School for Advanced Studies
College Bound Newsletter
March 2013
Volume 6, Number 6
University of Florida Admissions - Are we overlooking somethin
(Notes to surely stir debate) by a CAP Counselor at a MDCPS traditi
high school.
Along with the great mysteries of our times such as UFO’s, the Abominable Snow Man and the e
of leprechauns, comes the mystery of admissions to the University of Florida. Every year that my
rears its ugly head with questions as to “Why didn’t I get in?” or “Why did so-n-so get in and I did
The University of Florida makes it clear that its admission process is holistic in nature. That mea
there are a number of variables that are taken into account when a decision is made. There are
factors like grades and SAT/ACT scores. Then there are the subjective factors like the essay, co
service and other things. The holistic process can be both precise in its results, and confusing to
person deciphering the subjective aspects of an admissions decision.
Are we overlooking something in this process that might make the final decision clearer to a stud
searching for an answer to a denial or a future Gator?
Take course selection. Look at the following graph Admission Rates by Strength of Schedule
graph itself demonstrates the close relationship between the numbers of Academic Core class
acceptance rate at UF.
The required number of credits required to graduate from a MDCPS high school is 24. For your
applicant, a student taking the required PE and fine arts credits for graduation is now left with on
academic courses. This 22 maintains an applicant within the 47.6% acceptance rate for UF. Jus
the prospects of a student who happens to take an extra PE, art, Office Aid or any number of no
academic classes that are offered in a typical high school. How easy would it be to then drop be
academic courses and thus into the 20.5% acceptance range at UF.
Are we missing something here? Do we need to better job when we assess the post-secondary
our students? How can we take into account the pitfalls of course planning when it comes to hig
achieving students versus lower achieving students?
Acknowledging other factors like grades and test scores, one thing is very clear. At the Universit
Florida students taking between 26-30 academic core classes jumped from 47.6% to a whoppin
in acceptance at the University of Florida. 78.8% of students taking 31 and above core academi
gained acceptance to UF. I dare say to some extent that the same correlation exists at our other
universities – not to mention those tough to get into institutions in the northeast.
What does this say about our approach to 9-12 academic planning for our students? The numbe
there – I wonder if students, parents and those of us making these decisions truly have a grasp
success factors that our colleges are really looking at.
In a conversation with a concerned parent the other day (who by-the-way I credit for bring this
my attention) I gave the following advice to her student who would like to attend the Universit
Florida someday in the future - I wrote;


Complete her one unit in PE and one unit in fine arts and that’s it,
Focus on taking all core academic classes – math, social studies, language arts, foreign lan