It is summertime, and all around the country, admissions offices start the process of working with a new group of prospective students. This means an increase in visitors, planning for fall college fairs and school visits, and last but not least, the flood of phone calls beginning with “I heard that UGA … (insert myth here)”. At times, the counselors in our office feel like they should be on an episode of Mythbusters, stomping out Urban Legends left and right. It has become so prevelent that we have compiled a top ten list of Urban Legends for UGA Admissions.
So let me give you the inside scoop right now; admissions standards are the same for all freshmen applicants. In-State vs. Out-of-State, north GA vs. south GA, by zip code, county, school district, male vs. female, alumni relation vs. non alumni, gender, race/ethnicity, summer vs. fall, choice of major, planet of origin, and so on. I think I hit all of them, but you get the idea. In other words, all applicants are dealt with in the same way, and anytime you hear a neighbor or friend say “Well I heard that UGA …”, run away, quickly.
Here are two examples of how silly certain admissions myths have become. If a freshman applies to UGA for summer admission and then wants to change to fall, all they would have to do is contact our office. Since there is no difference in admission standards, we would just change the term and bam, they are a fall student. In the same way, if a freshman applies as a Wildlife major and then wants to change to Pre-Business (either before or after an admission decision), all they have to do is go online to our Information Change form, select Pre-Business, and the next day their major is changed.
As Adam and Jamie say on Mythbusters, this myth is definitely busted! If you have heard of any myths you would like to share (and that I can bust), please let me know!