Grad School Quest Part V: Trip to the University of Florida

I recently had a fantastic time visiting Gainesville and Tampa, Florida.

I arrived in Gainesville on a Thursday night and spent that time exploring the town. I have visited a lot of universities and college towns, but Gainesville was one of the most impressive. With over 50,000 students, Gainesville can't really be thought of as a small town. It has most of the conveniences I enjoy in Dallas. Of course, anything that could not be found in Gainesville is probably in Tampa, Jacksonville, or Orlando, each only approximately two hours away. While there was an obligatory strip of bars, there was also an abundance of coffee shops and some homegrown seafood restaurants. The two Ben and Jerry's located near campus added to the overall appeal. At first glance, UF seems to be obsessed with its football team, the Gators. Obsession is rather justified given that UF has won 22 NCAA championships, including one as recent as 2006. However, as I spent more time in Gainesville, I came to see that the school spirit extended to other programs as well as to the university in general.

The next morning was the Graduate Preview at the University of Florida. I was introduced to a number of faculty from the Department of Economics. They provided me with valuable feedback on my past work as well as my current projects. Meeting with the faculty confirmed my prior understanding of the program. UF focuses on microeconomics with an emphasis on industrial organization and, therefore, aligns strongly with my interests. Many of the faculty members I met earned their PhD from some of the best schools in the world, including Yale and MIT. After my meetings, I was taken by some of the Economics graduate students to the Copper Monkey, a local pub that reminded me of J. Gilligans only less Irish and more coastal.

I spent the weekend in Tampa with David and Karen, who are family friends. They treated me to better food than I could have asked for (grouper, shrimp, king crab legs, ahi tuna) and introduced me to some UF alumni who lived in their neighborhood. I visited Treasure Island as well as St. Pete's Beach. Before I left, I also visited Destin Beach in Pensacola. The beaches in Florida are amazing.

The rest of the week, I looked for apartments. I found that price/quality decreased as apartments were closer to Matherly Hall (where I would be spending most of my time). This is most likely because of the intentionally poor campus parking. I say "intentionally" because UF's stated purpose for having so little parking is to encourage more students to use the bus system. Rather than pay an exorbitant amount or live in substandard housing, I think I would prefer to live a little further away from campus. I found three apartments that would fall along my price/quality frontier. Although I have never used a bus system before, I will try to get used to the one in Gainesville. Wish me luck.

The only negative thing I can say about UF has to do with its "Free Speech Zones." Across the University of Florida campus, there are designated areas where students can set up tables, signs, etc., and express anything they want without fear of consequences. Of course, I don't have a problem with people expressing themselves. I frequently say and write things to which others are free to take offense. I do, however, have a problem with designating zones where speech is free because it seems to indicate that speech is not free outside of those zones. I live in a free speech zone; it's called the United States of America. My free speech zone is designated by the United States Constitution. I don't need another one. Of course, my concerns could be wholly unjustified. The free speech zones could be suggested areas for students to express themselves. However, prior incidents like when police assaulted Andrew Meyer or arrested protesters of Alberto Gonzalez make me rather suspicious. This isn't a large enough objection to significantly affect my choice of graduate school. Still, I hope my suspicions prove to be unjustified.