The University of Florida | Gators at Heart

Nov 22, 2021

A Gator sculpture in front of the UF stadium.
We begin today with the great Dorothy Parker (didn’t see that coming, did you?), who once opined: “The cure for boredom is curiosity. There is no cure for curiosity.”
It may seem counterintuitive to begin a blog about higher education with a quote from a woman who never actually attended university or college, but there’s a reason why we chose her. Dorothy Parker was a renowned satirist, playwright, screenwriter, and essayist, with a surgically-sharp, acerbic wit that could and did cut the mightiest of stalwart legends at their knees. She won two Oscars and the O. Henry Award and was a member of the Algonquin Round Table. When she died at age 73 in New York City, an entire literary genre was spawned from her work.

Can you imagine what she might have done with a university education? Vassar may never have been the same.

This is not to say that university is for everyone; it isn’t — and it’s not the be-all, end-all to having a successful, productive, fulfilled life. Nor is an Ivy education necessarily the best education. There are literally hundreds of respected universities and colleges in the US which offer excellent curriculums and fields of study, boasting Nobel Laureates and Pulitzer prize winners as former students. The University of Florida is one of them — and a good chunk of our staff are alumni.
Since 1906, the public land grant research university has operated from its Gainesville campus and has been a senior member of the state university system since 1853. It’s the sole Florida school in the Association of American Universities, with a robust Doctoral program, research arm — there are more than 150 research centers and institutes — and a progressive agricultural curriculum. As the fifth largest single-campus university in the country, the school enrolled 57,841 ‘Gators’ for the 2020-21 academic year, studying everything from Business Administration to design, construction, liberal arts, law, science, engineering and medicine.

“I can’t say that my degree taught me everything I needed to learn for my first-time job or career, but then again, I don’t think it was supposed to. Education — especially higher education, is for ‘learning how to learn’. It’s about finding your own way.”

— Erin Freel, Broker Associate  with Showcase Properties

While the Ivy League practically reeks of prestige and hallowed erudition, school is what you put into it. Attending the most expensive or prestigious college doesn’t exactly anoint you as an academic genius with guaranteed success in life. Or, for that matter, in your career.

“I can’t say that my degree taught me everything I needed to learn for my first-time job or career, but then again, I don’t think it was supposed to,” comments Erin Freel, who attended the College of Agriculture. “Education — especially higher education, is for ‘learning how to learn’. It’s about finding your own way.”

When she enrolled as a freshman with the goal of earning a degree in Agricultural Communications, it was a brand-new major of the College. As a result, she ended up doing about half her coursework at the College of Journalism, but that wasn’t a disappointment, she explains — it was a benefit.

“It turned out to be a blessing, because the journalism school was — and is — phenomenal. I had excellent professors,” she says. One professor in particular, a new recruit from Texas A&M, became extremely influential not only in her academic life, but her overall career, and his counsel was invaluable.  “He had built the AG Communications program there, and later became my advisor.”
Samantha Dailey is a “born and raised Gator” — her mom (and our Owner/Broker) Valerie also being an alumnus. So the decision to attend UF was an easy one for her, having grown up with the knowledge of how her mother’s experience there was so enriching. Samantha studied animal science, focusing on the Food Animal industry for her undergrad degree, and found the practical curriculum was an ideal fit for her.

“I really enjoyed the hands-on experiences that were part of the work,” she says. “We worked cows at the beef teaching unit and were able to ride horses in another unit.”

— Samantha Dailey, REALTOR® with Showcase Properties
A herd of black angus cattle.“I really enjoyed the hands-on experiences that were part of the work,” she says. “We worked cows at the beef teaching unit and were able to ride horses in another unit.”

She also got practical experience with the Gator Collegiate CattleWomen and Block & Bridle. “Those were both geared towards industry networking and touring, as well as teaching us how to advocate for the agriculture industry,” she explains. “It was great.”

She completed her undergraduate studies and then continued on in the Masters of Agribusiness program. “I got a lot from the College of Agricultural and Life Sciences (CAL) that I still use in my life and career now, and expect to for the rest of my life.”

