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College Essays

Florida State University, or FSU, is a top-100 school and ranked number three in Florida Colleges . With a 25 percent acceptance rating , they’re considered to be a competitive school. That means you’ll need to impress them in your application, and a well-written FSU essay is one great way to go about it!

This guide will walk you through the FSU essay, including whether or not writing one is the right choice for you.

Feature image: Ayzmo /Wikimedia Commons

What Should You Know About the FSU Application Essay?

Unlike many schools, FSU’s essay is optional. You can apply using the Coalition or Common Application, or even FSU’s own app—the Coalition and FSU apps have the same prompts, whereas the Common app has its own set.

Whether you should use the Coalition, Common, or FSU-specific application depends on a few different variables. What application system do the other schools that you’re applying to use? Because these applications can be sent to multiple schools, you can use whatever one is most convenient.

If you’re not sure, read up on the pros and cons of each to help you make a decision. If you’re still not sure, you can always use FSU’s unique application.

FSU only requires one essay. You have five prompts to choose from if you’re using the FSU or Coalition Application, and seven to choose from if you’re using the Common Application. Regardless of what prompt you choose, your essay should be under 600 words.

If you're thinking about writing an FSU essay, you probably should.

Should You Write an FSU Essay?

Because FSU’s essays are optional, it’s natural to ask whether you should write one at all. You’re likely writing tons of essays for other applications, and maybe you just want a bit of a break from the whole process.

However, if you’re given the opportunity to expand on your application in an essay, it’s usually in your best interest to take it. Before you start, do some brainstorming about what aspects of yourself could use some fleshing out in your application. If you have an interest that hasn’t been covered elsewhere or an experience you want to share that will help make you a more appealing candidate for FSU, definitely write the essay—it’s your best opportunity to showcase that side of you, and those personal details are exactly what FSU wants to see.

I f you’re struggling to think of something to cover in the supplemental essay, spend some time brainstorming and looking through all of the available prompts . If you’re offered a place to write an essay, it’s best to take it, unless you truly feel that you have nothing to expand upon. If that’s the case, consider why that is—you may find that there’s an essay topic there, too!

Essentially, you should be writing an essay for this section, even if it’s optional. Taking this opportunity to expand on your application both demonstrates your commitment and shows your multiple facets. It won’t be the sole determining factor in your application, but if you have the opportunity to up your chances, do it!

A fresh notebook is one great way to get your brain in gear to write.

What Are the FSU Essay Prompts?

FSU’s essay prompts are determined by which application you choose to use— Coalition, Common, or FSU’s own application . If you choose the Coalition or FSU application, you have five prompts to choose from, and if you choose the Common Application you’ll have seven. You only need to write one essay, so choose whichever prompt resonates with you most strongly.

Because these are the same prompts used in the standard application formats, follow the guidelines for either the Coalition Application or the Common Application depending on which prompt you choose. Do feel free to get more specific than you would if the essay was going to every school, however—if you’re only sending it to FSU, tying your essay to something specific about the college can demonstrate that you’re more serious about attending!

Coalition Application/FSU Essay Prompts

• Tell a story from your life, describing an experience that either demonstrates your character or helped to shape it.
• Describe a time when you made a meaningful contribution to others in which the greater good was your focus. Discuss the challenges and rewards of making your contribution.
• Has there been a time when you've had a long-cherished or accepted belief challenged? How did you respond? How did the challenge affect your beliefs?
• What is the hardest part of being a teenager now? What's the best part? What advice would you give a younger sibling or friend (assuming they would listen to you)?
• Submit an essay on a topic of your choice.

Common Application Essay Prompts

• Some students have a background, identity, interest, or talent that is so meaningful they believe their application would be incomplete without it. If this sounds like you, then please share your story.
• The lessons we take from obstacles we encounter can be fundamental to later success. Recount a time when you faced a challenge, setback, or failure. How did it affect you, and what did you learn from the experience?
• Reflect on a time when you questioned or challenged a belief or idea. What prompted your thinking? What was the outcome?
• Describe a problem you've solved or a problem you'd like to solve. It can be an intellectual challenge, a research query, an ethical dilemma - anything that is of personal importance, no matter the scale. Explain its significance to you and what steps you took or could be taken to identify a solution.
• Discuss an accomplishment, event, or realization that sparked a period of personal growth and a new understanding of yourself or others.
• Describe a topic, idea, or concept you find so engaging that it makes you lose all track of time. Why does it captivate you? What or who do you turn to when you want to learn more?
• Share an essay on any topic of your choice. It can be one you've already written, one that responds to a different prompt, or one of your own design.

Having a plan from the start will help you write a better FSU essay.

5 Key FSU Essay Tips

As with all college essays, having a plan before you start is the best way to ace FSU’s supplemental essay. Don’t just jump in and hope for the best—start early, give yourself plenty of time to revise, and polish your essay as best you can to impress the admissions office with your achievements and individuality.

Remember everything you learned in school about brainstorming and outlining? Now’s the time to put it into action. If you brainstorm and outline a few different options to find the one that works best for you and that makes you feel the proudest of it, you’ll save yourself some time. A strong outline is the first step to a strong essay, and you won’t be losing hours and hours of work if you decide midway through that a prompt isn’t working for you.

Once you’ve settled on a topic and you have a firm idea of how you want to write it, it’s time to draft. Don’t worry about making your first draft perfect—nobody has to see it but you! Get your ideas out first, set them aside, and return to them after a few days to polish them into a state where you’re comfortable letting others see them.

#3: Seek Feedback

Now comes the hard part—letting other people give you feedback. Choose a few people you trust to give you honest and helpful advice on your essay, not just those who are going to tell you it looks great. When you receive feedback, don’t feel like it’s a personal attack or that you need to make every change people suggest—often, you can find a middle ground between readers not understanding what you meant and maintaining your own voice and writing style.

