Hello everyone, as the title states, I am in the middle of trying to figure out how to assess my situation. Currently I’m a junior who (of course) is getting ready for senior year. UF is one of my top schools and I most likely will try to pursue computer science; however, next year I will only be completing through pre-calculus. Now I have done enough research to know that many schools, including UF, want to see at least one year of calculus. Some people have told me to go and do summer classes or online classes and the whole mile, but my school has a policy where they will not consider it so I would still have to take pre calc next year. I may go and try and speak with someone in administration, but I highly doubt it will be effective. If anyone has any advice, it would be appreciated. Thank you.
Interesting question and I’m curious to see what others say on this. I think the larger question is the overall rigor of your schedule. Are you taking the most rigorous classes offered at your school? Are you taking honors and AP classes in other areas aside from math?
The standard line is that UF wants to see rigor and that admissions believes success in AP classes is a good indicator for success in college. But some high schools don’t offer AP while others only offer a few and some offer more than you can take.
My daughter is in engineering and she had to take a placement test in math. She ended up in Calc 1 but many freshman had to take Trig and another pre-req. Based on this, not having Calc is OK. Also, admissions says that they don’t take choice of major into account. While the logic might suggest that a comp sci major should have taken Calc, not sure admissions looks at it that way.
If you are a current junior, your gpa is pretty much done. You should make sure you are taking a rigorous schedule next year; work on your SAT/ACT score if you can; and then focus in on your essay and the remainder of your application. UF looks hard at ECs and the essay. At this point in time, that should probably be your focus vs. trying to wiggle into Calc senior year.
But that’s just one guy’s opinion…
The rigor of the transcript, especially the math & science level courses (AP/Honors), and your marks can determine your candidacy. If UF is your top choice, I would email admissions inquiring whether that is a requirement. If not, UF will probably use the other assessment tools (your transcript, like I mentioned) you SAT/ACT scores, and SAT 2 scores to determine if you are fit for the comp. science track. But, in general, I wouldn’t be too worried, but I would contact the school.
Thank you for the reply! After reading, I definitely see your perspective and honestly I think it’s given me a new light. Right now I am taking a combination of honors and AP so I have those (and I am doing well). Alongside, I’m currently working on my SAT because I know UF has quite a higher range compared to other schools so I am doing my best. Also, this year I am taking an honors programming class so I am able to take AP Comp Sci next year (a rule my school has).
Over the summer I would like to try and develop something on my own if I can garner the time just to show colleges that it is something I really want to do. My ECs are pretty good I would say, and I am trying to run for officer positions in honors societies rather than just being a member (like many people are).
Another thing I am considering is taking at least two subject tests, one in science and one in math, to add to my resume.
Thank you once again!
I don’t know if UF considers SAT subject tests.
You may also look into taking some Dual Enrollment classes if that is an option. That might increase the profile of your class rigor. My daughter really enjoyed her DE classes and the fact that they were set up like regular college classes (class two days a week instead of everyday, less busy work, more focused learning, etc) and she was able to take more advanced classes than her school offered.
Hi, I was accepted to UF this year and Im a senior that is taking pre calc honors right now. I had the same concerns but you can still be admitted if you only make it up to pre calc. Best of luck! Go gators
@TYMCE25 With UF admissions you declare your study path during admissions but then during Preview you can change your major. This is good and bad IMHO. Bad because many school I applied to I selected CS and was denied despite being more than qualified(overall student population) but its also good because I think this means UF generally looks for well rounded students and is accommodating to students. And again frustrating because I got in CS and someone else is allowed to competed with me that didn’t declare this upfront and now UF has too many CS students.
So to answer your question on how to get into UF. STUDY YOUR ASS OFF FOR THE SAT/ACT and have really good GPA (4.5 or over). Follow that with real ECs and not just a cluster of BS. Make sure your ECs are legit and something you have a passion for or really commit to. Finally, write a good essay and for honors write and essay that fellow students will read that evaluate whether you get Honor of not(Yeah that’s total BS too but factual).
@Tymce25 I come from a school with sub 300 students in Alabama and the highest course of math I took was a dual enrollment pre-calculus class with my nearby community college. My school’s resources are not great but use the most of what you can. My stats weren’t exemplary but I managed to get in. I applied for the summer term so maybe it had an effect on my candidacy but I doubt that matters much to UF. My saving grace was my essay, and I encourage you to speak on something that really impacted you or makes you stand out. I know it’s cliche but think of everything you’ve accomplished or encountered. Best of luck!