Nice. Mine want to be a Botanist. UF is the only school in the state with that specific major as well as graduate level courses. Gotta get in first though!
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I had the opposite experience.
I have a 4.0 UW GPA on my school’s most rigorous curriculum and decided not to submit my 1420 SAT to UofSC so I could hopefully be considered for Top Scholars.
In my acceptance, I didn’t receive any guarantee of merit, yet there were people with significantly lower GPAs than mine who submitted test scores getting guaranteed some.
I think it honestly just depends on whether a school is truly test-optional which there is no way of knowing. So don’t beat yourself up about it.
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@CollegeBoundBrit So the moral of the story is that the entire college admissions process always has been and always will be an unsolved mystery.
And these college threads make for fantastic group therapy while we all learn our fate!
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Couldn’t have put it better myself, haha
Out of curiosity, what is the school that’s tied for top choice for your D?
@tsbna44 My hunch is that a lot is perception and ranking. We were fortunate enough to visit FSU and UF before the world shut down. We loved both for different reasons. FSU did seem to have a warmth that UF did not have, but my daughter felt more connected with students at UF being someone from the northeast that knows people that attend UF.
The next 5 days will be long and harrowing for sure.
Yes, perception and ranking are part of the equation. I would say FIT and affordability should be a higher consideration. As someone above has mentioned, UF can come across as cold and not as caring when compared to other schools. My experience with my OSU student and my UF student has confirmed this. They are both large schools, but OSU does a better job with their advising and making sure the students feel welcome. Perhaps there is a little bit of a “snob” factor to it. But when a school is ranked number 30 in the country and as one of the top public schools, the “bragging rights” are in play.
For us the challenge at decision time will be - my daughter will have gotten into great schools - many with merit. UGA with merit, U of SC with Honors and a lot of merit. She was a part of College of Charleston’s Honors weekend. Miami of Ohio as well and then Pitt and Maryland with no merit yet.
She is in at both U Tampa and Indiana - but as she narrowed her list she decided U Tampa is just rich northeast kids who party (her worlds from a student chat group) and while she liked our IU visit, decided she liked others she’s into more.
We will visit UF (if we get in) and FSU on Spring Break. I think she’ll love FSU for sure - UF may be too big. We’ll find out.
My challenge will be - of all she’s in so far (and we still await the heavyweights which announce April 1st ish - i.e. top 20 private schools - but of all those she’s in thus far, EASILY her favorite is College of Charleston.
It’s also least on the pedigree scale. Their merit isn’t great either ($12K of $33K which is their max) but hope to get more from the Honors weekend she participated in.
If she’s into great schools like UF, UGA, UMD, U of SC Honors College…but she loves Charleston the most…and she’s gotta spend four years there - don’t you let her go there?? I guess it’s like picking FAU instead of UF.
That will be the dilemma.
@1917souci It is funny you should mention OSU. That is the school I was referring to in my earlier posts. It is tied for first place with UF for now. We are waiting on merit for OSU, which may never arrive, and for a decision from UF.
My son, a junior in college, did not receive merit from OSU with a transcript full of Honors, AP’s, Dual enrollment, and a 32 on his ACT. His admissions Rep was even baffled about that. Ultimately, he chose a school that showed him some love and is extremely happy with his choice.
I firmly believe they all end up where they are supposed to be, but, of course, everyone wants their children’s dreams to come true.
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Completely agree!
@HollywOOd My Junior at OSU got a full tuition scholarship at OSU and DID NOT Get into UF. My freshman at UF did not get a penny from OSU, but got into UF. He had slightly higher stats than she did, but not by much. It just one of those things. We will never know. What I do know is that they are both super happy with where they are and their choices. I love what OSU has done for her or what she has been able to do with all the wonderful opportunities. He is in his first year at UF and loves it. I hope he will have the same opportunities. Both kids are very different so the path will be different as well.
@tsbna44 what kind of scholarship did you get at UGA? Miami of OHio is very generous, but it can still be expensive. They have a great Business school. Just keep in mind, there is not a lot to do there. The College of Charleston has different vibe as well. These are all different schools. UGA is pretty awesome if you can afford it
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A kid from my school got into Stanford, Harvard, and Naval Academy. Got rejected from UF. It was the talk of the town. Totally unbelievable.
UGA is half OOS - about $9500. Miami is $21K which is what most got. A few got $36K but most $21K. Their selling point is they guarantee costs all four years. Too rural for my daughter.
UGA is a great school - we could swing it. About $35K a year. I can see anyone picking UGA over UF or even UNC if it’s right. My guess is she loves C of C the most, then maybe U of SC…of those in right now. Actually, she loves Emory second but their decision is not out yet and it will not be what i’m willing to spend.
So can one make an argument for C of C over UGA to your point about UGA being awesome.
I’m sure it happens all the time. Someone will pick an FAU but got into UF. If you truly love somewhere even if on paper it’s deemed a lesser pedigree school, shouldn’t you still choose it?
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Only possibility is they blew their essay…spelling errors and all. My daughter found the UF one confusing. Did we answer them right or wrong? Did your Harvard accepted student answer them right or wrong?
List and describe your community service activities. Please include your role in the activity and level of responsibility.
My daughter started with a resume like list. But eventually changed to two or three ECs and wrote a paragraph about them.
The job question was similar.
The “list” stuff was already included in Common App. She even called the school to ask because it’s duplicative and they gave no guidance.
So she did what she thought was right.
Maybe if you do the other way or you flat out don’t answer all parts, it’s an auto reject?
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Your decision will then has to come down to fit. Charleston is a GREAT PLACE… The reasons, I would pick C of C over UGA would be the location (city vs small town) being more comfortable at a smaller school, and having an interest in Jewish studies, and money. As parents, we can only guide them and help them, but ultimately, it would probably come down to them. My UF freshman waited until the last minute and he decided to go to UF over UGA. It was not an easy decision and there was no right or wrong. Once everything played out (acceptances, financials, etc), he ended up making his own decision, the same way my OSU made her own decision. I can tell you that based on the many conversations I have had with their friends, everyone seemed to be happy with their decisions wherever they ended up. The fact that there were so many unknowns last year with this whole Covid situation, it made it even more difficult.
This Friday, you will either be more confused or your will have more clarity.
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In light of UF’s online business classes, looking for more info .My D was direct admit to Wisconsin Business waiting on merit. (She was sent a letter that she will hear by the end of month), OSU, IU and FSU with merit.
I haven’t read any comparisons to Wisconsin. Anyone???
Much nicer winters in Florida. 
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@GulfCoastDad thats her problem, I won’t visit until spring
Very interesting. Where did the student end up attending? Recruited athlete?
does UF defer people?
They don’t. There is no waitlist either, so basically either an admit or rejection. Actually, I think it’s better than being tortured for longer 
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