The Undergraduate

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A STORY 18 YEARS IN THE MAKING...

SOMETIMES A WINNER IS A DREAMER THAT JUST WON'T QUIT.

I WANT TO BE A DOCTOR.
I WANT TO BE THE B EST DOCTOR EVER!

YOU WILL BECOME A MEMBER OF THE GATOR NATION.
YOU'LL MEET PEOPLE HERE THAT WILL BECOME YOUR SUPPORTERS, YOUR PARTNERS, AND YOUR FRIENDS FOR LIFE.

I REALLY JUST WANT TO MAKE A DIFFERENCE.

STEVE SWEENEY PROCLAIMS:

CHRIS SMITH WRITES:

DR. ROBERT GRUBBS SAYS:

...OR SPRING...
...OR SUMMER...

I WANT TO GET THIS, BUT I STILL WANT TO BE ABLE TO SEE THE TWO HANDS.
GOOD?
GOOD?
YEAH, I THINK IT GETS THE SHOT.

ALL RIGHT. CUT THAT. GOOD.

A LOT OF IT HIT HOME FOR ME.
WHEN I WAS WRITING THAT MY PARENTS WE'RE TOO THRILLED ABOUT ME BEING A SCREENWRITER, CAUSE THERE'S NOT A LOT OF SUCCESS. IT'S A NEEDLE IN A HAYSTACK TYPE OF THING.
SO, I WAS VERY LUCKY TO GET THIS OPPORTUNITY.
SO, I REALLY ASSOCIATED WITH THAT IDEA - YOU KNOW - FATHER TELLING YOU, YOU'RE A DREAMER AND SUCH.
AND I LIKE THE INSPIRATION THE KID HAD TO GET PAST ALL THIS STUFF AND TO GET INTO SCHOOL AND TO FIND HIS PLACE.

I JUST WANT TO BE A GATOR.

FLORIDA IS JUST MORE THAN ANYTHING YOU CAN IMAGINE.
IT'S NOT A PLACE.
IT'S MORE THAN A PLACE.
IT'S A FEELING.
YOU'RE NOT JUST GOING TO SCHOOL.
YOU'RE LIVING UF.
YOU'RE BREATHING BLUE AND ORANGE... AND IT'S ALL AROUND YOU - PEOPLE ARE COMING TO CLASS DECKED OUT IN ORANGE AND BLUE.

WHEN I'M SITTING INSIDE THE STADIUM AND THERE'S 90,000 PEOPLE AROUND ME AND I HEAR THE WHOLE STADIUM SHAKE - THAT'S WHEN I KNOW I'M PART OF THE GATOR NATION.

BEING A MEMBER OF THE GATOR NATION IS JUST A GREAT OPPORTUNITY TO JUST BE CONNECTED WITH AN ENTIRE NETWORK, THROUGHOUT THE ENTIRE NATION, OF JUST ABSOLUTELY INCREDIBLE INDIVIDUALS.

THERE'S GATORS ALL OVER THE WORLD.
IT DOESN'T SEEM LIKE IT'S JUST A SCHOOL - IT SEEMS LIKE IT'S A CLUB THAT THE WHOLE WORLD IS A PART OF.

I CAN SAY THAT MY PARENTS WE VERY SUPPORTIVE OF ME COMING TO UF, UNLIKE BRIAN'S PARENTS.
BUT, THE DAY-TO-DAY LIFE OF BRIAN ISN'T MUCH DIFFERENT FROM MINE.
YOU KNOW, I'M GOING TO CLASSES, I DOING EXTRACURRICULAR ACTIVITIES, I'M HANGING OUT WITH FRIENDS, AND REALLY, THAT IS WHAT COLLEGE IS ALL ABOUT.

SORORITY LIFE IS REALLY HELPFUL IN GETTING YOU EXPOSED TO A LOT OF THE DIFFERENT CLUBS.
IT'S JUST A REALLY NICE WAY TO, KIND OF, MERGE INTO THE UNIVERSITY.

SOCIAL LIFE HERE AT UF IS VERY COLORFUL - IF I COULD PUT A WORD TO IT.
LIKE, I HAVE FRIENDS: BLACK FRIENDS, RED FRIENDS, WHITE FRIENDS - ALL KINDS OF FRIENDS.
IT'S ALL GOOD CAUSE, WE'RE ALL GATORS AND WE JUST HAVE FUN TOGETHER, YOU KNOW?

INTRAMURAL SPORTS RANGE FROM ANYTHING - FROM: FLAG FOOTBALL, ULTIMATE FRISBEE, SOFTBALL, BASKETBALL & EVERYTHING YOU CAN IMAGINE.

IT'S MY DREAM TO COME HERE AND TO JUST BE A PART OF THE WHOLE SCHOOL.
EVERYTHING THAT IT REPRESENTS IS REALLY OUTSTANDING AND I WOULDN'T HAVE IT ANY OTHER WAY.

I'VE GROWN AS A PERSON, THAT'S ONE IMPORTANT THING.
BEING AWAY FROM HOME, I THOUGHT, "MY GOODNESS, I WOULD HAVE TO NEED MY PARENTS FOR EVERYTHING!"
BUT THEN YOU BEGIN TO MATURE; YOU BEGIN TO LEARN THINGS ON YOUR OWN.
YOU BEGIN TO SEE THE DIFFERENT PEOPLE THAT I COULD MEET THAT NOW BECOME YOUR LIFETIME FRIENDS.

