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It's Crunch Time For 2008 College Enrollment

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By ADAM EMERSON | The Tampa Tribune

Published: November 26, 2007

The admissions director at the University of South Florida operates under a distinctive holiday creed: If you are college-bound and you smell the Thanksgiving turkey, your college application ought to be finished.

At no time is that more critical than now, admissions officers say. The number of freshman seats next fall will be frozen at their current levels. Florida's major universities have received thousands more applications than at this time last year and have begun admitting students.

In the days leading to last year's deadline, Florida State University admissions officers were taking only "the absolute cream of the crop," said Janice Finney, the university's admissions director.

This year, the final deadline at FSU is Feb. 13, but the school already has received 10,000 applications to fill about 6,200 freshman seats.

Other reasons to apply well before a deadline: Students can retake standardized tests, and colleges may want to see senior grades at mid-year before offering admission. Waiting until the last minute will only limit time to make those adjustments.

UNIVERSITY OF SOUTH FLORIDA

•Fall application deadline: March 1 (Jan. 2 to get academic scholarships)

•Fact: USF began admitting students Oct. 1. "No one is officially 'late' at this point in the year, but we've already received 32 percent more applications for freshman admission" over last year, said Robert Spatig, undergraduate admissions director.

•Questions and online application: www.usf.edu/Admissions/

FLORIDA STATE UNIVERSITY

•Fall application deadline: Feb. 13 (Applying by Jan. 2 will allow a student to receive admissions status by Feb. 20.)

•Fact: Admissions officers hope to keep the same standard for all applicants up until the final deadline. "But we didn't expect to receive 10,000 applications" so far, said Finney, the admissions director. "The quality is better than last year. It's almost like the early bird catches the worm."

•Questions and online application: www.fsu.edu/students/prospective/undergraduate

UNIVERSITY OF FLORIDA

•Fall application deadline: Nov. 1

•Fact: Although the deadline has passed, UF will continue accepting applications through March 1 and fill freshman seats on a "space-available basis," admissions director Zina Evans said.

•Questions and online application: www.ufl.edu/admissions

THE PROSPECTIVE STUDENT

Joshua Wallace

•Senior, Jefferson High School

•Applied to: USF, UF, Florida International University and the University of Central Florida

•Admitted to: USF and UCF (other decisions are pending)

•Weighted GPA: 4.5

•Fact: Wallace applied in August. "They say to have your college applications done by November. I just wanted to ensure that I have one less thing to worry about."

OTHER FALL DEADLINES:

•University of Central Florida: May 1

•University of Tampa: Rolling admission, no deadline specified

•Eckerd College: Rolling admission, no deadline specified

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