Revising is one of the most important steps in crafting a great essay. All that feedback you got in the previous step will help guide your next draft, giving you a roadmap to work from. Make notes on your draft, add and delete things, and read the whole thing aloud to make sure it flows well. Once you’re satisfied, put it away!

#5: Let It Rest

Letting your draft rest for a bit gives you some time to forget what you’ve written and come back to it with fresh eyes. When you read your essay for the first time in a while, you can start to see any errors that have crept in or any inconsistencies in your logic. Now that you’ve already gotten feedback and revised your essay, you can clean these last bits up and have an essay you’re really proud of!

What's Next?

If you're applying to FSU, you want to be sure that your standardized test scores are up to snuff. Whether you're taking the ACT or SAT , our guides will help you figure out where you are and where you need to be.

Part of college searching is figuring out what colleges you can afford and how much financial aid you'll need to cover. With our guide to FSU's tuition and financial aid , all your bases are covered!

Not sure if FSU is for you? Check out this list of other schools in Florida to find the college that suits you best.

Melissa Brinks graduated from the University of Washington in 2014 with a Bachelor's in English with a creative writing emphasis. She has spent several years tutoring K-12 students in many subjects, including in SAT prep, to help them prepare for their college education.

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Step 1: Complete the Application

Please note the following when completing your application:

We use email as our official method of communication. Please ensure that we always have your most up-to-date email address and include [email protected] in your address book.

• Students should apply for the term they wish to enroll in at the University. Students are not automatically considered for the summer term if not eligible for the fall term.
• University Honors Program: Students should select Yes to the question "Are you interested in applying to the University Honors Program?" on the admissions application to populate a separate Honors supplemental application on the Application Status Check. Visit the University Honors Program website for detailed instructions on how to complete your supplemental Honors/Presidential Scholars Application. The deadline to complete the supplemental Honors/Presidential Scholars Application is December 1, 2023 .
• CARE Summer Bridge Program: To apply for the CARE Summer Bridge Program, students should select Yes to the question "Are you interested in applying to the CARE Summer Bridge Program?" on the admissions application and complete the separate CARE supplemental application on the Application Status Check. For detailed information about the CARE Summer Bridge Program and eligibility requirements, visit the CARE website.
• If you plan to major in dance , film (animation or production), music , studio art , or theatre , contact the academic department directly for specific major requirements .

Step 2: Log into the Application Status Check

• Please note: FSU does not accept self-reported test scores from the Common App. Students should self-report their test scores on the Application Status Check using the Self-reported Test Scores form .
• Link your Self-Reported Student Academic Record (SSAR). Please allow one to two business days after linking for the checklist item to be satisfied.
• Upload your essay and resume/list of activities.
• Florida Residents must complete the Residency Declaration form.

Additional supplemental applications or materials may be added to your checklist, so it is important that you frequently review your Application Status Check throughout the application process.

Deadlines and Decisions

While the application does not include Early Action as a deadline option, students who qualify as a Florida resident and who submit their application and all required materials by October 15th will be added to the Early Action plan and receive an admissions decision on December 14, 2023 .

At least one test score must be submitted before the application deadline, but additional tests may be considered if provided by these dates:

Your admissions application and all required supporting documents must be received by your preferred application deadline.

• At least one test score must be submitted before the application deadline, but additional tests may be considered if provided by the test score deadline. Please note: FSU does not accept self-reported test scores from the Common App. Students should self-report their test scores on the Application Status Check using the Self-reported Test Scores form.
• February test scores are the last exam date that can be used for admissions purposes.
• Admissions decisions are made available through the Application Status Check .

Earning both a High School Diploma and an Associate in Arts (AA) degree

A high school student earning both the standard high school diploma and an Associate in Arts (AA) degree through dual enrollment from the Florida College System or the State University System of Florida must apply to FSU as a first-year student. Applicants must adhere to the first-year admission deadlines. In addition, applicants may be subject to additional major deadlines/requirements. Carefully review all major requirements at Academic Program Guide (fsu.edu) .

Those students who are receiving an AA degree but do not meet the admissions requirements under the Florida Board of Governors Admission Regulation 6.002, may be considered for admission under Florida Board of Governors Admission Regulation 6.005. Students admitted under this regulation are first-time-in-college (FTIC) students although they are not required to submit SAT/ACT scores. However, they should meet the requirements for their selected major as listed in FSU's Academic Program Guide (fsu.edu) . If admitted, they must submit a $200 enrollment deposit, attend a first-year orientation session, and are eligible to apply for on-campus housing. Admitted students without a test score are not eligible to be considered for first-year merit scholarships from the Office of Admissions. Students considered for admission under FL BOG 6.005 will be required to submit a final official college transcript displaying the A.A. before enrolling at FSU. Any FTIC student admitted under this regulation must immediately notify the Office of Admissions if they will not receive their degree. All first-year students admitted under this regulation who do not receive the Associate in Arts degree will have their offer of admission revoked.

Application Fee & Waivers

Florida State University's first-year application fee is $30.

Students who qualify for an ACT, CollegeBoard, or NACAC application fee waiver or who meet other indicators of economic need may have the application fee waived by selecting the qualifying application fee waiver category on the admissions application.

Test Score Information

FSU, along with Florida's 11 other public universities, is subject to Florida Board of Governors admissions regulation 6.002 which requires first-year students seeking admission to submit an ACT, CLT, or SAT test score.

We require all first-year applicants to submit at least one test score. Applicants can provide ACT or SAT test scores for admissions purposes.

FSU does not accept self-reported test scores from the Common App. Students should self-report their test scores on the Application Status Page using the Self-reported Test Scores form.

