Application Preparation 1101 is just that: Information about UF's admission process and the application before you begin the application. Please read this section before you proceed.
Admission to college is one of the biggest achievements in your life. Much rests on how well you complete this application, so be prepared.
Carefully consider your responses before you begin to write. In fact, you should prepare your responses in advance, review them with your parents, an adviser or a teacher, and revise them. The best responses are always those that have been refined and polished.
The Office of Admissions conducts a comprehensive review of the information submitted in your application to determine whether you have the potential to succeed at -- and to graduate from -- the University of Florida. It is up to you to tell us who you are and what you can contribute to the University of Florida community!
We look for various indicators of success, intellectual curiosity and personal commitment. While academic factors are primary, you should not underestimate the importance of other considerations such as personal experiences and challenges. Every section of the application helps us to know you.
The Online Application- Section 1 - Personal Information
This section asks for general contact, family and demographic information.
- Section 2 - Application Information
This is the written response section of the application. You will need to provide family information, personal resume information and a personal essay.
The family and resume sections request details of your family background, academic achievements, extracurricular activities, volunteer service, unique talents and any other experience, situation, program or activity that helped you decide to apply to the university.
Please compose your responses in a word processing program before pasting them into the application. You should keep your formatting as simple as possible; special features such as bold, italic, underline and quotation marks are generally lost when the text is placed into the application text boxes.
Do not mail your essay or resume to the Office of Admissions. All information should be submitted online.
Remember:
There is a 500-character limit for each of the three family questions;
a 150-character limit per box for each of the five resume questions;
(Be sure to list only one activity per box. You can list more activities by clicking 'add another item.'); and
a 500-WORD limit for the personal essay.
- Section 3 - Education Background
This section requests details of your high school education, college courses taken and test score results.
Remember:
Official copies of your test scores and transcripts must be sent to
the Office of Admissions.
- Section 4 - Residency Information
Establishing your residency is important, for it determines whether your tuition is based on Florida resident or non-Florida resident rates.
With very few exceptions, applicants younger than 24 years of age will need a parent or guardian to complete and sign the residency affidavit. To establish Florida residency, they must provide proof of Florida driver's license, vehicle registration and voter registration.
The Family and Personal Resume Questions
No application is complete without this information. List and describe one item per box. Click Add Another Item for each additional program or activity.
Do not attempt to type or to paste an actual resume into a single text box.
Each box has specific CHARACTER limits.
1. Organize your material first by category: family obligations; special programs and activities; extracurricular activities; community service; honors, awards and recognitions; and employment.
2. Refine the material and stay within the text limits.
3. Place your responses into the appropriate text boxes.
The family questions:
- Do you have family obligations that prevent you from participating in extracurricular activities?
1. I have to work to supplement my family income. If so, please describe:
2. My family obligations limit my participation in extracurricular activities. If so, please describe:
The personal resume questions:
- List any programs or activities that helped you prepare for higher education, such as University Outreach, Talent Search, Upward Bound, etc.
- Extracurricular activities. List the organization(s) that are most important to you and in which you have made your highest achievements. Include your position, a description of the activity and the number of hours you contributed each week.
- Community service. List the type of work, your role and the number of hours you volunteered each week.
- Honors, awards and recognitions. List each and describe the level and the number of years of your involvement.
- Employment. List and describe each job you've had, including the date of employment, the job title and the hours you worked each week.
Additional information, if needed:
- Is there any additional information you want the Admission Committee to consider when your application is reviewed? If so, please describe.
The Personal Essay
Your essay is a very important part of your application. What you provide helps the university know you as an individual, independent of grades, test scores and other objective data.
Please submit one essay.
Remember to keep within the 400-500 word maximum length.
In the space provided, please write a concise narrative in which you describe a meaningful event, experience or accomplishment in your life and how it will affect your college experience or your contribution to the UF campus community. You may want to reflect on your family, your school or community activities, or your involvement in areas outside of school.
That's it! Application Preparation 1101 is complete.
It is time to prepare your responses and to refine them until they are the best they can be. When you are ready, continue on to the application.
One more important reminder: Submit your application on time. The preferred application deadline is November 1. On-time applications must be submitted online no later than 12:00am (midnight) Eastern Standard Time. Supporting materials such as transcripts and test scores can arrive later, but the application must be on time for priority consideration. Applications received after November 1 will receive a decision on a space-available basis only.
Good luck!