SAT score: 1490
Unweighted GPA: 4.0
Weighted GPA: 6.24
Taken a total of 11 AP Classes
Earned AP Scholar with Distinction
Have 4 certifications
A part of NJROTC for 4 years. Placed at the National NJROTC competition last year. Won every regional competition this year. About to go to the state competition this weekend.
Been in the orchestra for four years, and am a member of NHS.
Additionally, I have family responsibilities alongside these commitments every day.
I am very confused, and I wish to hear from anyone willing to offer advice!
They don’t admit by major although some engineering is offered two year gateway.
UF has gained in prominence and likely applications. You aren’t the only strong student rejected. Even FSU rejects top kids.
And the review is more than stats. According to UF each application gets two reviews. There’s the short essays which UF rates as very important whereas test scores are only important.
You can appeal but on what basis ? Has anything changed that you haven’t provided ? Feeling like you are a top student who was wrongly denied is not a basis to appeal. So you should not go there. It doesn’t mean you are not a wonderful student…it just means that with 64,000 of which many are eminently qualified, they can’t take them all.
I’m sorry you were turned down. Your life’s success will not be impacted by attending UF vs another school. Florida has fantastic public options for in-state. Hopefully you applied to one or two…ie FSU, UCF, USF, UNF, FAU Honors, etc.
In the end UF didn’t provide the love. So why love them back?
I know it’s not easy to hear but get giddy about school #2 and move forward and make great success. No doubt a student like yourself will have a great opportunity wherever you land.
I want to appeal because I achieved more extracurricular accomplishments I just don’t know if that is enough to convince them. I just wish I knew what area made them reject me, and see if my recent accomplishments could change anything.
I get it. You are a wonderful student but wonderful students get turned down by top colleges everyday. In fact more so than get in.
No one truly knows why they were turned down. Maybe your essays had typos. Maybe they had too many orchestra kids. You’ll never know.
What extra extracurricular could you add that you already didn’t? This is a mistake to appeal. Nothing will change. The reason it’s a mistake is you will hold out hope, get the same answer again and get crushed again.
Certainly you applied to other fine schools. I understand the allure of in-state public for Florida kids.
Move on to another and be proud of the school that gives you a chance.
Are you in the top 10% of your class?
82% of admitted students last year were in the Top 10% of their class.
We are in-state also. At a college fair at my son’s school, UF representatives made very clear that they could only take so many kids from each school.
Wishing you the best of luck! You are a great student and you’ll thrive wherever you land
Could UF be looking at geographic diversity? Do you live in a large metro area with a large amount of students applying to UF? Some schools look at gender and ethnic diversity as well. I do not live in FL, but in our state, the State flagship universities place admission limits by zip code to increase geographic diversity (in state).
Below is a link from a UF freshman AO. You are a great candidate. Some colleges, my family has learned from experiences, don’t quite understand the commitment, leadership, etc. or value of being a member of an award winning JROTC program. UF also recalculates GPA, counting only core courses. You will be a bigger fish in a smaller pond at some of your other choices. I agree with others that have posted, learn as much as you can about your options, visit them if possible, join in any accepted student social media accounts. I’m sure you will fall in love with one of them!
admissions.ufl.edu/blog/2021/04/09/welcome-uf25.html
I sent trust bcuz it lists the high school issue…ie a limit. Many say that so maybe it’s true but the school states otherwise in regards to a max from one school.
Not trying to be a downer. Unfortunately you’ll never know why you didn’t get in can be 100 different reasons. Maybe you had typos. I know their essays are confusing…or at least were last year…my daughter had issues and we researched how to answer.
To appeal you need something substantive. Do people appeal successfully? Perhaps. I think you likely already showed strong ECs. So showing even more won’t matter.
Obviously you should and will do what’s best for you. But I sense your sadness and hope that you can avoid that again.
What are your other school options ???
We all miss our goals on occasion in life….in personal, at work….sometimes even daily or weekly. Just keep working hard and you’ll look back in 20 years……and you’ll realize it was a minor hiccup and you still rocked your life !!!
If you have new information and accomplishments you can certainly appeal.
From their website:
“How to appeal:
If you have new and compelling information that was not included in your original application, contact the Office of Admissions by calling 352-392-1365 to discuss the appeals process. If you are eligible to appeal, an appeal form will be placed on your admissions status page.”
FWIW, most of the top students at my son’s school who want to major in CS and want to stay in Florida, choose UCF over UF.
UCF has rolling admissions so there is still time if you haven’t applied there yet.
I am from Michigan and I’d like to offer some perspective. My kids go to a high school that is ranked top 50 in the US. It is not uncommon for each graduating class to have numerous students admitted to ivies. Every single year, however, we see students admitted to ivies who were denied at the University of Michigan. Clearly, these students have stellar stats that would put them amongst the best applicants at the University of Michigan, yet they were rejected. It happens more than you think. It can be a number of reasons, but a common reason there is that the school protects its yield heavily and does not believe these students would attend if admitted. So, take heart that your stats are great and this is not personal. For whatever reason, it wasn’t meant to be. However, I promise that with a track record like yours, you will do very well wherever you go, and you will be surprised how much you come to love where you land. Remember, your situation is evolving and the best is yet to come.
