When our parents went to college, it was just a school. In the present day, we have colleges that come fully equipped with pools, gyms, parking lots on top of parking lots, and tons of events to keep us busy!
When my parents saw the UCF campus for the first time, my dad described it as being “like a Hotel Resort.” Can all college campuses in Florida be considered hotel-esque? I may be biased, but I think that adjective is unique to UCF. Our campus is great for a variety of reasons, and in my opinion, definitely better than a majority of the other colleges here in Florida.
So let’s be proud of the amazing school we all chose to go to and celebrate 10 reasons why it’s great to be a Knight!
1. Recreation and Wellness Center – The UCF Gym has always been an eye catcher for those who are touring the campus or just seeing it for the first time. It is extremely spacious with basketball courts, a rock climbing wall, indoor track, weight machines, rooms for classes, multiple locker rooms, a lap pool, and just about every cardio machine you could ever imagine. Oh, and not to mention it was recently expanded another 65,000 square feet – costing $21 million! We now get to enjoy even more basketball courts, racquetball courts, a new lap pool, even more cardio machines, and much more!
2. Leisure Pool – Sure, most colleges have a standard rectangular pool for their students to lounge by and enjoy, but UCF’s leisure pool not only has a cool shape, it also has a net for playing volleyball, a hoop for playing some water basketball, and tons of lounge chairs, tables, and hammocks to enjoy! You can always go to the pool to relax, hang out with friends, work on your tan, and listen to some great, hip music!
3. Maid Service – I’ve done my homework on some of the other colleges in the area and nowhere else do they have weekly maid service like we have here at UCF. If you live in Nike/Hercules dorms, once a week Housekeeping will come and clean your bathroom, your mirror and vanity area, and vacuum the floors. If you live in apartment-style dorms, they will still clean your bathroom and floors, just not vacuum each individual bedroom. In the Towers apartments on campus they come clean the bathrooms and floors twice a semester. That’s pretty darn good compared to a mere once-per-semester bathroom clean at other colleges! Just one less thing us Knights have to worry about!
4. Discounted Tickets – SGA makes deals with all of the hot attractions in Orlando to get us tickets for cheaper. We get the privilege of buying tickets for Disney, Universal Studios, Blue Man Group, the movie theater, and more – all for less than what you would normally pay.
5. Concert Knight – Every year in the fall for Homecoming week, we have an event called Concert Knight where there is a free (free!!) concert for all UCF students. This October, Concert Knight will feature Lupe Fiasco and Panic! At the Disco! Concert Knight for Homecoming 2010 featured LMFAO and Ludacris; I had the enjoyment of attending and I must say that it was a pretty amazing concert. UCF also has their annual Greenwaves concert, which in Spring 2011 featured We the Kings, J Cole, and Anberlin – all for only $5 as a UCF student!
6. Comedy Knight – Also a part of fall’s Homecoming week, Comedy Knight features hilarious comedians that will literally make you cry of laughter. In past years, UCF has featured Daniel Tosh of Tosh.0, Ralphie May, and Bob Saget. Oh, and did I mention that it is absolutely free?! And we don’t just get amazing comedians once a year – the famous comedian Nick Swardson came to the UCF Arena in Spring 2011, too! Being a Knight means that you’re guaranteed to laugh your butt off!
7. Movie Knight – CAB and SGA are so good to us: Every other weekend from the start of the semester to the end, we get the opportunity to view movies at the arena (for free) before they are out on DVD. So if you didn’t feel like paying $10.50 to watch the latest popular movie in theaters, not to fear, it will most likely be played at the arena for our viewing pleasure. CAB also plays re-runs of some classic favorites! In addition to Movie Knight, those of us who live on campus get to watch recent movies on the Housing and Residence Life Channel 9. May we never pay $10 to see a movie again!
8. Universal Knights – Every year, SGA buys thousands of tickets to give out (do I even need to say “for free” again?) to UCF students for an exclusive night at Islands of Adventure! Last Spring, guests got to enjoy Universal’s latest addition to the park: the Wizarding World of Harry Potter. We were even able to print parking vouchers so we didn’t have to pay for parking! You can never have too much Universal or Disney, even when you live in Orlando!
9. Did I say “free” yet? – During your first year at UCF, you will find that you have obtained a nice collection of t-shirts. Seeing as we have so many events, you will be constantly picking up free tees! Homecoming, meal plan, voting, and basketball games – you will never need another (k)nightshirt again! But that isn’t all. We get sun glasses, cups, pens, pencils, sticky pads, hand sanitizer, and reusable bags, too! And in addition to all of these cool things, thanks to SGA (again), you will literally never have to pay for a scantron while you are a UCF student. SGA allows students to come by and pick up one free scantron per day! Stock up!
10. Off-Campus Entertainment – While some colleges are in cities that are in the middle of nowhere, and have like, three clubs max, at UCF there are at least four bars/clubs within a 15-minute walk from campus (or a 5-minute drive). And that’s just right outside of campus. There are numerous other clubs to go to around the city, not to mention Downtown Orlando. Food is also another thing we Knights like to “do.” Fortunately, pretty much any food establishment that you can think of is within a 15-minute car ride from campus. And when I say “any,” I literally mean any food establishment; we have food places that you probably haven’t even heard of before but are freaking amazing just the same (like El Corral and Jerimiahs!).
There you have it! 10 amazing reasons why it’s not just good, but GREAT, to be a Knight! So next time you’re wondering where your tuition money could possibly be going, just remember all of the amazing things UCF has to offer that we don’t (technically) have to pay for. Be sure to take advantage of these great events and amenities that our college provides; you don’t want to regret missing out on some of the best times you will have while you are an active Knight!