Hoping to Apply for Class of 2012

Colleges and Universities A-Z University of Florida
1

<p>I'm a Junior this year, and I'm feeling a little antsy about the whole college game. I read the UF brochure about the admit stats and all, but I'd like a little input from folks who are actually attending UF/have submitted applications to UF.</p>

<p>Here are some questions that I have:</p>

<p>1) Concerning financial aid, does anybody here have any familiarity with the Florida Bright Futures Scholarship? I'm sure I'll be getting their "100% plan", but the fine print is a tad confusing. Is there anything it won't cover, and if so, how much would that amount to?</p>

<p>2) Selectivity stats. I read about them before, but have they gone up recently/will they be going up? And when they mention the GPA, they are using the weighted GPA, right?</p>

<p>Anyway, here's my high school course load (which I've heard colleges look heavily at):</p>

<p>Grade 8: Algebra I Honors (B in course), Spanish I Honors (A in course)</p>

<p>Grade 9: AP Human Geography (B in course, 5 on AP exam), Comprehensive Law Studies Honors (A), Spanish II Honors (A), Geometry Honors (A), Integrated Science Honors (A), English I Honors (A), Health/Personal Fitness (B)</p>

<p>Grade 10: AP World History (A in course, 5 on AP exam), AP Biology (A in course, 4 on AP exam), Spanish III Honors (A), English II Honors Laureate (A), Weight Lifting (A), Algebra II Honors (A)</p>

<p>Grade 11: AP U.S. History (projected A in course and 5 on AP exam), AP Chemistry (projected A and 4-5 on AP exam), AP English Language and Composition (projected A in course and 4-5 on AP exam), Computer Graphics (projected A in course), and either AP Psychology, Spanish IV Honors, or Pre-Calculus Honors (with an A in any of the courses and 4-5 on the exam, if I take it)</p>

<p>Grade 12: Not sure yet, but as long as the schedule doesn't have any problems with it like this year (couldn't take all APs), I'll be taking all AP courses with no less than a 4 on any of the courses.</p>

<p>SAT scores: Not sure what they'll be yet, but I'm assuming 700 minimum for each, provided I do enough studying.</p>

<p>And I'm a URM (African-American) who has "overcome adversity", so that might help out my application a bit.</p>

<p>Any and all feedback would be greatly appreciated, as long as it's honest.</p>

2

<p>I think being an African American is far from URM, your courseload looks decent, and make sure that you are working on your EC status. I also think it would be a good idea to befriend with your guidance counsler, so that when you need a rec. letter, you will have a good source. Get a decent SAT score (>1300), then you should be set.</p>

3

<p>Hadn't thought about the EC stuff, but I'll have that in the bag too. And my guidance counselor is a very nice lady who knows me pretty well, so I'm sure she'll write a great letter for me. You can get teachers to write them too, right?</p>

<p>Anyway, many thanks for the reply.</p>

4

<p>The following is an excerpt from a speech the UF President gave on August 24, 2006, just last month. It was called his "State of the University" address. It looks very good for you. You can read the whole thing at:</p>

<h2><a href="http://www.president.ufl.edu/stateOfUnivAddress.html%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://www.president.ufl.edu/stateOfUnivAddress.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/h2>

<p>"An area of major concern has been our minority enrollment. Last year there was a troubling decrease in African-American students enrolled.</p>

<p>One step we took to address this issue is the establishment of the "Florida Opportunity Scholars" program. It targets students who are the first generation in their family to attend a 4-year institution of higher education and is available when family income is less than $40,000. We offer admitted students full tuition and room-and-board scholarships.</p>

<p>This is funded by $1.1 million in state support which is matched by the University. We expect a little over 400 new students as a result of this scholarship. It is proving to be very successful and due, in part, to this program our minority enrollment has shown a significant turnaround.</p>

<p>When the final numbers are in for this new freshman class, it appears our enrollment of African-Americans will have increased from 9% last year to over 13%. That one-year turnaround is encouraging if we can sustain and add to it in future years."</p>

<hr>

<p>Good luck to you!</p>

5

<p>Thanks for posting, g8trmom. Scholarship won't be of much use to me (my mother attended a 4-year college program in Chicago), but the focus on minority recruitment does sound interesting. Thanks for the information.</p>

6

<p>wow. 7 ap courses in three years. that's amazing. my son's high school doesn't allow kids to take ap until sophmore year</p>

7

<p>Nah, the AP classes themselves aren't much if you've got a good teacher. The exams aren't really all that bad by themselves if you study a bit either.</p>

<p>And about recommendations, are they important? My guidance counselor will write a wonderful one, my AP World teacher (that I have known since 6th grade) will write a great one as well. Basically all of my social studies teachers will write perfect recommendations for me.</p>

<p>Aside from that, I could get one from a previous Gator (who was actually on their football team) and who taught me AP Bio last year. It would be personalized and as good as all the rest... would this matter much, or no?</p>

<p>Finally, does being a current resident of Florida have any impact on my chances of admission? I don't think it would, but I was just wondering.</p>

<p>Once again, thank you for reading and replying.</p>

8

<p>yes, a stellar recommendation and an excellent essay will make a big difference of your admission chance. But you should only send in two recs, one from academic personnel, and another from nonacademic personnel, such as your relatives, your coworkers, or someone you know from out of school.</p>

9

<p>Being instate should help you get in as well.</p>