [...]
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 [...]
Roommates and Residential Life
Michelle Balaun2020-06-26T14:52:35-04:00Learning to Live With Roommates... I'll never forget my first visit to Preview with my elder daughter. The UF advisor leading one session asked for a sh [...]
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 [...]
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 [...]
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 [...]
Computer and Phone Repair
Michelle Balaun2020-09-20T12:50:53-04:00Computer 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 [...]
Study? The Best Places to Study at UF
Michelle Balaun2020-09-18T00:29:26-04:00Best Places to Study at UF My daughter, like every other college student, has her own way of studying. She does not like to study in a group but prefers [...]
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 [...]
Trick or Treat The College Version
Michelle Balaun2020-10-01T21:53:53-04:00Halloween - the most fun time! Trick or Treat Then... As a kid, I would race home from school so my mom could throw together some sort of costume for me [...]
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 [...]
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 [...]
After The Hurricane
Michelle Balaun2019-12-19T16:50:59-05:00Post-Hurricane Dorian Hurricane Dorian was the first named storm to impact the state of Florida so far this Hurricane season. While Gainesville and most [...]
Eating Healthy when you are a student
Michelle Balaun2020-07-09T15:40:13-04:00OK to be Eating...Healthy! As with other college campuses, the amount of burger, pizza, and fast-food restaurants at and surrounding the UF campus is a [...]
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 [...]
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 [...]
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 [...]
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 [...]
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 [...]
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 [...]
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 [...]
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 [...]