If anyone is interested there is are great Facebook pages with more info about dorms, roommates, classes, summer, pace, etc.
One for parents and one for kids
UF Class of 2025. I got some good info about deposits and campus tours. A lot of parents with older kids posting helpful info.
@erd1020 Thank you, I wish the same for yours. We will look at all of the other offers and then decide where she will have the best opportunity to thrive.
Interesting. We are OOS and I had no idea you needed to apply for housing before admitted. Is this what you mean?
I would like to address a couple of the comments about OOS students getting into UF with lower stats. Each school has their own profile and if kids are looked at holistically as they say, other things are considered when making a selection. Perhaps a student with a 3.7 GPA with a 29 ACT came from a very competitive HS and took an insanely rigorous schedule despite dealing with unfathomable hardships. Their accomplishments were acknowledged and validated by UF so rather than make anyone feel less than adequate in a year that affected kids beyond our comprehension, let’s support and celebrate them for getting accepted.
The last 12 months have been extremely difficult and many of us have experienced unexpected disappointments during this college process. So for everyone reading this with lower grades than my child but got accepted, I applaud you and wish you the best of luck in your future endeavors.
I agree with most of this. It’s easy for me to say now that both my twins are accepted but I do think you can play down school rankings a little too much. While I certainly agree we aren’t talking about differences between Ivies and large public schools, within the public school category it does make some difference. The ranking system while certainly not being perfect does weigh considerations that matter. Class sizes, graduation rates, student to faculty ratios, etc. Also at the end of the day while you can become a great success wherever you go and can fail out at the best of schools the name on that diploma means something early in a young persons career. More doors open with the higher the reputation the school has. The end result for right or wrong is rankings influence that reputation. Find the best fit for sure but it’s a mistake to think rankings are meaningless.
Yes. As soon as you apply for the school you can get on the housing portal and “register” so that you are in line when admissions come out. I can’t remember the exact process but I can ask my son if you need information.
I am not disregarding them completely, but the rankings should not be the top factor in making a decision. I have seen many kids go into debt to take a #6 schools instead of a #10 school and other kids go based on a number rather than where they will feel most comfortable. I am not discounting rankings at all, but I have even advised my own son (who was accepted to UF as well as other top 20 schools) to look at what school has the most to offer HIM and where he feels he will be most comfortable.
Yes, as wlehockey wrote, apparently you could apply before admissions were announced. We did not do that and off-campus housing is now probably his only option if he decides to go.
If possible, we’d like to avoiding paying deposits for housing when he’s still undecided but want to be realistic about supply and demand.
Lots of apartments literally right across the street from campus. With the COVID situation my oldest who is graduating this year tells me they have been desperate to find tenants. The Standard is one that is very popular he tells me.
Pretty sure he didn’t do that . . . I’ll have to ask. Much less appealing if he won’t be living in a first year dorm 
Don’t give up all hope. This is such an unpredictable year and kids may decide to go elsewhere. Have him go in and do what he can do now.
Rankings are ponderous. Take the UT Austin vs UF conversation. Both great state flagship universities. UF is ranked higher in the US News National Rankings, and that seems to be the most prestigious. UT Austin is ranked higher in the US News Global Rankings. Also, pick an academic discipline, and UT Austin is ranked higher. Engineering, Mathematics, Accounting, Finance, Computer Science, etc. I couldn’t find an academic discipline where UF was ranked higher than UT Austin…yet, it is ranked higher in the national rankings as a university. I don’t think anyone should be making any life-changing decisions based on these rankings.
The Standard is very nice. There is one at Ga Tech where my oldest is and one also in Athens. They are very pricey in Atlanta and have 11 ½ month leases so something to consider when comparing schools and costs (son would have free tuition at Georgia schools) and we would be full pay out of state.
I agree 100%. Especially when they are both the same caliber. As I said in my last post we are not comparing Harvard to a junior college or even Harvard to a non-Ivy
Wait, so the housing options are minimal if you didn’t apply BEFORE you were admitted? So what happened to all the people who applied for housing and then did not get into UF?
Agreed. A factor also is where you think you want to live and work. If you are likely to want to be in Florida being a Gator is a big deal as I am sure if you are a Texan being a Longhorn is. Also for pre med where you go to med school and do your post grad training is even more important. But when you are trying to get into med school or get a good match for residency the higher reputation your undergraduate school has the better. I have read that both schools send a large number of kids on to med school with UF being slightly ahead in that category (#2 vs. #4). So either way the schools are close enough that he can’t go wrong.
I was rejected with equal/higher stats. I would’ve done anything to have been admitted to PaCE. Be careful what you wish for.
Yes this is true. Our c/o 2022 Gator is also a NMF and received the 10k presidential scholarship. They did stack and afforded her study abroad before the world closed down!
I cold not agree more. The Gator alum is huge factor in FL and I would assume the UT one is in TX
Yes I completely understand where you’re coming from and i’m so sorry you got rejected.
Of course having some option is better than nothing, but after researching more about PaCE and the students who are currently in it, it seems that PaCE students are considered “second class citizens” and are seen differently by professors so im not sure if its even worth being seen as “less than”