CAL now has 22 undergraduate and graduate programs, and over 50 areas of specialization in agriculture and natural resources, with a mission and emphasis of addressing the planet’s challenges in environmental protection, conservation, and sustainability. UF also has the unique distinction of being one of only 17 universities in the US with land-grant, sea-grant, and space-grant statuses, with faculty and scientific teams named to the National Academy of Science, the American Association for Advancement of Scientific Fellows, and the USDA-NIFA Partnership Awards.
“It became my home,” states Valerie Dailey, who received her BS in Food and Resource Economics and a Masters degree in Agricultural Operations Management at UF. “CAL is relatively small compared to other colleges on campus, so it actually felt comfortable and safe. And they treated me like an individual, not just a social security number.”

Like Erin, Valerie found herself in a nurturing, collaborative environment of encouraging mentors among her professors and in the dean’s office — they’re the ones she credits with helping her choose areas of study, scholarships, and find jobs like the one she got in the Animal Science division, teaching horseback riding. When she graduated with her Bachelors, she went to work in Ocala before the school called her with a job offer, and she “came back home” for another eight years.

“It became my home. CAL is relatively small compared to other colleges on campus, so it actually felt comfortable and safe. And they treated me like an individual, not just a social security number.”

— Valerie Dailey, Owner/Broker,  Showcase Properties
The College of Agriculture was and still is one of the top AG engineering schools in the country — considered equal to Cornell, in fact, and Valerie considers the academic education she received to be the best she could possibly have had — but not simply due to the curriculum.

“It’s just an excellent all-around program, but there was more to it than that,” she explains. “I just had so much support as a student and as an individual. It wasn’t only the department I was associated with; it was the college as a whole.”

Erin couldn’t agree more. “I think I was one of the most apprehensive students about finding a job after finishing school,” she says. “I mean, Agricultural Communications was so new, and no one really knew what you could do with that degree — someone said sarcastically that you could maybe ‘talk to plants’ with it. So I was really nervous. But my professor was absolutely positive I’d be okay; he told me, ‘Erin, you’ll get a job.”

Much like Samantha, Josh McGill — another of our agents — chose UF because a relative was an alumnus. “My older sister was studying there, and it’s the best university in Florida.”

“I really enjoyed my time studying there, and I actually really miss stuff like the gym, clubs, and pool. And of course the football tickets!”

— Josh McGill, REALTOR® at  Showcase Properties
McGill threw himself into his studies in Agricultural Education and Communications, and he loved the amenities and sports activities. UF, in case you didn’t know, is the home of the Florida Gators, one of the top-ranked intercollegiate sports programs in the country. Currently the university has nine teams in nine men’s sports and twelve women’s; all of which compete in the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA), and all but women’s lacrosse play in the Southeastern Conference (SEC).

“I really enjoyed my time studying there, and I actually really miss stuff like the gym, clubs, and pool. And of course the football tickets!” McGill laughs.

The university experience is also about more than books and lectures and gathering credits; it’s a dip into the big pool of the wide world, when kids are on their own for the first time away from their parents — making connections with new friends, mentors, and discovering where their passions and interests might lead them. There’s no cookie-cutter path or formula for everyone to follow; each person’s needs and experience are inevitably going to be unique and different.
A college library.
Rows of corn growing

To paraphrase Ms. Parker, loving what you do and finding stimulation in it can be — and is, for millions — practical, enriching education that offers just as much as a formal education does. University is the discovery of who we are and how we navigate through a life and a career, finding what calls to us as individuals and turning what we love into a living. Which school we choose, and how effective it is in arming us for the journey ahead, is ultimately influenced by the experiences and connections we create while we’re there.

If you  have questions about Gainesville, check out the available resources from the Alachua County visitors bureau. You can also find more information on local attractions and events on the Showcase Properties blog. When you’re ready to start browsing homes for sale in Alachua County and putting down roots, the Gainesville real estate agents at Showcase Properties will be here to help.