I’m a junior in high school and I would like to know what I should aim for to get into my dream school.
Take the most rigorous courses that you can in the five Core Subject areas listed below (from Admission FAQ’s). Admissions will recalculate your GPA and give extra weight to honors or AP:
"Your GPA is recalculated based on the academic core courses (including English, math, science, social studies and foreign language). UCF uses a 4.0 grading scale, and also awards additional quality points for any weighted courses within the academic core. Courses marked as Pre-AP, Pre-IB, Pre-AICE, and Honors are given an additional .5 quality point.
Advanced Placement (AP), International Baccalaureate (IB), Advanced International Certification of Education (AICE), and Dual Enrollment (DE) courses are given 1 additional quality point."
The course requirements for admission are listed below so make sure that you have taken or are taking these at the time of application. The UCF application will ask you to list your senior year courses so if any of the ones below are in process (or to-be-taken during senior year) that should be OK. Note especially the world language requirement which applies to all of Florida state colleges and universities:
"Course Units
Specific high school course units are required for admission as a first-year student (an academic unit is a non-remedial, year-long course):
4 units of English (at least three with substantial writing requirements)
4 units of mathematics (Algebra I and above)
3 units of natural science (at least two with laboratory)
3 units of social studies
2 sequential units of the same world language
2 elective units, preferably from English, mathematics, natural science, social studies, or world language areas
Notes:
Satisfying minimum requirements does not guarantee admission to UCF.
Florida BOG Regulation 6.001 (7) authorizes universities to refuse admission to applicants due to past misconduct."
Good luck!
AP classes definitely look good on your transcript if you get good grades in them. I would look up what college credit you get for each AP exam you take, and take the courses that will count toward the Gen Ed program.
Each student at UCF has to complete the Gen Ed requirements, and you will be well prepared for college and save a ton of money by taking those classes in high school. I only took a few AP courses, but I chose ones that would count for Gen Ed credit, and I put a lot of energy into acing the courses and passing the AP exams with high scores. I was accepted to UCF with a $10,000 scholarship. And, for each college class you take in high school and pass, you save over $600 by not having to take it at the university.
You should also choose electives that have some academic value. I took extra foreign language courses, journalism, and art for my electives. It is important to show you are well-rounded, and not just taking the easiest classes you can.