It’s not about earning the acceptance. It’s about being prepared to be successful once you enroll. You only have until the summer following your junior year of high school to prepare your application. You apply to 4-year colleges at the start of your senior year.   

There are over 20 4-year colleges in the state of Florida alone, and they each have their own set of criteria they use when deciding who gets admitted and who earns the largest scholarships. 

Remember, this process is a marathon. Not a sprint. Start here, and reach out to your high school's College and Career Counselor to explore a personalized plan that works for YOU! 

• Use Xello to explore scholarships, colleges, college majors, costs, and admission expectations. There are even quizzes to help you learn more about careers related to your personality, goals, and interests! 
• You can also use resources like College Board to expand your search. 

The earlier you start planning and researching, the more college options you will have!

Students are considered competitive applicants for 4-year college admission if they have qualified for at least the Florida Medallion Bright Futures scholarship. (However, you do not need to be considered a competitive applicant to earn acceptance to a 4-year college.)

The 5 main things 4-year schools will look for: (Learn more on FloridaShines!)

1. Strong unweighted & weighted GPA
2. Rigor of your course load (you’ll want exposure to AICE, AP and/or DE classes to be both the most competitive you can be and the most academically prepared to succeed once you get there!)
   • Miniumum of: 
     • 4 courses in English (at least three with substantial writing)
     • 4 courses in math (Algebra I and higher level courses)
     • 3 courses in natural science (at least two with a lab)
     • 3 courses in social studies
     • 2 courses in the same foreign language
     • 2 electives
3. Competitive SAT/ACT scores
4. Leadership & life experience – part-time job and/or quality school involvement 
   1. Schools want to admit students who will be an active part of their learning community. They use your high school and community involvement as insight to whether or not you'll be involved on their campus. 
5. Project-oriented community service - volunteer hours in your community    

Admission committees will also consider:

1. Strength of your personal statement/essay
2. Strength of your letters of recommendation (at least one should come from a core academic class

What academics do students admitted to schools like Florida State University and University of Florida bring to the table?

Admitted Student Profile – FSU*

*Represents the middle 50% of all admitted students 2023-2024.

Admitted Student Profile – FSU**

**2 sequential units of one World Language are required.

Academic Core GPA means the GPA is calculated with just your math, science, history, and ELA classes. Please note, you are not guaranteed admission if you earn a GPA or test scores in these ranges. This is just to demonstrate how academically prepared you need to be to have a chance at admission.

(Learn more on FloridaShines!)

It's much better to apply early and update your application as you get new test scores and add community service hours than it is to wait to apply.

To submit the most competitive college application, counselor forms and letters of recommendation need to be requested on Xello by September 30th of your senior year.

College applications should be completed and submitted absolutely no later than the financial aid priority deadline (NOT the application deadline) for each college you apply for. These dates usually fall before January of senior year.  

Application deadlines are as early as October 15^th of senior year. This means the school needs to have marked all required application materials as received by the application deadline.  

Finding the Right College for You 
It is important to think intentionally about what college would be best to help you achieve your goals. Location, school size and average class size, cost, admission requirements, majors and programs, and support for helping you find activities related to your future career are all important things to consider. You can use Xello to explore these factors. Below are a few more resources to help you! 

• 20 questions to ask your School Counselor
• Questions to ask prospective schools 

Questions to Ask Admissions Offices 

• Questions to ask financial aid counselors
• 20 questions to ask college representatives

You should apply to at least 6 4-year colleges.

Set yourself up for success! Research admission information for schools you are interested in to identify whether each school is a reach, match, or safety school for YOU.  

• Reach - test scores and GPA encouraged for admission are higher than yours 
• Match - test scores and GPA encouraged for admission match yours 
• Safety - test scores and GPA encouraged for admission are lower than yours 

Use the links to explore who is admitted to 4-year public schools and private schools in Florida. Use the links to focus on GPA, SAT, and ACT scores from students admitted to each school to determine which schools might be a fit for you and to help you set some goals.

This information is available for most schools on Xello. On your Xello dashboard, click Schools to search for different colleges and universities around the country. Or, use the search bar to search.  

Not all colleges require or even accept letters of recommendation. Check each school's application materials to see if they require or even accept letters of recommendation. If they do, think seriously about who will write your letters of recommendation for college.

You should have at least 1 letter from a teacher who can speak to your strengths in an academically rigorous course. You should also have at least 1 letter from another teacher who knows you well. Ideally, these are teachers you've taken class with for at least 1 full school year already. You should start asking for letters at the end of your junior year. 

Steps:

1. Fill out a detailed brag sheet. You will give this brag sheet to your letter writer if they agree to write you a strong letter of recommendation.
   1. If you are asking a counselor, you will fill out the Common Application Counselor Brag Sheet. 
   2. If you are asking a teacher, you will fill out the Common Application Teacher Brag Sheet. 
2. Ask your potential letter writer if they are comfortable writing you a strong letter of recommendation 
3. Give your letter writers a copy of your brag sheet
4. Give your letter writer at least 1 month to write your letter 
5. Thank your letter writer 

Look carefully at each college application. Schools will either want you to fill our the…

• STARS*
• SPARK* – UCF only 
• Official transcript (see directions on how to request your offiical transcript below in the Common App versus Direct to Instittution Application section) 

*Seniors can download an unofficial copy of their transcript from Xello to complete these forms. 

Seniors applying to 4-year colleges will use Common Application or the college application found on each college’s website. 

Are you a interested in or planning on purusing full-time employment after graduation? Take a look below to see what your senior year should look like! 

Here is a step-by-step checklist to help you achieve your goals! This is meant to help you know what to ask your College & Career Counselor to stay on track toward your successful future!