University of Florida

What is an experience that affected you, and how has it? A crowd of people forms at the entrance of the Eastside High School Gym. A five-foot-eleven, one-hundred-and-sixty-pound, curly-haired freshman shyly makes his way into the sea of faces. Today is tryouts for the Eastside basketball team. Eastside, my home for the next four years, … Read more Crossing the Chasm

Tell a significant story that occurred in your life. Explain how it impacted your life and how it will affect your life on the university campus. I stood on the ground where millions of innocent people perished. I walked into a gas chamber, and I walked out. I saw the scratch marks on the walls … Read more A Journey Through Perdition

Describe a significant interest or experience that has special meaning for you. Although my tale is about a basketball player, it is not about a six-foot-eleven athlete whose name is splashed across the sports pages of daily newspapers and whose picture graces the tops of Nike and Adidas boxes. Rather, this is a story of … Read more Running Child

How will your individual background, experiences, and personal identity influence your educational pursuits and your contributions to the campus community at UF? I credit the development of my personal values to my parents and culture. My parents were raised in Puerto Rico, where they became medical doctors. While my father came from a college educated … Read more Who I Am

Describe an obstacle that you have overcome. I always looked forward to June 17, the birthday of my only living grandparent. Every year I spent the day composing corny jokes that made her to snort with laughter and murmur loving approval. But in 2002, in a matter of seconds, my associations with June 17 changed … Read more A loss that has changed me for the better

What was one moment that changed your mind? The University of Florida’s butterfly and moth exhibit houses more than 10 million variations of 10 million species! When I read that fact I couldn’t believe it. Each critter displayed in those glass cases is completely unique; now multiply that by 10 million and you have one … Read more UF Butterfly Garden

Describe a character in fiction, a historical figure, or a creative work (as in art, music, science, etc.) that has had an influence on you, and explain that influence. As a child, I was obsessed with 80’s movies. I admired Ferris Bueller’s infectious charisma and fearless confidence. I dreamed of having my own Jake Ryan … Read more St. Elmo’s Fire

We often hear the phrase “the good life.” In fact, the University of Florida’s common course required of all undergraduate students is titled “What is the Good Life?”. The concept of “the good life” can be interpreted in many different ways depending upon the experiences, values and aspirations of each individual. In a concise narrative, … Read more The Good Life

Discuss an accomplishment or event, formal or informal, that marked your transition from childhood to adulthood within your culture, community, or family. There was one playground not too far from my grandparents’ apartment in Cairo (the summer home of my childhood) where I wasn’t treated like the quirky, abnormal kid that I was used to … Read more Playground

Some students have a background or story that is so central to their identity that they believe their application would be incomplete without it. If this sounds like you, then please share your story. I remember when the flowers stopped blooming. All throughout my childhood there was always one thing that would instantly make me … Read more The Backyard