Three Students on Why They Chose USF
What does college mean to you? We spend a lot of time offering up reasons why the University of South Florida is the perfect setting for your college journey.
We talk about our affordable tuition, wide range of majors and concentrations, and vibrant student life. We go on about the benefits of living on the Gulf Coast of Florida, and we constantly reiterate our commitment to research and innovation.
Those things do make USF an outstanding university, but ultimately, each of our approximately 50,000 students has their own reasons for calling USF home.
So, we asked them! Meet Pavan, Kaylee, and Maddie, three students who made the life-changing decision to become Bulls. Each of their stories is a unique answer to one essential question: “Why USF?”
Table of Contents:
Pavan: A Launchpad to Scientific Achievement
Pavan is a third-year student at USF Tampa. His family’s home is a short distance from campus, so USF was always on his radar, but he didn’t know much about the campus itself. Just before his senior year of high school, though, Pavan took his new bike for a spin and rode over to explore USF.
He found a sprawling campus that was nicely maintained. People were active and varied in expression. He admired the important-looking science buildings and the USF Research Park, where patented discoveries are made. Pavan recalled exclaiming, “This is fancy!”
In the end, Pavan’s decision came down to two schools: USF, and some crocodile college a few hours up the road. At USF, he could stay close to his family, but more critically, Pavan knew that USF offered a better science education than the alternative.
From his high school chemistry teacher, Pavan learned how USF prioritized scientific research. That impressed him: “I said, ‘Wow; there are like six different buildings dedicated to just research. And every professor is required to do research. They must be doing a lot.’ My teacher also told me about the undergraduate research opportunities. It was all so amazing, and it sold me on USF.”
Pavan saw consistent increases in USF’s research budget each year and knew well-funded labs would give him ample opportunities for hands-on learning. It also meant he could stay at USF through grad school and his Ph.D. USF’s admission to the prestigious American Association of Universities (AAU) coincided with Pavan’s high school graduation, reinforcing his vision of USF as a scientific powerhouse. “It was a big validation of USF’s research acumen,” he explained.
Pavan wasn’t sure which scientific discipline he wanted to study, but he knew that he’d have many great programs to choose from at USF. In high school, he had done an information technology (IT) trade program, so he started there, but he craved something new. Today, he’s getting a dual bachelor’s degree in physics and chemistry with a mathematics minor.
Pavan’s Student Life at USF
Pavan lives at home with his family and commutes to USF via the BullRunner bus each day. He’s got many responsibilities on campus, including a job, a position in a chemistry lab, and leadership roles in several student organizations.
“I realized I can set myself up for any career path I want by focusing on getting a lot of skills,” he said. “I don't really have to choose a single career path.”
Through his involvement on campus, Pavan has developed professionally. He considers his undergraduate research to be an invaluable addition to his resume and feels like it’s helped him gain a solid understanding of vocational science.
But some of Pavan’s most remarkable experiences came from his membership in two student organizations: the Society of Asian Scientists and Engineers (SASE) and the Society of Aeronautics and Rocketry (SOAR).
As a sophomore, he was SASE vice president, helping plan and manage conferences and banquets. “There's just a massive leadership opportunity in SASE,” he said. “I have so many skills I can attribute to my time with that organization.”
In SOAR, he was the electronics and computer science lead for a team that launched a rocket and won an award from NASA. The Student Launch Competition gave SOAR a year to build for specific mission parameters. Pavan led design on the telemetry system. “My job was to make sure we got live data from the rocket while in flight and knew where it would land,” he explained. That process expanded his knowledge of programming languages and engineering practices.
Pavan has been impacted by USF’s multicultural student body, too. In many other places he’s visited across America, he said it was hard to fit in as a person of Indian descent. But not at USF, where most people have connected with international students and gained respect for different cultures.
Off campus, Pavan loves the thrill rides at Busch Gardens and the walkable urban environment of downtown Tampa along the Riverwalk. He spends most of his time on campus, though, because for him, USF Tampa is like home.