At least one test score must be submitted before the application deadline, but additional tests may be considered if provided by the test score deadline. Since accuracy is critical, students must have a copy of their score report(s) available to reference when self-reporting their scores. We strongly recommend using your complete score report when completing the Self-reported Test Scores form. To complete this form, you must list at least one set of test scores. If admitted, student will be required to submit official test score reports prior to enrollment at FSU.

In May 2023, the Classic Learning Initiatives, Inc. published The Concordance Relationship Between the Classic Learning Test (CLT) and the Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT) , establishing a concordance table between the CLT and the SAT.

How-to: Self-Report Your Test Scores to Florida State University

A high school student earning both the standard high school diploma and an Associate in Arts (AA) degree through dual enrollment from the Florida College System or the State University System of Florida must apply to FSU as a first-year student. Applicants must adhere to the first-year admission deadlines. In addition, applicants may be subject to additional major deadlines/requirements. Carefully review all major requirements at Academic Program Guide .

Those students who are receiving an AA degree but do not meet the admissions requirements under the Florida Board of Governors Admission Regulation 6.002, may be considered for admission under Florida Board of Governors Admission Regulation 6.005. Students admitted under this regulation are first-time-in-college (FTIC) students although they are not required to submit SAT/ACT scores. However, they should meet the requirements for their selected major as listed in FSU's Academic Program Guide . If admitted, they must submit a $200 enrollment deposit, attend a first-year orientation session, and are eligible to apply for on-campus housing. Admitted students without a test score are not eligible to be considered for first-year merit scholarships from the Office of Admissions. Students considered for admission under FL BOG 6.005 will be required to submit a final official college transcript displaying the A.A. before enrolling at FSU. Any FTIC student admitted under this regulation must immediately notify the Office of Admissions if they will not receive their degree. All first-year students admitted under this regulation who do not receive the Associate in Arts degree will have their offer of admission revoked.

Frequently Asked Questions

Are there additional costs associated with submitting the common app.

Florida State University's first-year application fee is $30. The Common App carries an additional $5 processing fee. If a student qualifies for a CollegeBoard, ACT, or NACAC fee waiver, the entire amount, including the processing fee, is waived.

What is the next step after submitting the Common App?

Please allow up to two business days to receive an email confirmation from Florida State University. That message will contain instructions about how to access the Application Status Check .

What sections does FSU require from the Common App?

FSU requires the Profile, Family, Education (excluding Grades and Current / Most Recent Year Courses), Writing, Institution-Specific Questions, and Recommenders & FERPA sections of the Common App.

Does FSU require letters of recommendation?

Letters of recommendation are not required and will not be used in the decision-making process.

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Extracurriculars.

How to Write the University of Florida Essays 2023-2024

The University of Florida has one required prompt for all applicants that asks about your biggest commitment outside of the classroom. There are three prompts for all applicants that are only required if you answer “yes” to specific questions. It also has one required prompt for applicants to its Honors Program—this prompt asks about a subject or topic you find intellectually stimulating, and about how you think the program’s resources will support this interest.

Since UF receives thousands of applications from academically-strong students, your essays are your chance to stand out. In this post, we’ll discuss how to craft an engaging response to each of these options.

Read this UF essay example to inspire your own writing.

University of Florida Supplemental Essay Prompts

All applicants.

Prompt 1: Please provide more details on your most meaningful commitment outside of the classroom while in high school and explain why it was meaningful. This could be related to an extracurricular activity, work, volunteering, an academic activity, family responsibility, or any other non-classroom activity. (250 words)

Prompt 2: Do you have any employment or family obligations that limit your participation in extracurricular activities? If so, please describe. (250 words)

Prompt 3: Have you participated in or been assisted in your college preparation and search by programs outside of the classroom, such as Educational Talent Search, Take Stock in Children, Upward Bound, Boys and Girls Club, etc.? If so, please provide the name of the program, details/benefits of your involvement, and how long your experiences continued. (250 words)

Prompt 4: Is there any additional information or extenuating circumstances the Admissions Committee should know when reviewing your application? If so, please provide more information in less than 250 words.

Honors Program 

American novelist henry miller once said, “my hunger and curiosity drive me forward in all directions at once.” students in the university of florida honors program are known for pursuing multiple interests and passions., tell us about a subject or topic that you find intellectually stimulating and are curious to learn more about while in college. which direction(s) do you imagine your hunger for that subject or topic will take you while at uf how do you envision the honors program’s academic and extracurricular resources will support you along the way, please use a maximum of 400 words in your essay for full consideration., all applicants, prompt 1, please provide more details on your most meaningful commitment outside of the classroom while in high school and explain why it was meaningful. this could be related to an extracurricular activity, work, volunteering, an academic activity, family responsibility, or any other non-classroom activity. (250 words).

This prompt is a variation of the common Extracurricular Activity prompt since it’s asking you to write about a meaningful commitment you had outside of the classroom.

Brainstorming your topic:

First, you’ll need to narrow down your list of extracurricular activities to just one to write about. It’s important to choose an activity that you’re passionate about, that you’ve been involved in for a while, and that has helped shape you into the person you are today.

Here are some ideas of the types of topics you might write about:

• Activities where you’ve shown significant commitment
• Clubs or groups that you’ve created, or where you’ve had a leadership role
• Activities that have helped to shape a specific personal aspect of your life
• Experiences that relate to your future goals
• Unique extracurriculars that require an explanation for people to thoroughly understand them

Once you’ve chosen a topic, think about the following questions before you begin writing:

• What is the strongest emotion you feel about this activity?
• What do you think about when you participate in the activity?
• Has the activity helped you strengthen or develop any personality traits?
• Are there any specific skills you’ve developed from participating in this activity?
• How does this activity impact the rest of your life?

Tips for writing your essay:

A good response will explain what your activity, responsibility, or experience is, what it entails, and why it is important to you. Make sure to address each of these points, as they are either stated in or implied by the prompt.

