It’s the essay, and it’s 100% subjective. I heard this may be the last year they use the essay and that they are moving toward awarding honors during admissions (auto admits)…but I may be wrong here…
To be honest, after his first year at UF, he’s likely going to lose any interest in the honor’s program, as he will have already found his “tribe” and started to get involved in undergraduate research, design teams, clubs, etc.
And that’s the real goal of UF’s honor’s program, to help get students engaged with campus life, and all of the options and opportunities available at UF.