Toured UF with my OOS daughter last week – she loved it!
Our info session advised that the application goes live August 1st (D will use Coalition App). Anyone know if Florida asks for additional essay or personal statement?
Also, any thoughts around what activities UF values when considering applications? D has extensive list of sports, leadership, volunteer, and part time job stuff.
D has narrowed choices to 5 schools and, wisely, would like to have as much application prep done as possible before pre-season sports begin in August.
IIRC there is a list of 4 essays to choose from or you can submit an essay on your own (my friend at UF used his common app essay). There are also like 9 short answer questions total but the app will only give you like a random 4 to choose from. My best piece of advice for the application is to be thorough in these responses. For example, if the question asks if you have had a job before, DO NOT GIVE A BULLETED LIST OF YOUR JOBS. Instead, write a short paragraph about the jobs you had and explain what you did and what you gained from them! Talk about any leadership positions you had on the job and how you learned from it. They also look closely at essays so make sure you work hard on that! Good Luck and Go Gators!
Also, UF uses a holistic approach, so all of the things you mentioned are of value on the application. One theme that you will see on these forums is that admissions likes leadership positions and sustained and meaningful involvement in a small number of activities vs. less involvement in a large number of activities. She should take her time on the application – they track this believe it or not – and be strategic as there are specific sections for extracurricular activities, volunteer work and part time real work. Use the whole application and really focus hard on the essay.
Given your time concerns, my recommendation would be for her to start on the application as soon as it opens and work on the UF supplement to the coalition app. Admissions are not rolling and the staff say that it doesn’t matter when the application gets submitted as long as it is in by the deadline. Some folks believe it is better to get it in early but there’s no data to support that.
Last year, my daughter was in contention for a major award that didn’t get announced until a few days before the deadline. We waited and I think it served her well – she got in. Otherwise, I would have advocated that she get hers in earlier. Decisions don’t come out until February for everyone, though.
“She should take her time on the application – they track this believe it or not – and be strategic as there are specific sections for extracurricular activities, volunteer work and part time real work.”
I did not know that the time spent on an application is tracked. Do you know if it’s total time logged in or some other measure? Is this just the Coalition app? Do you have a source?
It’s not imperative to have everything done by mid-August I just know there can be a lot of distractions Senior year, and I’ve seen kids scramble last minute. She’s just wants to be accepted - I doubt there will be any major awards coming her way!
Had not heard about tracking time spent on app, but if they can, I don’t blame them. So many kids throwing apps out there to see what sticks … and yield management is real.
In my D’s world, Florida is #1 and I’ll tell her to focus on that application and its essays taking time to highlight her ec’s in the best light.
@Mwfan1921 One of my best friends and fellow UF alum reported this to me based on a meeting with the director of admissions. I do not know how they precisely analyze the data but the point is that they look at how much time is spent on the application as a means to gauge interest. The advice is that if you really want to go to UF, spend time on the application.