Here’s an example of an excellent response to this prompt from Sara, a prospective entrepreneurship major:

“During my sophomore year, I started creating charcuterie boards for parties, events, and other occasions for my friends and family. I loved finding the perfect assortment of crackers, fruit, cheeses and jams to arrange into beautiful boards, but more importantly, I enjoyed networking with people at each event I worked.

After a few months, I began to receive so many referrals that I decided to start a small business. Managing my schoolwork, sports schedule, leadership roles, and my small business required me to develop excellent time management skills. I also learned about the financial aspects of running a business—managing cash flow, balancing costs, and paying taxes—and the marketing aspects of running a business—leveraging social media, paying for ad space, and utilizing other channels to promote my business.

Prior to my sophomore year, I had dreams of becoming a doctor. However, after starting my charcuterie business, I realized that my interests in finance, marketing, and business lent themselves to a future in entrepreneurship. I’m grateful for the opportunities my business has given me, and I’m excited to watch my business—and other businesses I might start—grow in the future!”

This example is strong because it very clearly states what the activity is. It then branches off into a discussion of the student’s business, something that was created as a result of the activity. The student also describes her roles in her activity/business throughout the essay, and then ends with a strong argument as to why this passion has become so meaningful to her.

Mistakes to avoid:

Choosing the wrong activity. Don’t choose to write about an extracurricular just because you think it sounds impressive, or even just because you’re skilled at it. This essay is a chance to write about an extracurricular that is meaningful to you, so it’s important that you select an activity you’re really passionate about!

Writing a shallow response. ​​It’s not effective to give a detailed history of your participation, or to tell an enticing story about the extracurricular you’ve chosen if you forget to explain how the activity has affected or changed you. It’s crucial to explain your personal development from participating in the activity.

Listing your accomplishments. Simply listing out your accomplishments with no elaboration will make for an unengaging response that reads like a laundry list. Instead, provide a unique perspective by sharing how the activity impacts your current life as well as your aspirations for the future.

A Note About Prompts 2-4

You are only required to respond to each of the following all applicants prompts if you choose the “Yes” option offered in the first half of each prompt, respectively. If any (or all) of the prompts don’t apply to you, you can choose the “No” option for that prompt, and will not need to respond to it.

All Applicants, Prompt 2

Do you have any employment or family obligations that limit your participation in extracurricular activities if so, please describe. (250 words, optional).

This question is similar to the Additional Information section listed in the Common App, as well as the exceptional personal circumstances prompt you might see during the application process. Check out the linked guides for tips for writing an essay like this!

One quick tip: Be sure to at least explain what the employment/obligation entailed, and why you had to take it on, as well as the results of you taking on this extra responsibility. Obligations you might write about include working to contribute financially to your family, taking care of an ill relative, or frequently babysitting younger siblings.

Consider the following example to see what a good response might include:

“Last year, my single mother was let go from her job at an insurance company when it was struggling financially and going through a period of transition. As a result, we both had to take on additional jobs to make ends meet, so I briefly left my school’s robotics team throughout the second semester and summer following junior year. Instead, I worked at a local grocery store after school and on the weekends, learning how to work efficiently under pressure while supporting my family.”

All Applicants, Prompt 3

Have you participated in or been assisted in your college preparation and search by programs outside of the classroom, such as educational talent search, take stock in children, upward bound, boys and girls club, etc. please provide the name of the program, details/benefits of your involvement, and how long your experiences continued. (250 words, optional).

This prompt is straightforward and simple. It requires you to list your involvement in programs that have helped you with your college search (outside of school), and it also asks you to list the details and benefits of your involvement in the program(s).

Here’s a sample response:

“During my junior and senior years of high school, I participated in the Take Stock in Children Program. While I was involved in the program, I was paired with a volunteer mentor and received frequent college readiness coaching. My mentor, James, was an undergraduate student at the University of Florida. Before participating in the Take Stock in Children program, I wasn’t interested in attending college, and I was planning to work at my local grocery store after high school to support my hobby, music production. James helped me understand the importance of college and he encouraged me to pursue a Bachelor of Music degree at the University of Florida. I am grateful for how my involvement with Take Stock in Children has impacted my future education and aspirations.”

This student does a great job at answering the prompt. He lists the program name (Take Stock in Children) and the duration (junior and senior year) that he participated in the program. He also includes the details of his involvement (volunteer mentor and college readiness coaching) and most importantly, the benefits of their involvement (how his relationship with James inspired him to apply for college as a music major).

All Applicants, Prompt 4

Is there any additional information or extenuating circumstances the admissions committee should know when reviewing your application (250 words, optional).

​​This also resembles the Additional Information section listed in the Common App and the exceptional personal circumstances prompt . This is essentially your shot to either explain a lapse in your performance somewhere or to introduce something new about yourself that isn’t evident elsewhere in your application. 

You may elaborate further upon an extracurricular activity you feel isn’t clearly explained throughout your application (For example, say you were a Head Designer for your town’s Environmental and Aesthetic Initiative, and admissions officers may not know what that is). You could also talk about a personal story or history that has affected you greatly. You may even discuss a previously unmentioned extracurricular activity that says a lot about you.

This is a wonderfully free space for you to dive into whichever information you feel will give the admissions team the most complete version of your identity. If you don’t think this space is necessary for you, that’s fine too! Just leave it blank.

Honors Program Applicants Prompt

This prompt is meant to gauge who you are beyond your grades and test scores. It’s primarily about a subject that interests you, but there are multiple parts of the prompt that you’ll need to address:

• Identifying the subject or topic of interest
• Describing the direction you imagine that interest taking at UF
• Detailing how you envision the honors program’s resources supporting the direction you just described

Before you begin writing, it’s important that you select a strong topic. Of course, you need to be sincere. Don’t write about a topic you’re not that interested in just because you think the admissions committee wants to read about it. Good essays are always about authentic topics rather than disingenuous ones. To help you think, make a list of your the subjects that are most interesting and meaningful to you, and consider the following questions:

1) Which subject on your list have you shown the most commitment to? Which has been most influential in your development?