“I met all my friends on this campus,” he said. “I met the girl I love here. I got a job here. I got involved in organizations that helped me develop all these skills. All these big things in my life happened on this campus.”
Kaylee: Community Makes All the Difference
Kaylee is in her first year at USF’s Sarasota-Manatee campus, but she entered college with enough credits from dual enrollment during high school to count as a sophomore. She lives at home, a short distance from campus, and commutes each day, like many students at USF Sarasota-Manatee.
For Kaylee, choosing a college wasn’t difficult. “I was pretty dead set on USF,” she remembered. “It felt like where I was meant to go.”
The Muma College of Business offered Kaylee some remarkable opportunities. She’s majoring in personal financial planning, and her career goals require her to pass the Certified Financial Planner (CFP) exam. At USF, sitting for the CFP is part of the curriculum. Kaylee knew many financial planners spend years after college preparing for the exam, so she appreciated the option to get it out of the way in college.
Her experience during a campus tour made her fall in love with USF Sarasota-Manatee. “I toured quite a few colleges, but I just loved USF's campus,” she said. “I think it was the greenery. It’s so open, and there are so many trees and plants. I didn't want to go to college and feel like I was stuck, just surrounded by buildings.”
The campus reflection pond was another highlight of the tour, and it remains one of Kaylee’s favorite places. “One of my friends told me that someone proposed there the other day,” she shared excitedly. “That’s really awesome! It shows how beautiful the campus is.”
In 2024, USF Sarasota-Manatee opened a new student center and residence hall, Atala Hall. That showed Kaylee that USF cared about expanding the campus resources available to students, and that she could expect more exciting changes to come.
Kaylee’s Student Life at USF
For Kaylee, the best part of USF is the kind-hearted community. “I've yet to meet anybody at USF that’s rude,” she explained. “Every single person I talk to is super, super nice. Everybody's waving and everybody's smiling. It makes USF feel like home to me.”
Commuter students sometimes have a tougher time making connections on campus, but Kaylee said her experience at USF Sarasota-Manatee has been different. On the small campus, she sees a lot of familiar faces.
She’s also an active member of Bulls Who Believe, a club for Christian students, and she looks forward to seeing her friends during her commute each day. “They are some of the most fun-loving people I’ve ever met,” she beamed. Kaylee credits this group with helping her adjust to college life.
The small campus positively affects Kaylee’s academic experience, too. Her professors are approachable, and she feels comfortable asking them for help.
On the first day of class, Kaylee’s accounting professor said, “I'm not here to just teach you. I'm here to help you understand the learning process.” Each meeting, the professor gives every student individualized attention. If she sees a student struggling, she offers to change pace or back up. These are impactful actions that are more manageable in a classroom of twenty than in a big lecture hall. “That was the biggest change for me: I truly enjoy going to class because I know she has our best interest at heart,” Kaylee said.
Outside of class, Tampa Bay has a lot to offer Kaylee. She loves the beach, and Sarasota’s are world-famous. She gets remarkable views of the bay during her commutes, especially at sunset. And earlier this year, she drove to Tampa to watch a USF Bulls football game. “That was honestly one of the most fun experiences I think I've had so far in college. It was 100% worth the drive from Sarasota.”
Back on campus, there’s no shortage of things to do. “College is what you make it,” she said, “and USF does a great job making opportunities available to students. You just have to make the effort to get involved.”
Even the most mundane parts of student life are made better at USF Sarasota-Manatee. Kaylee loves to arrive early and claim her favorite study spot: a cubby overlooking the Rotunda. Giant windows flood the space with natural light, and when it rains, she feels like she’s in an aesthetic lo-fi music video on YouTube.
“I still love the campus,” Kaylee mused. “I still think it's gorgeous. I still truly feel like I'm where I'm meant to be, and I was clearly led here for a reason. I truly think it was the best situation for me.”
Now she’s recruiting her younger brother to join her at USF. “I tell him, ‘Dude, this is a really great college. You should really consider it.’”
