Hello! My daughter just applied for Fall 2019. She’s a senior now.
Basic stats bc I don’t know everything:
GPA 4.7 weighted and she’s #53 in her class of 750 (which is an A rated public school, not sure that matters)
SAT scores English 680 Math 600 (super scored) - I know this is definitely her weak area but she’s taken it 3 times now
Bright futures scholarship
National Honor Society
AICE/gifted since Kindy (AICE is similar to AP but only offered in select schools/counties)
Volunteer work throughout high school/Key Club
Pre-Law major
One other piece of info is that her admissions essay was terrific, she’s a very good writer.
Is 4.7 her UF GPA? UF only looks at academic classes and gives a .5 bump for honors and 1.0 bump for AP/DE, etc. She would be well served to re-take the SAT (I know it sucks as my daughter took it three times, too and hated it all the way.) and she might try the ACT as well, time permitting but I think the testing can continue to be done after the deadline.
I would put her on the bubble for UF, but keep us posted.
Also, for the full bright futures scholarship, she will need a 1290 on the SAT, so she would be well-served to take it again. She take actually take it anytime between now and June to try to get the additional 10 points. A lot of folks don’t know that…
Thank you for the response! She has the AICE diploma which covers the (lower) SAT score and still allows her to receive the Bright Futures scholarship. I don’t believe she can take the SAT again as she’s taken it 3 times now…but the ACT is definitely a possibility. Of course I brought all of this up to her and she’s getting anxiety just thinking about it!
As far as her GPA, not sure how hers would be calculated for UF. Most of her classes have been honors or AP (AICE) so I figure it’s mostly correct…she didn’t take many (if any) in the way of electives. I told her to go see her guidance counselor!
I do have a question, if she put Fall 2019 on her application and she’s right on the cusp would they possibly offer her summer as an alternative to get in? I’m curious how that works.
I will for sure check back in when I know something!
UF only looks at academic classes, so art, band, newspaper, yearbook or office aide don’t count. All AP classes count! So honors photography doesn’t count but AP Photography does. DE and AICE (I think but don’t know much about this) count. Many high schools “weigh” classes differently, giving the kid 6 points for an AP A, for example. UF gives one extra point for AP and a half point for honors. A 4.7 “UF” GPA is excellent, but I’m not sure your daughter’s has been calculated that way… There’s nothing she can do to change her GPA, so we are just discussing semantics at the moment, but if you figure out her UF GPA (for certain), then you can make a better assessment.
UF will consider her for both Fall and Summer. The statistics have suggested for the past several years that there is no difference between Summer and Fall admission standards but the just released SUS matrix.shows that the standards are very slightly lower for summer. She will definitely be considered for both.
I would double check the Bright Futures because it says pretty clearly that you need a 1290 to qualify for the top level which is full reimbursement of tuition plus $300 per semester for books, plus it covers summer school. The other level only covers 75% of tuition, with nothing for books and no summer. That extra 10 points could be worth about $9,000 over four years. The good news is that she has until the summer of 2019 to get her score up. She can take it in the Spring and some kids even take it again after school lets out. Caveat: double check all this stuff with Bright Futures as it can change.
She may want to try the ACT in November. If she does well, it could help at UF and other schools, if not, it’s no big deal.
The middle 50% of accepted students (Fall, 2018) SAT test range was 1300 to 1450. She’s close. For the ACT it was 29 to 33.
Being in the top 10% of her class is good, as 77% of the First Time in College (FTIC) students are in the top 10%. UF also considers the rigor of her classes, and they rate AICE fairly high (as well as IB, and lots of AP classes).
About 50% of admissions is based on academics, with class rigor, academic GPA and essay being the most important, and test scores being less important.
The other 50% is based on non-academic factors, like ECs, volunteering, work, etc. That’s why UF admissions can appear a bit random at times.