2) What is the strongest emotion you feel about this subject?

• Why do you feel this emotion?
• Has that emotional response changed over time? If so, how and why?
• What emotions do you feel when you’re actively engaging with this subject?

3) What thoughts and feelings go through your mind when you’re actively studying or learning about this subject?

4) Have you developed or strengthened any personality traits as a result of your engagement with this subject? If so, what are they and how have they evolved over time?

5) Have you developed any skills while studying this subject? These can include soft skills such as critical thinking, public speaking, work ethic, and teamwork, or hard skills, which are specific to whatever domain your subject is a part of.

6) What impact has your interest in this subject had on the rest of your life (activities, social life, academics, etc.)?

Once you’ve chosen your topic, think about how you want to structure your essay. You have up to 400 words, and you’ll probably need that space to address each part of the prompt. The prompt specifically asks how you see the UF Honors Program fostering that interest, so you’ll definitely want to include a response to that question.

You have some flexibility in the way you respond to this prompt. There are a few ways to introduce the subject you’re interested in. You might explicitly state what you enjoy about the subject, or perhaps you’ll talk about some of the experiences or outcomes related to the subject that have brought you fulfillment. Consider the following examples of opener styles you might use:

• Stating the subject explicitly: “For the last three years, I have filled every moment of free time I’ve had with videos and books about psychology.”
• Beginning with an anecdote: “My eyes widened with fascination as the colors climbed my chromatography paper. This was my first chemistry lab, and a moment that would completely change my desired career path forever.”
• Describing an experience and delaying naming the subject: “ ‘So we beat on, boats against the current, borne back ceaselessly into the past.’ With that sentence, I finished The Great Gatsby, the fifth novel I read that month.”

Since you have some space to work with, you can be creative when describing the subject you’re writing about. Use imagery to your advantage, be specific when discussing your emotions, and try to describe your emotional response to the subject in a way that reveals something about your personality.

Next, you’ll want to describe the direction you imagine this interest taking at UF. There are really no wrong answers here, since you can’t exactly predict the future. Luckily for you, this question is less about what you actually imagine and more about what you plan. That’s where it ties into the third question, how you see the program’s resources supporting your interest.

To do this effectively, you need to do some research on UF and its Honors Program. To start, look around on the UF Honors Program website to find resources that are particularly appealing to you. These might include particular classes or professors, research groups, program traditions, and extracurricular opportunities or programs. Honors students also enjoy access to internships and research opportunities. For example, a student who is interested in homesteading might mention how they’re excited to take the Honors Program’s beekeeping classes to expand their knowledge and skills.

Everything just mentioned is a good way to establish a tangible connection to the program, but you might also try to establish an intangible connection as well. An intangible connection involves discussing how the program’s values might align with your own.

You want to craft an effective essay, so you should note a few common mistakes to avoid:

• Don’t pick the wrong topic! Bad subjects include: those you’ve already written about somewhere else in your application, impressive-sounding subjects you don’t actually have experience or an interest in, and subjects you haven’t actually put that much time into.
• Don’t just describe your interest without elaborating on its impact on you. You might get caught up in an anecdote when writing, but don’t forget to explain the subject’s significance.
• Don’t just list your accomplishments within the subject. You shouldn’t simply provide a list of things that make you look good superficially. You want to show your personal perspective and growth by discussing your emotional response to your chosen subject and the ways in which the subject impacts your life.
• Don’t forget to answer each part of the prompt. You are asked to discuss a subject that you’re curious about, the direction you see that interest going in at UF, and the ways in which UF’s Honors Program will help you along the way.

Structurally, take a reflective approach and really analyze your thoughts and feelings about the subject. You have 400 words to work with, so you can really get into detail about each part of the prompt. As long as you can provide a good reflection, describe your subject well, and detail the role the UF Honors Program will play in fostering your interest, you will be fine.

Where to Get Your University of Florida Essays Edited

Do you want feedback on your University of Florida essays? After rereading your essays countless times, it can be difficult to evaluate your writing objectively. That’s why we created our free Peer Essay Review tool , where you can get a free review of your essay from another student. You can also improve your own writing skills by reviewing other students’ essays. 

If you want a college admissions expert to review your essay, advisors on CollegeVine have helped students refine their writing and submit successful applications to top schools.  Find the right advisor for you  to improve your chances of getting into your dream school!

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Controversial Issues and Viewpoints

• Journal Articles
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This guide will help you to locate books, articles, and other forms of information on a variety of topics related to controversial issues. 

Objectives for this Guide

Before you start your argumentative paper or persuasive speech, you will need to pick a topic.  Can’t think of a topic to research? This can often be the hardest part of starting a research project!   Remember, it's a lot easier to stay motivated to research a topic that you personally find interesting! 

Make sure to pick something that you are interested in.  The resources in this libguide provide many ideas for current "hot" topics and controversial issues. Under the Articles tab in this guide, take a look at the Issues section in Issues & Controversies or the Browse Issues section in Opposing Viewpoints in Context.

And always remember, if you have any questions, please ask one of the FSCJ librarians for help.

