Being a student is nothing short of expensive. Even if you’re the best budgeter in town, the purchases still add up — whether it’s for food, fitness or fun. Luckily, we’ve got you covered with some UF-specific services that are either free, included with student fees or heavily discounted. Check out our list of programs all students should take advantage of while they’re a Gator.
1. Stay informed with a free New York Times subscription
Just by being a UF student or faculty member with a valid ufl.edu email address, you get a free digital subscription to The New York Times. To activate your subscription (which takes less than a minute), go to NYTimes.com/UF and follow the directions to make an account with your UFL email. Without a NYT subscription, you can only read about 10 articles per month before hitting a paywall — which can be frustrating if you’re doing research and need reliable articles, or if you click on a story from Facebook and are unable to read it. With your free student subscription, though, you’ll enjoy access to high-quality journalism, breaking news stories, documentaries, stunning photo galleries and content about whatever gets you going — whether it’s food, politics, style, travel or the arts.
2. Gain valuable digital skills with Lynda.com
Want to brush up on your graphic design skills or learn something brand new, like how to use Photoshop, edit videos or code? Lynda.com is your home for all things tutorials — and UF students (yep, you guessed it!) get free access with this login. Many classes require students to watch Lynda.com tutorials for assignments or projects, but if you haven’t gotten there yet, you can still check out the thousands of videos on the site to teach yourself something new.
3. Download the Adobe Creative Cloud with a discount
UF has a partnership with Adobe Creative Cloud that allows the first 1,000 students who sign up to get a hefty discount on the yearly Creative Cloud software subscription (which includes Photoshop, InDesign, Illustrator and many more programs often used by students of graphic design or journalism and mass communication). If you think you’ll need these programs for upcoming classes — or if you just want to test out the waters and expand your design or digital medai skills — it’s a great time to experiment with these platforms since you can utilize the discount.
4. Get in shape with RecSports fitness facilities and programs
UF students who are currently enrolled in classes and have paid their Activities & Service Fee have access to UF’s two beautiful fitness centers, Southwest Recreation Center and Student Recreation Center, as well as the other RecSports campus facilities, like tennis courts and pools. Trendy, national-chain exercise studios like SoulCycle, Pure Barre and Orangetheory Fitness are all the rage, but programs like those are on the pricey side, especially for college students. That’s why the variety of workout classes offered at Southwest and Student Rec are so great — they’re included in our student fees, and there are so many options: yoga, spin, interval training, core, hip hop fitness, Bosu, and even stadium training courses. Take advantage of these workout classes and fitness programs now before you enter the ~real-world~ and face the reality of expensive gym memberships.
5. Take charge of your future at the Career Connections Center
Did you know we have a fully fledged career resource center in the Reitz Union? No matter your year in school, career path or goals, make a free appointment via Gator CareerLink to have your resume critiqued by trained career experts, run through a mock interview or create a career planning outline. Yay for feeling confident for your next interview or networking event!
With these services, discounts and freebies in your arsenal, there’s no stopping you! These little tips may seem obvious, but cherish them now, because after graduation, you’ll probably look back and wish you still had access to these resources.