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 [...]
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 [...]
Sending A Package to Your Student?
Michelle Balaun2020-09-29T13:54:09-04:00Make Sure Your Package Gets There For all the many reasons that a student receives a package, most of them bring a welcome highlight to their day. Wheth [...]
Storage UF, where does the stuff go?
Michelle Balaun2020-05-15T00:35:33-04:00Where Will They Put All Their Stuff? Can you put it in storage? Oh, PLEEEASE can you put it in storage?? It's that time between semesters when they want [...]
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 [...]
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 [...]
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 [...]
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 Out Now?
HUH Expert Parent2020-11-11T10:34:44-05:00Time to Move On... Moving out can be almost as hectic as moving into the dorms and apartments. When it comes to dorms, you are typically assigned a move [...]
Are You a Pre-Med Major?
Michelle Balaun2020-05-28T22:18:15-04:00Tips every pre-med student should know! Planning on going to medical school one day? If so, there are a few things that I wish I knew as a pre-med fresh [...]
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 [...]
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 [...]
Brunch is Breakfast plus Lunch plus Fun
Michelle Balaun2020-08-15T10:17:53-04:00"Brunch is breakfast without an alarm." -- Unknown Most college kids sleep late. It’s a well-known fact. So going out for breakfast, particularly on wee [...]
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 [...]
Grad School Housing is More Grown Up!
Michelle Balaun2023-05-08T15:54:09-04:00Because Grad School Needs Are Different For Grad School students, finding an apartment entails completely different criteria, especially if they are hea [...]
Fun Classes When You Need an Elective
Michelle Balaun2020-10-06T16:30:40-04:00What Students Wish They Took Today, universities have students declare a major almost immediately. That's not to say they cannot change their major but, [...]
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 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 [...]
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 [...]
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 [...]
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 [...]
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 [...]
Controversial Speakers
Michelle Balaun2020-06-16T14:44:11-04:00Is Free Expression, Controversial? UF is a melting pot with diverse people from different backgrounds and beliefs. No matter who you are, UF makes sure [...]
Flu Season Ahead, Wash Your Hands!
Michelle Balaun2020-09-29T13:48:13-04:00The Flu ends with “U” It’s that season again – and I don’t mean hurricanes. Flu season generally runs from October through May, peaking in December. Giv [...]
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 [...]
Register to Vote UF
Michelle Balaun2020-09-11T15:58:19-04:00How to Have Your Vote Count While at College No matter where you are on Election Day, your vote counts! Voting is so important that we're giving the top [...]
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 [...]
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 [...]
Want Easy? Get on the Bus!
Michelle Balaun2020-06-24T15:26:00-04:00A Guide to Gainesville’s Bus System Getting to and from campus can be stressful-worrying about arriving to class on time with Gainesville morning and ev [...]
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 [...]