Some Questions to Think About

Start with some questions:

• What do you already know about the topic?
• What don’t you know?
• What aspects of the topic most interest you? Psychological, political, legal?
• Do you want to focus on a geographic region? International, United States, Midwest, Wisconsin?
• What about focusing on a specific age or population group? (Young children, elementary, middle school, high school, college students, middle age, elderly, minorities, males or females)

General Topic Examples

Critical Race Theory  (related keywords: race relations, racism, critical theory, CRT, group identity)

Healthcare Legislation  (related keywords: medical care, law, public health, health care reform)

Technology--Positive/Negative Effects  (related keywords: advantages, disadvantages, harm, benefits, computers, smart phones)

Video Games  (related keywords: electronic games, Call of Duty, Fortnite Battle Royale)

Abortion  (related keywords: Pro-life Movement, Pro-choice movement, reproductive rights)

Gun Control  (related keywords: firearms, policy, laws, legislation, second amendment)

Police Misconduct  (related keywords: police reform, use of force continuum, brutality, community policing, self-defense)

Genetically Modified Foods  (related keywords: GMO, biotechnology, crops, transgenic organisms, transgenic plants, harm, benefits)

Stem Cell Research  (related keywords: embryonic, embryo, ethics, law, legislation, religious aspects)

Immigration  (related keywords: policy, immigration reform, emigration and immigration)

Childhood Obesity  (related keywords: obesity in children, causes, nutrition disorders, youth, overweight, pediatric)

Topic Generators

• Gale Literature: Topic Finder Find new topics or keywords and discover new connections found in the top results.
• Old Dominion University: Idea Generator "Use the broad categories provided to browse through a variety of key words and phrases associated with them. Explore the ideas and devise a more specific topic."
• Essay Topic Generator A simple topic generator that may spark some ideas.

Focused topic examples linked to catalog search

• Why not teach Critical Race Theory?
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University of Florida 2023-24 Supplemental Essay Prompt Guide

Regular Decision: 

Regular Decision Deadline: Sept 3

You Have: 

The Requirements:  1 essay of 250 words

Supplemental Essay Type(s): Activity

Please provide more details on your most meaningful commitment outside of the classroom while in high school and explain why it was meaningful. This could be related to an extracurricular activity, work, volunteering, an academic activity, family responsibility, or any other non-classroom activity. (250 words)

What would your life be mundane without? Elaborate on an activity, responsibility, or passion that is meaningful to you. Unlike an activities resume entry, this should be expanded to reflect your priorities, worldview, and sense of purpose. Do you babysit your cousins when your aunt gets called into work? How does it feel to support your family members in this way and what does the phrase, “it takes a village,” mean to you? Do you foster rescue cats until they find their forever homes? What does this hobby mean to you? Maybe you inherited your animal love from your dad who used to work as a farmhand. Use your experiences to tell admissions something about you they wouldn’t already know from your list of extracurriculars. What gives your life meaning? Why do you wake up in the morning? What are you working toward?

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Abortion clinic’s bathroom walls become refuge for patients

Patients began using a bathroom's walls as a way to share messages of support.

As abortion laws have become stricter across the nation, especially in the South , following the overturning of Roe v. Wade , the bathroom walls of one women's healthcare clinic in Florida have become a refuge for women seeking care .

Around one year ago, patients at a Planned Parenthood clinic in Jacksonville started leaving messages of support for each other on the walls of the bathroom in the clinic's lobby, according to Morgan Daniel, the health center supervisor at Planned Parenthood Jacksonville.

"I couldn't tell you what the first message was," Daniel told " Good Morning America ." "That space is private, and nobody can see them writing those messages, so that's part of why it is important, to be able to have that outlet in private."

Daniel said staff members noticed the messages after a few were left initially on the baby changing station in the bathroom.

Over time, more messages continued to be left to the point that they now increasingly cover the bathroom's walls, photographs show.

"All of the messages are empowering and focus on women supporting women and people being there to support each other," Daniel said. "The majority of the messages are saying encouraging words like, 'You've got this. You have people stand by you. You're safe. You're making the right decision for you and where you're at in your life.'"

MORE: Florida's strictest abortion ban takes effect, prohibiting abortions after 6 weeks of pregnancy

As laws restricting abortion went into effect in states surrounding Florida, the messages also began to include women's stories of how far they traveled for abortion care.

"Traveled 5 hrs b/c of laws in my state," one message reads. "My body my choice. We matter."

The messages have taken on new meaning this week, according to Daniel, as a six-week ban on abortion went into effect in Florida.

Florida's law banning abortions after six weeks of pregnancy -- which went into effect Wednesday -- replaced the state's previous 15-week abortion ban, prohibiting the procedure before most women know they are pregnant.

MORE: Florida doctor speaks on latest six-week abortion ban in the state

In the South, abortion is now either banned or severely restricted in Florida, Mississippi, Alabama, Tennessee, Arkansas, and Louisiana.

The closest state to Florida with no gestational limits on abortion is now Virginia, several hundred miles away.

The messages of support inside the Planned Parenthood clinic in Jacksonville are a reminder of the "access lost" due to the state's six-week ban, according to Michelle Quesada, spokeswoman for Planned Parenthood of South, East, and North Florida.

"The wall now is more important than ever," Quesada told "GMA." "These are messages of real-life experiences, real moments where someone was within our health center to receive this care that they desperately needed and deserved, and now there are going to be many patients who come to us and see that and, unfortunately, they'll be beyond the gestational age to get the help they need in our center."

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'Seismic impact on women’s lives': 5 things to know after the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade

Traveling for abortion care was on the rise even before Roe was overturned, data shows

Uma Thurman reveals abortion she had as teen in powerful essay: 'My darkest secret'

Both Quesada and Daniel said the clinic plans to keep the messages preserved so that women who come in for abortion care prior to six weeks, or for other care including birth control and guidance on traveling out of state for abortion care, can also feel supported.

"This time is extremely hard for patients," Daniel said. "We're still here to provide care for them, no matter what, and we are able to help them what they need."

Daniel noted that some patients have left messages on the wall thanking others, writing things like, "This was amazing to read."

"It's empowering for the patients," she said. "It's important for the patients to be able to have some sort of uplift and to be able to see, again, that they're not alone."

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No shade, no water, no breaks: DeSantis' new law threatens Florida outdoor worker health

NAPLES, Fla. – In South Florida, one of the state's hottest regions, María González works outdoors cleaning planes.

