As thousands of incoming students attend UF’s Preview sessions this Summer, many arrive under the impression the program’s primary goal is to complete the ordinary, required tasks before attending in the Summer and Fall — like building class schedules and receiving campus information.
But current students say the program serves a broader purpose, allowing incoming Gators to learn about campus resources, experience life on campus and build connections before moving to Gainesville.
Elise Pfeiffer, an 18-year-old UF marketing freshman from Missouri, said she arrived at Preview expecting the usual overview of classes and checklists to prepare for her Fall semester. But Pfeiffer said she left with something less tangible.
Pfeiffer went into Preview wanting to learn more about her major and the classes she should take, she said. But after completing the orientation, she found herself heavily impacted by UF’s sense of community.
“There's such a community, and everyone seems so invested in it and really wanting to help everyone succeed,” Pfeiffer said. “It's definitely helpful, as an out-of-state student, to now know people going in.”
For other students, Preview marked the beginning of the growth that comes with starting college.
Ashlynn Wimmer, an 18-year-old biomedical engineering freshman, said she expected Preview to be overwhelming and awkward. She instead found the experience encouraged her to step outside her comfort zone.
“It showed me how much freedom that I get in college,” Wimmer said, “and it showed me that I need to ask questions.”
One of her biggest takeaways was learning about unexpected resources, including housing accommodations through UF’s Disability Resource Center — an option she wouldn’t have known about had she not asked.
Wimmer said Preview also helped her recognize all students are entering the same transition together.
“It definitely was way less awkward than I thought, because everyone's in the same situation as you,” Wimmer said.
The expectation that Preview is primarily about registration and logistics holds true for many incoming students, but current students who have since spent time at UF say the experience is remembered differently once on campus.
Now entering his last year at UF, 21-year-old statistics senior Lance Stern said the most important part of Preview turned out to be the introduction of campus resources.
“I think the most valuable part was learning about all those different services that the school provides,” Stern said. “All the mental health counseling and the food services and the recreation services and the game room in the basement. Just all those different things and the ways that you can have fun at UF on top of the classes.”
He continues to rely on resources like on-campus tutoring services and office hours, he said.
“I realized early that when the people were saying ‘Go to office hours,’ they weren't lying,” Stern said.
Preview staffers also said students don’t understand the true value of Preview until they’ve transitioned to campus.
Lauren Lemieux, a 19-year-old stage management junior and former Preview staffer, said many incoming students underestimate the amount of support and information the orientation provides.
As a staffer, she helped guide groups of incoming students through advising sessions and campus programming.
“The purpose of Preview is to get better acquainted with the school,” Lemieux said, “to be introduced to more of those resources on campus.”
Lemieux said Preview helps incoming students meet others, so she often saw students become more comfortable over the program’s two-day duration. Because of this, students leave Preview with not just a class schedule, but with friends before classes even start in the Fall.
Contact Hailey Kon at hkon@alligator.org.
Hailey Kon is a fourth-year public relations and psychology double major serving as this summer's student government reporter. This is her first semester on staff at The Alligator, though she previously worked as a contributing writer for The Alligator and The Gainesville Sun. When she's not on campus, she can be found in the Dutch Bros drive-thru or a Ticketmaster queue trying to buy concert tickets.
