Burnett Honors College

Colleges & Universities University of Central Florida
1

<p>Do you think I may have a chance of getting in?
I just need to know if I should/n’t get my hopes up.</p>

<p>I’m sending in everything for my application tomorrow (late, I know).
My stats are:
ACT 29
WGPA 3.5</p>

<p>Resume Info:
ACADEMIC ACHIEVEMENTS
• Graduating with High Honors
• Mississippi Association of Gifted Children (MAGC) since 1997
• Gifted Education Program
• Mu Alpha Theta Math Honor Society
• National Honor Roll
• Advanced Placement Scholars</p>

<p>HONORS
• 2008 DECA International Career Development Conference- 17th place in
Nation in Marketing Quiz Bowl<br>
• 2008 DECA State Competition 1st in Marketing Quiz Bowl
• 2008 DECA District Competition 1st place in Marketing Quiz Bowl
• 2007 DECA State Competition 2nd place in Chapter of the Year
• 2007 DECA District Competition 1st place in Chapter of the Year
• 2008-09 Secretary of Local DECA Chapter
• 2008-09 Senior Class Student Council Representative
• 2007-09 Captain of HCHS DECA Quiz Bowl Team</p>

<p>COMMUNITY SERVICE
• “Kicking It for MDA” Soccer Camp 2007
• Math Tutoring 2007
• Trick or Treat for UNICEF 2007
• Mississippi Coastal Cleanup 2007
• Salvation Army Canned Food Drive 2006-08
• Fruit Baskets for Local Nursing Homes 2006
• MDA Spirit Link Fundraiser 2006-08
• Toy for Tots for the Marines of South Mississippi 2006-08
• Adopted a family to help buy presents for Christmas (Angel Tree) 2006
• MDA Change for Change Coin Drive 2007</p>

<p>And here’s my essay:
I turned on the news immediately, while a million worries raced through my mind. I watched intently, as the top story showed the remains of our city. Nothing went unharmed. Entire buildings were washed away, with nothing left but the primary foundation. Nothing seemed real; the footage I watched looked nothing like my home anymore. I stared at the television screen for hours and hours, hoping to hear any bit of good news, but it only got worse. We were forbidden to return to our evacuated homes until further notice. The statistics reached $75 billion in estimated damages, with over 1,800 deaths. We had been hit by the largest hurricane in history, Hurricane Katrina.
The amount of aid and generosity of others all across the nation blew my mind. People traveled to the Gulf Coast from all over the world. Several did everything possible and imaginable to help the Hurricane Katrina disaster area and the victims. If it were not for all of the disaster aid relief we were offered, the Mississippi Gulf Coast may have never recovered. I was amazed at the extremes individuals would go to, just to lend a helping hand. Through this realization, I discovered that throughout my own life, more than anything, I want to help to improve the lives of others. Since then I have partaken in any opportunity I come across that will benefit in the well-being of others, particularly the disadvantaged. Every year of high school, I dedicated an ample amount of hours to community service. Nothing warmed my heart more than the big, grateful smiles I saw after helping out a family or individual in need.<br>
In the past three years, I have partaken in any local event that helps others. In 2006, I helped organize a fruit basket donation to the local nursing home. Later that year, my DECA chapter adopted an unfortunate family from the Angel Tree event, and helped buy Christmas presents for the children. In 2007, I raised money for the Muscular Dystrophy Association by helping at a soccer camp fundraising event. Later that year, I helped with the event, “Change for Change”, which was a coin drive to also raise money for MDA. I have also participated in the Mississippi Coastal Cleanup, Toys for Tots for the Marines of South Mississippi, and have helped organize the Salvation Army Canned Food Drive at my school for the past three years. Currently, I am promoting an organization called Invisible Children around my school. If I can gain enough support, I have already been approved by the school board to lead and organize a rally. The rally will raise awareness of the horrible happenings in Uganda during their 23 year-long war and collect donations from our high school student body, consisting of almost 2,000 students, to pay for tuition, living necessities, medicine, and more for the people suffering in Northern Uganda. Hurricane Katrina, although devastating, caused a change in me that bettered who I am today. Despite the stressful and depressing following year, I stood beside my beliefs. Although my own family was suffering from this natural disaster, I was involved in any type of community service that bettered the lives of others. It is now my senior year of high school and, although Hurricane Katrina’s impact still affects us today, I continue to live by my favorite quote by Mohandas Ghandi: “Be the change that you want to see in the world.”</p>

2

<p>By the way, there are new paragraphs and indentations in that essay.
They just, for some reason, all jammed up when I put that through.</p>

3

<p>Sorry, but I think you will be deferred. Your GPA/Test scores are way on the lower end for Honors, especially for applying this late. Good essay though.</p>

<p>Oh, and I do MDA Camp too :)</p>

4

<p>hey karlea, u seem like a pretty solid candidate to get in. however, i think u rly hurt ur chances by applying so late. If you haven’t already seen it, there’s a whole thread of people who have yet to be accepted by the Honors College :confused: I managed to get accepted just last friday though. </p>

<p>Your extra curriculars are really impressive and hopefully tip things in your favor. However, someone in a thread said that their counselor told them that the Honors College at UCF mainly looks at grades and SAT/ACT, with extra curriculars making only a small dent in their decision. Your ACT score is good enough in my opinion. But if 3.5 is your weighted GPA then that might bring you down a bit because it seems that most people who apply have a weighted of over 4.</p>

<p>Fewer spots are left so just being truthful, you shouldn’t get your hopes up too much. Not because you by any means aren’t qualified, but because it’s VERY competative and they only want the best of the best. By this point they might only have a handful of spots left and will play the waiting game to see who the strongest applicants are. The people on the other thread pretty much all said the same thing about having to wait until April 15th to hear from them because of this. </p>

<p>I still think you have some shot of getting in and hopefully you do, best of luck to you karlea!</p>

5

<p>thank y’all so much!
yeah, i know it’s late, but i got accepted late to UCF.
i filled out my application and did my essay AS SOON as i got the packet.</p>

<p>i know my GPA is pretty low. my school has a total of 3 5.0 classes, which i have taken all of them. so that definitely has been pulling me back on a lot of scholarships/applications. :(</p>

6

<p>Say that you took all the advanced courses offered at your high school. It will put perspective for them on your weighted GPA.</p>

7

<p>Just some internet advice. Do not put your essays on the internet. UCF can easily search a few words from your essay and this will pop up… and there is no proof that it is yours.
Do not send that essay in, since you already posted it, and it can’t be deleted.</p>

<p>Also, only having 3 5.0 classes does not make a difference. These classes are not intended for you to make a C and technically still have an A. They expect all A’s and maybe a few B’s-- which would be a 4.0 and above.</p>

8

<p>Wow, I never even thought about that. I REALLY don’t have time to make a new essay though. There is absolutely no way to delete this thread?</p>

9

<p>Unless administration will… but I am not sure how to contact them.</p>

<p>I would just reword the essay, and add some more insight. The last part of your essay is really just a list of your extra-curriculars - which is not what they want anyways.
I would just pick one and describe how it impacted your life.</p>

<p>Also, you used the word “bettered” too often… which it is not really a word. And “partaken” is used one time too many.</p>

<p>If this is not the same essay from your UCF admissions application, you may want to use that one instead.</p>

<p>Good luck.</p>

10

<p>well the essay, sorry to say, isn’t really important. the personal statement is a required part but writing an essay is just an extra part of the honors application that I personally think doesn’t make much of a difference. I got in without writing an essay. But then again, they might use extra curriculars and supplements you send in to help them determine which of the last few applicants are stronger if it’s a close race.</p>