Comprehensive Academic Advising and UF Transfer Guide: Santa Fe College to UF Going Gators Track

Santa Fe College Late Withdrawal Petition Process

• Course Context and Eligibility:

  • Applies to courses taken during prior terms, such as Introduction to Chemistry ($Intro\,to\,Chem$) taken during the summer term.
  • The course must be completely finished and finalized before a late withdrawal petition can be submitted.

• Step-by-Step Online Petition Submission Procedure:

  1. Navigate to the official Santa Fe College homepage.
  2. Click on the search bar located on the main webpage.
  3. Type the term petitions into the blank search box and initiate the search.
  4. Select the specific link labeled petitions registrar from the search results.
  5. Locate the two available options: drop with a refund and late withdrawal.
  6. Select the link designated for late withdrawal.
  7. Review all informational text provided on the front page prior to opening the document.
  8. Download the official late withdrawal petition form that generates upon clicking the link.
  9. Fill out the late withdrawal form completely.
  10. Submit the finalized form via email to the official address provided on the petition page.

• Petition Processing Timeline and Review Deadlines:

  • Weekly Submission Deadline: Every Thursday by $3:00\text{ PM}$.
  • Review Duration: The petition evaluation process takes between $4\text{ to }6\text{ weeks}$.
  • Submission Strategy: The petition must be submitted and fully processed prior to submitting a transfer application to the University of Florida ($UF$) to guarantee the transcript accurately reflects a withdrawal status.

• Transcript and GPA Impact:

  • Santa Fe Policy: Santa Fe College utilizes grade forgiveness policies where retaking a class replaces the previous failing grade for internal institutional GPA calculations.
  • Transfer Institution Policy: Transfer institutions like the University of Florida ($UF$) do not perform automatic grade forgiveness; they frequently average the original failing grade and the retaken grade together.
  • Late Withdrawal Benefit: Securing an approved late withdrawal converts the grade to a W (Withdrawal), eliminating the calculated letter grade entirely and protecting the student's overall GPA upon transfer evaluation.

Academic Status and Transfer Goals: "Going Gators" Track

• Student Demographic and Background:

  • Student Name: Amanda.
  • Institutional Roles: First-generation college student; Vice President of the Pre-Physician Assistant ($Pre\text{-}PA$) Club.
  • Target Transfer Pathway: "Going Gators" transfer track to the University of Florida ($UF$).
  • Target Degree Major: Bachelor of Science ($BS$) in Anthropology.

• Revised Academic Timeline:

  • Original Plan: On track to transfer to the University of Florida ($UF$) in Spring $2027$.
  • Revised Plan: Transfer target shifted to Summer $2027$ due to a failed Introduction to Chemistry course during the summer term.

Anthropology Bachelor of Science ($BS$) Prerequisite Requirements

• Transfer Qualification Options:

  • Option 1: Complete $3$ Anthropology courses.
  • Option 2: Complete $2$ Anthropology courses, $1$ Statistics course, and $3$ Science Foundation courses.

• Degree Integration and Credit Requirements:

  • Science Foundations Required: General Biology 1 ($Bio\,1$), General Biology 2 ($Bio\,2$), and General Chemistry 1 ($Chem\,1$).
  • Associate in Arts ($AA$) Alignment: General Chemistry 1 ($Chem\,1$) satisfies the physical science requirement under Natural Sciences as well as Personal Choice credit hours required for the $AA$ degree.
  • Current Progress Breakdown:
    • $2$ Anthropology courses completed: Introduction to Anthropology ($ANT\,2010$ / $BS\,2010$ / $BS\,2011$) and a second Anthropology course.
    • $2$ Science Foundation courses completed: General Biology 1 ($Bio\,1$) and General Biology 2 ($Bio\,2$).
    • In-Progress Course (Fall): Statistics ($Stats$).
    • Pending Required Course (Spring): General Chemistry 1 ($Chem\,1$).

Course Sequencing and Transfer Timeline Adjustment

• Fall Term Plan:

  • Complete Statistics ($Stats$).
  • Retake Introduction to Chemistry ($Intro\,to\,Chem$).

• Spring Term Plan:

  • Enroll in and complete General Chemistry 1 ($Chem\,1$).
  • Completing General Chemistry 1 ($Chem\,1$) fulfills both the $AA$ degree requirements and the final Science Foundation course for the Going Gators Anthropology $BS$ transfer track.

• Benefits of Summer Transfer Target:

  • Shifting entry to Summer $2027$ allows the final grades for Statistics and both Anthropology courses to be fully posted on the official transcript at the time of evaluation.
  • General Chemistry 1 ($Chem\,1$) will be the sole prerequisite listed as in-progress during the application window.

UF Transfer Application Procedure and Deadlines

• Application Submission Portal:

  • Applications must be submitted directly through the University of Florida ($UF$) Admissions homepage under the Transfer Students section.
  • Transfer applications do not use the Common Application platform.

• Dates and Deadlines:

  • Official Summer Application Deadline: February $15$ ($02/15/2027$ for Summer $2027$ admission).
  • Decision Notification: Transfer admission decisions for the summer term are officially released in April.

• Transcript Submission Strategy:

  • Early Application: Students can submit an application while Fall courses are in progress.
  • January Transcript Update: Submitting an updated transcript in January allows final Fall grades (such as Statistics) to be officially recorded, leaving only Spring enrollment ($Chem\,1$) as in-progress.

Major Change Procedure and Advising Allocation

• Current Major: Health Sciences.

• Target Major: Anthropology ($BS$).

• Major Change Process:

  • Submit a major change request online through the Santa Fe College system.
  • Track Transfer Speed: The advising track transfers within $24\text{ hours}$ of request submission.
  • Official Term Effective Date: The major change officially reflects in the system in December going into the Spring semester.

• Advisor Assignment Rules:

  • Academic advising appointments are structured strictly per major.
  • Changing majors to Anthropology reassigns the student from Health Sciences advising to a dedicated Anthropology advisor who directly handles processing for the Going Gators transfer program.
  • Appointment System Constraints: Advising appointment scheduling is currently restricted to the Fall term; Spring appointment scheduling is not yet open.

Advising Portfolios and Program-Specific Advisors

• Ms. Jessica's Assigned Advising Portfolio:

  • Sports Management
  • Recreation
  • Food and Resource Economics (Agribusiness)
  • Fashion Merchandising
  • Hospitality Management
  • Health Services Administration
  • International Business
  • Economics
  • Transient Students
  • Continuing Education

• Anthropology Advising: Anthropology is handled by a separate program-specific advisor specializing in Going Gators transfers.