THE WHOLE UNIVERSAL TRACKING SYSTEM KEEPS STUDENTS ON TRACK TOWARD THEIR MAJOR.
THEY REALLY CAN'T DRIFT OUT OF FOCUS FOR ANY LENGTH OF TIME AT ALL.
THE STUDENTS STAY FOUND THE WHOLE TIME THEY'RE HERE.
AND IF THEY GET LOST, IT FINDS THEM QUICKLY ENOUGH TO SO THAT NO DAMAGE IS DONE.

WE HAVE SOME OF THE MOST RENOWNED PROFESSORS OUT OF ANY UNIVERSITY IN THE NATION.
MY ECONOMICS PROFESSOR, HE GETS CALLS FROM THE UNITED NATIONS AT HIS HOUSE TO HELP THEM OUT WITH ECONOMIC PROBLEMS.
AND THAT'S MY PROFESSOR; SOMEONE THAT I GO TO DURING HIS OFFICE HOURS AND I CAN TALK TO ON A PERSONAL BASIS.

NOW THAT THE STUDENTS ARE SO GOOD AT UF, MY JOB JUST GETS BETTER AND BETTER.

ALMOST ALL YOUR PROFESSORS EITHER HAVE WRITTEN A TEXTBOOK OR WRITTEN A TEXTBOOK THAT YOU'RE USING. SO, IT'S HARD TO GET ANY MORE QUALIFIED THAT THAT!

THERE'S JUST AN ARRAY OF OPPORTUNITIES AVAILABLE WHEN IT COMES TO INTERNSHIPS AND EXTRACURRICULAR ACTIVITIES, AS WELL AS ACADEMICS, OF COURSE - WHICH WE'RE VERY WELL KNOW FOR!

I REALLY ASSOCIATE WELL WITH THE ARCHITECTURE AND THE FEEL OF THE CAMPUS.
IT'S REALLY WHAT I HAD IMAGINED A COLLEGE CAMPUS SHOULD BE.
THE CAMPUS IS BEAUTIFUL AND LAID OUT VERY STRATEGICALLY.
IT'S VERY EASY TO FIND EVERYPLACE AND I HAVE TO SAY, EVERYONE HAS BEEN SO HELPFUL AND FRIENDLY.
THERE'S SO MANY DIFFERENT ORGANIZATION HERE THAT YOU CAN GET INVOLVED IN - AND THERE'S SO MANY DIFFERENT MAJORS.
SO, PRETTY MUCH, YOU FIND ANYTHING HERE THAT YOU'RE INTERESTED IN DOING.
AND THAT'S WHAT'S VERY GOOD ABOUT THIS UNIVERSITY.

I ACTUALLY LIVED IN THE DORMS FOR A FULL YEAR, AND THEN ALSO IN THE SUMMER - AND I ABSOLUTELY LOVED IT!
IT MAKES GOING TO CLASS AND MAKING FRIENDS SO MUCH EASIER.

THERE'S OVER A HUNDRED DIFFERENT COUNTRIES REPRESENTED BY EACH OF THE CLUBS AND EACH OF THE CULTURES HERE - AND I JUST FIND THAT AMAZING! I DON'T THINK YOU COULD FIND THAT IN MANY OTHER PLACES.

I WAS DOING A LOT OF RESEARCH, YOU KNOW, LOOKING AT DIFFERENT PERIODICAL AND MAGAZINES AND STUFF, AND ALMOST EVERYWHERE, EVERYONE AGREES THAT UNIVERSITY OF FLORIDA IS ONE OF THE BEST PUBLIC UNIVERSITIES IN THE NATION AND ALSO PROVIDES ONE OF THE BEST FINANCIAL PACKAGES AS WELL.

THE MOMENT I FELT LIKE I WAS A GATOR WAS WHEN I GOT MY LETTER, IN THE MAIL, THAT I WAS ACCEPTED HERE, AND IT SAID, "CONGRATULATIONS GATOR!"
AND I THOUGHT, "THAT'S RIGHT. I AM A GATOR NOW!"

I WALKED OUT OF MY DORM AND THERE WAS JUST THIS SEA OF ORANGE AND BLUE; NOT JUST STUDENTS BUT, ALUMNI COMING BACK TO SUPPORT THEIR SCHOOL - AND IT'S NOT JUST IN SPORTS.
EVERYONE SEEMS TO SUPPORT STUDENT FROM THE UNIVERSITY OF FLORIDA BECAUSE THEY RESPECT THAT EDUCATION AND WHAT THEY'VE BEEN THROUGH FOR THEIR FOUR YEARS OR IF THEY STAY HERE STAY HERE FOR GRAD SCHOOL.

UNIVERSITY OF FLORIDA WAS JUST AN OBVIOUS CHOICE FOR ME.
THE WEATHER HERE IS BEAUTIFUL.
THE CAMPUS IS ABSOLUTELY GORGEOUS.
THE PEOPLE HERE ARE DIVERSE AND JUST ABSOLUTELY WONDERFUL.
THEY COME FROM ALL FIFTY STATES AND MANY, MANY COUNTRIES ALL OVER THE WORLD.

I'M FROM GAINESVILLE ORIGINALLY AND I LOVE THE GATORS.
I'VE ALWAYS BEEN A GATOR MY ENTIRE LIFE.
THERE'S JUST SO MUCH TO DO IN THIS TOWN, AND THE WHOLE SCHOOL JUST PROVIDES A GREAT ATMOSPHERE.
IT'S THE PERFECT COLLEGE TOWN. THE BEST THERE IS, I THINK.

DEAR BRIAN, CONGRATULATIONS! YOUR ADMISSION TO THE UNIVERSITY OF FLORIDA HAS BEEN APPROVED.