González spends her nights on the airport tarmac doing deep cleans of planes – scrubbing away feces, vomit, animal and human hair and more. Often, she said, airline staff turn off the plane’s air conditioning to save gasoline and money and let it sit on the asphalt, which radiates heat.

“Hay mucho calor, entonces uno sude y sude y sude,” González said. “El calor se duplica ahora porque empiece el verano.”

In English: it gets so hot on the planes as she cleans that she can’t stop sweating. And in the summer? The heat doubles.

“Me siento como mal, como yo me fuera a desmayar,” said González, explaining that her blood pressure drops, and she often feels so ill that she thinks she’s going to faint.

But in April, Gov. Ron DeSantis signed a law banning local municipalities from requiring employers to give heat breaks to outdoor workers such as González, a move DeSantis himself admitted to media was to slap back at one of Florida’s most progressive municipalities, Miami-Dade County, one county south from where she works.

Only Miami-Dade County required employers to provide heat breaks to begin with.

DeSantis' office did not respond to requests for comment.

Still, his decision to get rid of home rule in a state that values small government and is one of the hottest states in the nation took some local officials aback and infuriated outdoor workers and their advocates in some of the hottest regions of the state.

In a warming world, outdoor workers and organizations that protect them say heat and water breaks are a matter of life and death.

“These pro-heat stress bills are really about making sure no one is held accountable if something bad happens to workers…if they get sick or die in extreme heat,” said Florida District Director for Miami-based custodial workers' union SEIU 32BJ Helene O’Brien.

Florida holds municipalities to a heat standard that doesn't exist

Florida House Bill 433 states that cities or towns don’t have a right to require employers to provide heat or shade breaks that the state or federal government doesn’t already require. Absent a state department of worker safety, Florida falls under federal OSHA jurisdiction, which covers most private-sector workers in the state.

However, neither the federal government nor Florida has a heat standard that requires breaks at certain temperatures or sun exposure; advocates say the language is frustratingly vague. Federal workplace safety agency OSHA instead requires breaks " long enough for workers to recover from the heat. " And while OSHA requires employers to provide water for workers, it doesn’t require that employers give their workers time to drink the water.

The vagaries of the policy have allowed some companies to push the limits – until their workers feel the effects. And the threat of an OSHA investigation doesn't always strike fear into the hearts of management or owners.

Just last summer, one farmworker, 29-year-old Efraín López García , died from heat exposure just hours into his first day on the job at a Homestead fruit farm. It was July 6, and the heat index hit 105 degrees that day, according to the National Weather Service.

The farm labor contractor that employed him, McNeill Labor Management, was found to have exposed workers to direct sunlight and failed to implement protections. Despite its role in López García’s death, the company is now fighting the $27,655 in proposed penalties OSHA imposed upon the business.

González says her employer, HHS Aviation, a cleaning company that contracts for Delta Airlines, has also ignored federal workplace safety standards.

HHS Aviation does, in theory, provide water, González said. But not in practice.

After multiple employees complained about a lack of water, which is against federal law , management purchased and placed a water cooler in the break room two months ago, she said. However, Gonzalez added, there is no water in it – and there has never been.

This leaves González and her coworkers thirsty, even dehydrated. She carries water to work, but doesn’t have a place to store it outside her locker. She can’t carry it with her while cleaning, or waiting for a plane to arrive – she can only drink when she is on break near her locker. She said she was unaware of any other water sources available to the employees.

HHS Aviation disputed González's accounts of the heat and lack of water in her workplace, insisting that employees were allowed to refuse to board a plane and begin cleaning until it was fully cooled, and were trained to stop working when it was unsafe to do so. Additionally, in an email, the company said employees have had access to clean drinking water since operations began Sept. 19, 2023. Too, HHS said, break areas contained bottled water and hallways sported communal water fountains.

"HHS Aviation is committed to the health and safety of our team members, as they are our most valuable asset. We ensure all team members receive access to water, proper training, proper functioning tools and equipment, and designated rest periods," wrote marketing vice president Shannon Steck in an email. "We comply with all Occupational Safety and Health Act regulations, Transportation Safety Administration programs and directives, and applicable federal, state, and local laws and regulations."

After the USA TODAY Network-Florida called HHS Aviation and Delta Airlines about González's complaints, she said management finally filled the water cooler in the break room.

Delta Airlines declined to comment.

Though O'Brien says SEIU 32BJ has filed federal complaints against HHS Aviation on González and her coworkers' behalf, OSHA and other federal agencies can be slow to act. And González and her union point to HB 433 as an example of the state not having workers’ backs, either.

While the federal government is working on adding a heat standard for workers, it won’t be in place for at least two years, if not more – and will likely be killed if Trump wins the November election, worker advocates and heat experts say.

Although Florida has hamstrung its municipalities with this law, O'Brien said laborers still have other options to fight the heat and negotiate better working conditions for themselves: unionization.

“Maybe we need to be bigger at the state level and hold employers accountable for mistreatment of workers,” O’Brien said. “People are going to organize and going to fight … with whatever channels they have.”

Climate change, increasing heat lead to more emergency room visits, deaths

DeSantis signed HB 433 less than a year after an “ocean heat wave” killed off entire coral reefs around Florida, such has never been seen before in recorded history. That tipped over into human exposure, too.

That same year, nearly 2,000 died from heat exhaustion across the U.S . In Florida, 215 people died between 2010 and 2020 from heat, University of Florida data shows.

A 2023 report out of the National Conference of Citizenship found heat-related deaths in Florida shot up by 88% between 2019 and 2022.

Climate change and a warming world is increasing the number of days of extreme heat humans are exposed to. According to NASA, the summer of 2023 was the hottest on record .

