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Thursday, March 28, 2024
<p>Freshman business major David Habib, 18, checks his schedule on his laptop in his dorm after his first day of classes for the fall semester.</p>

Freshman business major David Habib, 18, checks his schedule on his laptop in his dorm after his first day of classes for the fall semester.

At 7:30 Friday morning, David Habib was lugging his mini fridge up four flights of stairs, eager to begin the next four years of his life.

He spent the next few days immersing himself in Gator culture.

Already, the 18-year-old from Clearwater rides his bike everywhere, gripes about parking (there's no Red 3 lot by the Murphree dorms) and has sold his first football ticket to a friend.

He bought his books at the Florida Book Store and has gone to microeconomics and laughed while Professor Rush made fun of the man who films the class for online lectures.

He's even gotten a parking ticket.

Despite his running start, Habib is still an underclassman - he buys his books, he goes to microeconomics, and he has to double check his map before pedaling to class.

Habib has big plans for his next four years.

He's a business administration major and wants to own his own business someday.

"I'm not sure what kind yet," he said. "That's what I'm hoping to figure out over the next few years. I just know I want to be my own boss."

In the meantime, he wants to go rock climbing and learn how to sail at Lake Wauburg, get involved with TRiP and join a UF club swim team and the Falling Gators Skydiving Club.

He plans to study at Library West and go to the gym a few times a week - Southwest Rec is really nice, but Student Rec is more convenient.

In the spring, he might get a job at Jimmy John's, one of his favorite Gainesville eateries.

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And after his sophomore year, he'd like to study abroad in Rome or Thailand.

He's not too concerned about taking any language classes, but he might like to pick up a minor in entrepreneurship.

Habib has four glorious years ahead of him to do all these things and more.

Four years that started Monday.

When he left for his 8:30 microeconomics lecture, his random roommate was still sleeping.

He quietly grabbed clothes out of his closet in his roommate's room - all orange and blue.

Gator colors on purpose?

"Yep," he said. "Well, that and most of my clothes are blue. It's my favorite color."

In addition to his blue polo T-shirt, blue shoes and blue notebooks, Habib also has a blue bedspread and blue-topped storage containers under his dorm room bed.

"My mom bought everything."

His mother may have bought his groceries and his bedding, but he stocked up on Gator gear, including the orange-and-blue checkered UF hat he wore at a jaunty angle all day.

Coming from a high school class of about 150, UF's big campus has been an adjustment, but Habib said he's enjoying college life so far.

"It's weird, it feels like yesterday I was a senior in high school," he said.

But he's looking forward to the next four years.

"I'm excited to start making lifelong friends and connections," he said. "I'm going to really discover what I want to do."

Freshman business major David Habib, 18, checks his schedule on his laptop in his dorm after his first day of classes for the fall semester.

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