In the UGA Admissions Office, there are some things we will never say no matter what. Some people will ask questions hoping for one of these answers, but you will not hear us give an answer (at least not the one some people expect). I sometimes feel like Dr. Seuss in “Green Eggs and Ham”, (paraphrasing) “I will not say that in a house, I will not say that with a mouse. I will not say that here or there, I will not say that anywhere.” Here are some of the top things we would never say:
- “Sure, I can tell you whether to apply Early Action or Regular Decision.” This is a choice that needs to be made by the student, as it is a timing issue, not an issue that impacts the chances of admission.
- “Of course I can tell you what classes to take for the next year (or the next four/eight/twelve years).” While we know a great deal about high school classes, we are not an expert on what your school offers, when the courses are available, what you want to take and/or your academic preparation for courses. This is best decided upon after the student and family speak with their HS counselor.
- “Take the easiest courses so you can make the best grades possible.” We want you to challenge yourself to the best of your ability while still doing well in your classes. You need to prepare yourself for the UGA classroom experience, and the best way to do that is to take strong courses.
- “The SAT/ACT scores are the most important thing to UGA Admissions.” While test scores get the most publicity, our first focus is how you do in the classroom and the courses you are taking in high school (see #3 again).
- “Sure, go ahead and cut back on your academic schedule so that you can add another activity.” Academics come first. Let me repeat, academics come first. If you are struggling with being overloaded, I suggest looking at cutting back on an extra-curricular activity, not academics. You will thank us sometime during your first semester in college.
- “You need to make XXXX on the SAT/ACT to get admitted to UGA.” UGA does not have a required SAT or ACT score needed for admission, no matter what your neighbor/friend/family member says.
- “It is no problem if you wait until the last minute to do things.” Waiting until the last minute to apply or send in materials is just asking for something to go wrong. Please give your counselors and teachers time to send in items, as they have enough stressful issues on their plates without this.
- “Yes, I can guess about whether you will be admitted or not.” Here is the big one! We cannot guess about an admission decision, sorry. We just cannot predict what the overall applicant pool will be like year to year and how you fall into the group. P.S.-this applies for both freshman and transfers.
I hope this lists helps everyone understand why we will not say certain things or answer some specific questions, or why we redirect some questions back to the student for the best answer. If I think of any other things we would never say, I will add them to the list!
Go Dawgs!