I decided to come to the University of North Florida because I loved the size of the campus. It is big enough that I can always meet new people, but small enough that I can have personal relationships with my professors — something which many state universities lack. I also loved the location. It’s in a big city so everything I need is readily available, but it’s tucked away so that when I’m on campus I forget that I’m in the middle of a city.

Living on campus was incredibly convenient. I was literally able to roll out of bed and go to class, which proved convenient for the 8 a.m. classes I had freshman year! Also, living on campus allowed me to become involved with many more clubs than I would have had I not lived on campus. Since I could walk to the club meetings, I was much more likely to go to them.

Every activity that was organized in my hall allowed me to meet new people and brought me closer to my housing community. On one memorable night, my roommates and I brought food around to all of the people on our hall. It was early in the semester so it was a great way to get to meet our neighbors and to make friends.

I worked with my Resident Adviser (RA) to help plan an event and try to get my neighbors to attend. I also became involved with the Honors Student Union and was able to host meetings in my residence hall since so many people lived on campus. I also played a lot of intramural sports and went to many group fitness programs, some of which were located within my building at the Fountains. Other clubs I became a part of while living on campus include Presidential Envoys, Campus Outreach campus ministry and the Pre-med Society.

One of the great things about living on campus was how much it impacted by academic life. Many professors were brought in to my residence hall to lecture on interesting topics and there were different workshops to help with deciding on a major and to help with academic advising. Even though residence hall life is often depicted as all social, there was a definite academic edge to some of the programming and it helped round out my experience.

I wanted to remain plugged-in to on campus life, so I decided to live in the halls again my sophomore year. I knew that if I were to move off campus, I would become less involved and would miss out on the community that is developed within the dorms. I also had gotten used to being able to walk to class, which made the thought of fighting for a parking spot in the morning unappealing.

Everyone should live in the halls. It’s an easy way to make friends and to get involved. If I lived off campus, I would be much less likely to take part in all of the activities that I do. Also, it is so convenient to be located near a fitness center and all of the other amenities that on-campus living provides.  Living with a group of other students ensures that your neighbors are on the same page as you and that school is a priority. This helps immensely when studying because you do not have to deal with loud neighbors who want to play music or party all of the time.

The people at UNF make it a great place to live, study and play. I have met so many amazing people during my time here and I love how the design of the campus allows for me to see people that I know around campus on a regular basis. I also have had so many amazing professors, who have helped me to excel in my classes. UNF is always growing and changing and it is so exciting to be a part of it. Having all freshmen live on campus will be great for the University. It will help develop a sense of community and pride for our university.

I plan to study abroad in Spain for the spring semester and travel around Europe while I am there. After graduation, I plan to go to medical school, but I would like to take some time off first to work with an organization such as the Peace Corps. The leadership skills that I gained as a result of becoming involved on campus are sure to follow with me during all of my career pursuits.