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 [...]
Graduation Restaurant Reservations
Michelle Balaun2020-10-16T14:59:01-04:00Great Places to Celebrate Do you really need to make your restaurant reservations now? Graduation is a time to celebrate and a celebration requires a ni [...]
Make the Call to Admissions to Get Answers
Michelle Balaun2020-04-29T15:02:49-04:00If You're Worried, Then Call... Sometime later in February, the UF Admissions department sends out with their acceptance letters. My older daughter, my [...]
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 [...]
Orange and Blue Gator Debut Football
Michelle Balaun2020-10-22T11:06:09-04:00It's Gator Gridiron time! There will not be a Gator spring football game for the University of Florida this offseason, at least according to schedule. D [...]
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 [...]
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 [...]
Making the Most of Summer B
Michelle Balaun2020-04-30T14:42:54-04:00Summer can be the best season ever! Ask any older Gator what their favorite semester has been so far and many will tell you it was freshman year Summer [...]
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 [...]
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 [...]
Need Advice About Your College Career?
Michelle Balaun2020-02-27T13:12:31-05:00A Guide to Getting Advice As a fourth-year college student at the University of Florida, the best semesters were the ones in which I created my schedule [...]
Good Advice To My Freshman Self
Michelle Balaun2020-08-06T20:18:17-04:00Advice Every Freshman Should Know Starting a new experience like college is a good time for good (not just any, but legit) advice. As a senior in high s [...]
Football Seats in The Swamp at UF
Michelle Balaun2021-04-23T12:38:26-04:00A Guide to The Swamp! Everyone should get to at least one Gator football game. Or, perhaps you want to get season tickets. One of the keys to making it [...]
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 [...]
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. [...]
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 [...]
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 Benefits of Joining the UF Alumni Association
Michelle Balaun2020-09-15T15:11:12-04:00Alumni Networking, Perks, and More… Before you know it, your student is walking across the stage at graduation and, with that last step, they are offici [...]
Wake Up Gators, It’s Game Day!
Michelle Balaun2020-10-22T11:09:21-04:00Get ready for the big game with these attire tips! The best feeling for any college student, especially if you’re a Gator, is waking up knowing it's gam [...]
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 [...]
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 [...]
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 [...]
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 [...]
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 [...]
Is an A Really an A in your GPA?
Michelle Balaun2020-09-14T00:25:17-04:00Those Pluses and Minuses Do Count! In 2020, the University of Florida continues its rise, being named to the No. 6 spot in the U.S. News & World Rep [...]
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 [...]
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 [...]
Football Time – Where to Watch the Gators
Michelle Balaun2021-08-31T16:48:48-04:00College football … Gators, It's Time We can’t wait for it! Time to start anticipating that our football team will end up nationally ranked and headed to [...]
Parking at UF – It’s Not As Easy As It Sounds!
Michelle Balaun2019-12-19T13:42:06-05:00Get that last spot! You sent them to college with a car and they are grateful. However, although it will make a weekly Publix run easier, no one really [...]
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 [...]
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 [...]
Taking the Campus Tour Helps You Decide
Michelle Balaun2020-09-14T01:02:11-04:00A Tour Can Help You Make Your College Decision 'Tis the season for campus tours. Yes, we know. Many of you have already visited a LOT of schools. But no [...]
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 [...]
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, [...]
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 [...]
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 [...]