<p>I got accepted into UF but I am feeling intimidated. I know that UF is very selective and there will be a lot of top students there. I heard that the Freshman classes are very large and there are a lot of weed out classes. I am a good student but not a top student.
My SATs were 700 in math and 590 in English and 540 in Writing. I am intending on studying hard, but my fear is that by not being a top student I have a high chance of:
a. not making it through the weed out classes or passing with just a C
b. losing Bright Futures Scholarship money due to this</p>
<p>My worry is "What good does it do for me to get accepted into UF, if I fail there?"</p>
<p>I have been accepted into UCF's Honors Program and a $10,000 Pegasus Gold Scholarship.
By going to UF, I will already be giving up the $10,000 and if I lose Bright Futures, I will really be econonmically strapped. I do not come from a wealthy family.</p>
<p>Are the weed out classes at UF really that bad? What would you do in my situation?</p>
<p>I like both schools. I feel more secure choosing UCF, but I also feel that I would be foolish to turn down UF because it is much harder to get into UF and I should be honored.</p>
<p>I am not sure of my major--probably biology.</p>
<p>If I was in your shoes, I would prepare myself for UF during those few months. eg. reading, studying hard for my AP classes, et cetera. </p>
<p>If anything, I know there are intro-science courses offered, so you could take that. There is some assurance. Also, there are plenty of admits that feel exactly the same way you do, so hopefully that pacifies you a bit. </p>
<p>In the end, it depends on your major, because different colleges, and even different departments, have way different difficultly levels. The main classes people tend to consider weedout are like Calc1 (Calc1 is stupid hard, I’m a Senior Engineer and I still have trouble on some of the stuff they have to do, but in the end it gets curved.) Physics 1, maybe Chem 2. None of them are that bad really.</p>
<p>One of the big things is you have to be reliable. You have to be willing to buckle down and be like “no, I’m not going out tonight, I’m going to study.” If you are either smart, have a easy major, or are willing to buckle down you’ll be fine.</p>
<p>I wouldn’t worry about it too much. UF is pretty grade inflated. I didn’t think the student body was super smart when I went, and there were quite a few “bros”, even in engineering. The honors kids were pretty quick, though.</p>
<p>You can do well at UF if you work hard. But take a long, hard look at the financial end of this. $10,000 a year is significant on top of Bright Futures. I would be less worried about not doing well at UF and more worried about graduating with the least amount of debt, particularly in this economy. UCF Honors is a great program.</p>
<p>You will do well at either school if you work at it.</p>
<p>But a lot of people will give you advice aren’t in nor have ever been in the situation that you are - receiving substantial scholarship money. It was never part of their experience.</p>
<p>They don’t really considering that by going to UF, you will be walking away from $10,000 per year.</p>
<p>Of, better yet, you will be PAYING out of pocket and extra $10,000 per year.</p>
<p>Well a UF education is worth $150,000 in my opinion. Because of state subsidies you get a top-tier experience for pennies on the dollar. In addition, you will not be stuck in the Orlando-area after you graduate, and you will have a chance to be hired all over the USA.</p>
<p>It’s not $10,000 per year, the scholarship is worth $10,000 and paid out at $2,000 per year. My son has that for UCF and USF’s version as well but has chosen to go to UF.</p>
<p>I don’t think you should be intimidated. Evaluate your weaknesses now and make productive use of your remaining time in HS and then summer.</p>
<p>I’m currently in two of those weed out courses and have two major scholarships resting on me getting higher than a C, so I understand your concern about the pressure. While daunting, succeeding in these courses is not out of reach. Many students (including me) ignore the many resources available or just don’t put in an appropriate level of effort. Often, it’s just laziness = failure, not lack of intelligence or capability.</p>
<p>You should also consider that UCF will have weed out classes as well.</p>
<p>That as a biology major you are pretty much in with all the pre-med majors for your first two years in;
Calc 1 & 2
Chem 1 & 2
Bio 1 & 2
Organic Chem 1 & 2
Then:
Physics 1 & 2</p>