Maddie: The Vibes Are Immaculate
Maddie is a senior at USF St. Petersburg on the cusp of graduation. Having grown up in the rural Polk County, Florida, she was eager to branch out into different surroundings. With Maddie’s mom urging her to apply to USF, our campus in Downtown St. Petersburg (DTSP) stood out from other options. When her application was accepted, Maddie and her mom immediately came over for a tour.
USF St. Petersburg isn’t just located in DTSP — it’s integrated into the city itself. That means partnerships with local businesses and organizations, which provide unique opportunities for students like Maddie. It also means easy access to coffee shops and nightlife, walkable streets and public transportation. It was a whole new world right outside her door — exactly what she was looking for.
Academics mattered, too. A first-generation college student, Maddie wanted a degree she could be proud of. “USF is really well-known,” she explained. “Seeing what the faculty are doing professionally and the backgrounds they have, I knew that they would bring that to my education.”
The COVID-19 pandemic stifled Maddie’s last two years of high school, so she was ready to reignite her social life. “I just wanted to go out and interact with people again,” she said. “I wanted to make friends. I had been cut off from that entirely.”
After exploring USF St. Petersburg, Maddie knew it was a college that could deliver everything she wanted.
Maddie’s Student Life at USF
Four years later, Maddie still lives on campus and doesn’t have a car. The convenient SunRunner bus system takes her anywhere her shoes can’t, carrying her to beautiful St. Pete Beach in about 40 minutes. Her room overlooks the city, reminding her of how far she’s come. She has two on-campus jobs, volunteers for a tutoring service in DTSP, and leads several student organizations.
“Finding clubs and jobs on campus is the best way to meet people,” Maddie said. Over the years, she has gotten to know much of the campus community and loves the way everyone’s social circles connect. She’s found that even administrators, like the Dean of Students, Dr. Jake Diaz, are approachable. “Once you get integrated, you realize that everyone knows everyone. It's such a nice feeling. If I see someone in the dining hall, I can just sit down and have lunch with them. I never have to be alone if I don't want to be alone.”
Maddie is a health science major with a concentration in biological, social, and behavioral health and a minor in criminology. She’s part of the Health Education Action Team (HEAT), serving as their event promotions coordinator. HEAT promotes student wellness on campus. She’s also the event coordinator for Her Campus and president of the Oreo Tasting Club (her favorite Oreo is the discontinued berry ice cream flavor, btw).
Maddie loves the on-campus events, too. Her earliest memory as a Bull is the Student Government Pool Party Extravaganza, where she broke the ice with her roommates and peers from across campus. Her favorite event, though, is the legendary Cardboard Boat Race: “You spend late nights building a boat, arguing about duct tape, and you know it’s inevitable that you’re going to sink. It’s hilarious!”
Walking around campus, Maddie frequently spots dolphins and manatees. Sometimes, when she’s cruising Bayboro Harbor on a paddleboard from the Boathouse, they’re close enough to (not) touch. “I know that’s a thing in Florida, but it’s weird that it’s so common at USF,” she said. “Many people have never seen these animals before, but we just have them here.”
She’s also a regular at the Campus Grind café and the Tavern at Bayboro. “It's so cute! The daughters own the coffee shop and the parents own the Tavern,” she gushed. “I go to the Grind every single day. They know my order, which is amazing.”
USF’s campus variety means we have something for everyone, and for Maddie, USF St. Petersburg is just right. “Everyone is so chill. Very ‘go with the flow,’” she observed. “So much happens in downtown St. Pete that people don't make firm schedules. We like to just float around downtown until we find what we’re going to do for the day. It's a vibe; you can’t understand unless you come here and immerse yourself.”
With graduation on the horizon, Maddie looks back on her USF experience fondly. “Everything happens for a reason. I'm so happy I ended up here."
Your Own USF Story Begins Now
What matters most to you when choosing a college? Our friendly admissions recruiters would love to talk to you about your priorities and goals. We want to help you find your perfect fit at USF!
Call 813-974-3350 or email admissions@usf.edu to start the conversation.
If the stories from these three Bulls resonate with you, consider submitting your application now.
Hear other students’ “Why USF?” stories on video!
