UF or UNC?

[jane814]

Thoughts on UF vs. UNC Chapel Hill? I’m having trouble deciding between the two schools! 

[KaryOaky]

3 hours ago, jane814 said:

Thoughts on UF vs. UNC Chapel Hill? I’m having trouble deciding between the two schools! 

I am from FL and attended UF for undergrad. Are you from FL, NC, or elsewhere?

[jane814]

1 hour ago, KaryOaky said:

I am from FL and attended UF for undergrad. Are you from FL, NC, or elsewhere?

Awesome! I’m actually not from FL or NC hahah but those are my top 2 programs! What are your thoughts on UF’s program?

[Slp2be2586]

I have a friend from Georgia who is about to graduate from UFs SLP program in may and she wishes she didn’t choose UF. Her too choices were UF, UNC, Vanderbilt, and UCF (UCF only UCF cuz she had a family member she could’ve lived with). She really doesn’t like the program at UF. She didn’t like any of her placements or the faculty she worked with. I don’t know exactly why she didn’t like them, but she wish she went to Vandy or UNC after talking to some of her fellow classmates from undergrad. She also didn’t like how Gainesville is such a college town and most people out and about are very immature when she would try to enjoy a night out with friends. I know this response doesn’t help much, but I’m just providing insight from my friend. I know both programs are great! I would look at where both schools are located, and where you could see yourself living for a longer period of time.

[aspiringslp1]

I attend UF for undergrad and it is an amazing program. There are a variety of research labs. If you are interested in swallowing, UF has a swallowing systems core lab run by leaders in the field. Other labs include: Upper Airway Dysfunction, Language over the Lifespan, Speech Development, Auditory Perception, Speech Fluency. The department is located in the same area as the nursing, pharmacy, medical, OT, and PT schools. You get collaboration between schools which is nice. In fact, Shands Hospital is literally a few steps away from the department (that is where the Speech and Hearing Clinic is located). Across from Shands is the VA. There are a ton of SNFs in Gainesville as well. The professors are tough, but excellent. Some of the professors are passionate about: dyslexia, hearing loss, cognition, TBI, stroke, stuttering, etc. Without a doubt, UF is an excellent program, especially if you are considering becoming a medically-based SLP.

Gainesville itself is a small, college town. There is a lot of school spirit (Go Gators!). It does get a tad boring, especially when football season is over, but it's not too bad. Honestly, you should focus on costs of each program, what areas of SLP you are most interested in, and what each school has to offer. I know UNC is a great program as well. 

[mikemcg]

Randomly saw this post and know nothing about speech language pathology, but I did undergrad at UF and it definitely seemed like the program was getting a lot of attention. As in, I always hear people talking about SLP. I've also been living in Gainesville for 15 years and would be happy to answer any questions you have about the city and its culture. Personally, I'm trying to get out of Gainesville to go to graduate school, but Gainesville isn't a terrible place to be for a couple years.

Gainesville is definitely a college town. It is not much of a city and it is in the middle of a swamp. However, the cost of living here is really cheap. The high student population means that there are lots of restaurants and bars. If you like nature, Gainesville has beautiful parks and trails. At my favorite park, there is a trail that goes right by the water and there are always alligators out on the trail sunning. One day I went out there and there was even a herd of bison. On the other hand, our summers are brutal and Florida heat is unlike any other heat I've experienced anywhere in the country.

Whichever you choose, I'm sure you'll make the right decision for you.

[Rowboat47]

I earned my Bachelors and Masters (in Linguistics) from UF, and later took all of my post-bacc CSD coursework online from UF as well.  I feel that all of my CSD coursework has prepared me well to start grad school in the fall - the professors are excellent.  I lived in Gainesville for 6 years and would be happy to answer any miscellaneous questions about the area for you - as college towns go, I found it to be lively and fun (even if college sports aren't your cup of tea), and in recent years has gotten even better with new restaurants, shopping, etc.  I am less familiar with Chapel Hill, although I did live in the Triangle area several years ago and it definitely has much to offer.  

Best of luck to you as you make your decision - for what it's worth, if I didn't live in CT I would have loved to go back to UF for my third degree haha.

[jane814]

13 hours ago, Slp2be2586 said:

I have a friend from Georgia who is about to graduate from UFs SLP program in may and she wishes she didn’t choose UF. Her too choices were UF, UNC, Vanderbilt, and UCF (UCF only UCF cuz she had a family member she could’ve lived with). She really doesn’t like the program at UF.

Thank you so much for sharing your friend’s experience! That is very good to know. I’ve heard mixed reviews about the faculty and the program, so I appreciate hearing about an experience from someone in the program!

[jane814]

@aspiringslp1 @mikemcg @Rowboat47 Thanks for your input on Gainesville and UF! It does sound like they have a lot to offer, especially in research, and I’m sure both programs would prepare me well. The other factor is that I think I’d like to end up working in North Carolina one day, so I’m leaning towards UNC.