5 Things I Wish I Knew About University of Central Florida

1. Link Look! – Freshmen at UCF are given the opportunity to earn Link Look points by attending workshops and going to or volunteering at campus events. At the end of each semester there is a Link Look auction during which students are given the opportunity to use their points to bid on things. I mostly neglected it my first semester but during my second semester tried a little harder, and had fun! I met new friends, learned more about myself and UCF, got more involved, and during the auction won a GPS!

2. Food - I occasionally ate at the campus buffet places (Knightros and Marketplace- now ’63 South) and one thing I did not know at first but came to realize was that you could see what they are serving online at these places (on the campus dish website) before you even go in! This is nice to know because even though there will always be something there, you can check if they are serving a favorite dish or, if you are a vegan/vegetarian (like me), if they have a good selection for you that day before you head over. I would also recommend following the UCF dining Twitter and the Facebook pages of food places on campus for deals. Speaking of being a vegetarian/vegan, there are tons of great restaurants around Orlando. Ethos Vegan Kitchen and the Loving Hut are both popular options. Even though it is not as close to campus as it used to be you will also not be able to avoid eating at Lazy Moon (giant yummy pizza) while a student at UCF.

3. Living Situation - At UCF the dorms fill up fast. Some people even have trouble getting them for their freshman year. After about your second year nearly everyone lives off campus. At this point, despite the advantages, it is sort of unspoken that you may be a little weird if you continue to live there. Many of the apartment complexes in the vicinity of campus do provide free buses. It should also be noted that there are not many pet friendly apartments that are very close (though I did find, and eventually lived in, one).

4. Wednesdays - are Market Days outside of the Student Union. During this time there are all kinds of people tabling. Some selling fresh produce, some offering free things, political clubs, religious groups, and more. My second month of my freshman year I stopped at one table which led me to friends, volunteer work, a temporary job, parties, free food, tabling myself (which led to other things- such as a friend and I trying out roller derby) and more. I was a little nervous about going up to tables at first but I am glad I did because I never would have known how much I would have missed out.

5. Crime – I watched the amount of crime appear to slowly increase during my time there and it doesn’t look like it has gotten much better. It was not rare to hear about break-ins in areas around campus and I also noticed an increase in graffiti. I did not expect this from Orlando before moving there. UCF is very good at notifying you when things occur, through a text and email system they have, and most people don’t face any problems. It could be that the notifications make it appear as though there is relatively more crime than there is, but I have also personally known a number of people to be victims of crime. Campus, itself, is usually safe but I did feel unsafe multiple times on game days (by this I mean at night, after the game has ended). I, occasionally, had drunk men in their 30s or 40s (not students) who would not leave me alone and got followed to both my car and dorm. There are safety features and cameras on certain parts of campus which helps with security to some extent. The most dangerous part of Orlando, Orange Blossom Trail (known as OBT), is not close to campus, but you may find yourself needing to go there for various reasons. It seems everyone in Orlando knows about it but I did not and learned this the hard way.

6. Parking- The WORST! Part of the reason I would be walking across campus on game days was because I was required to move my car across campus for them (and then move it back). I spent hundreds of dollars on parking tickets during my time at UCF and it is unlikely you will make it through to graduation without at least one unless you don’t drive: not updating your decal in time, parking in the wrong section, accidentally leaving your car in a certain garage overnight or in an unloading area, etc. It is also extremely difficult to find parking. I would recommend living close to or on-campus and biking, if possible. You must be careful in that department too though- I have known several friends to be hit while biking. Orlando is one of the least safe cities for pedestrians.

Rachel M. is an alumna of the University of Central Florida where she obtained a Bachelor of Science in psychology in 2011 and a Master’s in 2013.