This past weekend at University of Central Florida in Orlando, FL, students welcomed their families to a weekend in the college lifestyle, for the Annual Family Weekend. There was an activity-packed schedule, which included events such as a catered dinner and a pregame tailgate, followed by a Knight’s home football game.

As you should know, family weekend is a wonderful opportunity for families to explore their child’s college campus and experience a weekend as a UCF Knight.

The weekend started off with a dinner catered by 4 Rivers Smokehouse and comedy improvisation shows by SAK, Orlando’s best rated live comedy club, all on Friday night. On Saturday, the main events began.

Saturday, September 29, the entire UCF campus was alive. Over 1,500 parents, families, and students gathered for grilling food, drinking, and preparing for another win for their undefeated football team. There were many tailgate games, a Latin jazz performance by the UCF jazz band, and a special appearance by the school’s mascot, Knightro.

The Knights defeated Pittsburgh 45-15. This is their 17th win in a row, including games from the previous football season. The UCF football team has the highest winning streak in the nation.

Freshman Jared Simovitch received a text from his mother at 11:42 on Saturday morning.

“Wake up wake up!!! I am partying at the frat house right next to your dorm! Come join me xoxo.” Simovitch found this text hilarious and is so glad his mother came to visit him for the weekend.

Six out of ten freshman said that their parents came around for family weekend, and nine out of ten of them said they were delighted to welcome their parents to their campus.

(Maya Collins, engineer major, graduated from West Broward High School in June 2018, and started UCF in late August 2018.) “Broward is home, but UCF is my second home.”

“College is such a different atmosphere I can’t even compare the two. I like the idea that I’m only 3 hours from home, so if there are any family emergencies, I can easily hop on a bus and go home quicker than if I left the state. I have always wanted to leave the state for college but I am so happy with my decision to stay in Florida and attend UCF. I have made my best friends forever in the 2 months I have been here.”

The majority of the freshman interviewed said that they were either undecided about their major, or planning on switching to a different major just to explore their options.

“My first day of classes, I was overloaded with stress. In one class, college courses cover much more material, and much more in depth than in high school. It is a lot of work. Much more than I expected,” says Sophia Maya, another freshman at UCF, majoring in business.

Simovitch also gives great advice to high school seniors going through the college choosing process.

“When choosing which college you want to go to, in-state college is the way to go. You will be closer to your family and it will be much easier transportation to go home if you get homesick.  Not all people can afford to go out of state but that does not even matter. Staying in Florida was a great decision that I have made, and attending UCF was an even better decision. Family weekend is great for your parents to get a feel for your new life, and if you go out of state, there is less of a chance for them to visit. Be wise when choosing which college to go to.”

On family weekend, college is for everyone.