Perhaps unsurprisingly, the Centers for Disease Control found in 2024 that emergency visits for heat-related illnesses surged in 2023, especially among men and adults aged 18 to 64: or, as University of Connecticut’s Korey Stringer Institute CEO Douglas Casa noted, the demographic most likely to work outdoors.

Casa studies the effects of heat on the human body. His heat lab has been the recipient of more than a dozen Department of Defense grants in recent years, researching cooling strategies, and physiological and clinical implications of heat stress.

Heat exposure-related illnesses and deaths are almost certainly undercounted, as discrete heat-exposure events and a lifetime of chronic dehydration can lead to shortened lifespans from kidney and heart disease, Casa said.

The effects of heat on outdoor workers may be even more serious than the current science shows, Casa said.

"Laborers are between ages 30 to 70, and they don’t have a two-hour practice or game; they’re doing 12-hour shifts and they are on medications and have other problems," Casa said. "And we take care of them the least amount. Laborers have been kept out of the loop in the long term."

DeSantis kills home rule on heat regulations with new law

Florida House Bill 433, which DeSantis signed into law in April, prohibits local governments from requiring shade or water breaks for outdoor workers, or even giving preference to employers based on their heat exposure requirements.

But only one county of 67 – Miami-Dade County – had such a requirement already in place. The county had recently passed an ordinance requiring employers to give outdoor workers 10-minute breaks in the shade for every two hours worked outside.

Miami-Dade's " heat officer ," Jane Gilbert, is charged with designing mitigation strategies to help protect workers from the heat, some of which this law effectively killed.

Still, Gilbert said in a statement, her staff members have not given up.

She cited her office's work expanding tree canopy, designating cooling sites during heat season, installing nearly 2,000 air conditioning units in public housing and providing heat safety trainings for personnel who work with homeless residents as examples of her continued dedication to combating heat.

“We will continue to do everything within our power to ensure the people of Miami-Dade County are safe from extreme heat," Gilbert said.

But in the absence of the stick, there still exists the carrot.

Governments can put all sorts of incentives in place to protect workers, such as fast-tracking permits, reducing taxes or providing grants to companies that commit to protecting workers on the job, said Kathy Baughman McLeod, CEO and founder of gender and climate-focused organization Climate Resilience for All.

Baughman McLeod has worked in climate resiliency for roughly 25 years, including at the Arsht-Rockefeller Resilience Center, Bank of America, The Nature Conservancy and, finally, at the Office of the State of Florida’s Chief Financial Officer. The latter she credits with shaping her career, as well as her understanding of government and conservation.

Baughman McLeod added that local governments interested in improving their response to intensifying heat should also work to improve data around heat's effects on health and community, as it is poorly understood.

"Heat is killing more people than any other hazard," said Baughman McLeod. "It's silent and invisible. This law ... is the total opposite direction of where we should be going."

Elsewhere, local government officials were discomfited by the passage of the law.

In conservative Collier County, two hours due west of Miami and subject to similar temperatures, Commissioner Bill McDaniel wondered at why the law got rid of home rule on a subject that just one county in Florida had passed restrictions on. It felt like an unnecessary overreach, he said, though he added he felt the government had no place between an employer and its employee.

“I have to say two things: I don’t like state mandates on local government, ever,” McDaniel said. But, he added, “I believe the onus is on the employer and not the government to mandate things that good employers should be doing anyway."

“Two, I know that 99% of employers that employ people that work outside already take care of those people. They cherish their employees.”

If they don’t, he said, they won’t have any left.

Grower: Shade, electrolyte-infused water and regular breaks improve farmworker performance

As McDaniel suspected, at least some employers already offer shade and water breaks to their outdoor workers and they intend to continue the practice, such as Collier County's Immokalee-based Pacific Tomato Growers owner and Sunripe Certified Brands CEO Jon Esformes.

Farm workers labor outdoors for hours at a time. The work they do, often under the hot sun, creates its own sort of heat. Their bodies then must work not only to keep up with the work they are performing, but must also work to cool themselves, as well.

Farmworkers are also regularly paid piece rates instead of by the hour, incentivizing workers to work to the point of exhaustion or dehydration.

But not on Esformes’ farm.

Esformes was the first grower to sign on to the Coalition of Immokalee Workers' Fair Food Program in the 1990s, which requires employers to provide heat breaks for their workers. He says providing shade and water breaks for workers is an important part of farming in Florida and has testified in Tallahassee to that effect.

“Agriculture is a big dark secret in North America in terms of worker relationships,” Esformes said. “Heat stress for agricultural workers has long been a problem.”

Esformes provides his workers with shaded places to sit, electrolyte-infused water, mandatory and voluntary breaks, and even sends workers home for the day when the “feels-like” temperature is too hot. He told the USA TODAY Network-Florida the Fair Food Program was an important part of moving into the future as a grower and honoring his employees’ rights as humans.

“No worker should risk their life in dangerous heat without relief,” Coalition of Immokalee Workers representative and farmworker Gerardo Reyes Chaves said in a statement.

Once he began offering extra heat protections to his workers, Esformes said he realized this was also a great business decision. His workers’ productivity – and consequently his farming operation’s productivity – increased, and their physical and cognitive function remained higher as their bodies stayed cooler.

Esformes questioned the rationale behind passing HB 433. Temperatures vary so widely across the state that it would behoove the state to allow local municipalities to pass their own requirements to avoid over-legislating across the state, Esformes said.

“I don’t know that it would be wrong for one part of the state to have a different protocol than the other,” Esformes said. “But I do believe that when it comes to worker protections, few states do enough to address … heat illness for outdoor workers."

The Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services did not respond to requests for comment.

United Farm Workers, a labor organization for farmworkers, has branches in California, Washington, Oregon, Arizona, Texas and Michigan. The organization has pushed for, and seen implemented, heat regulations in several of those states, including California and Oregon, though Texas has rolled back heat protections for workers in recent months.

Elizabeth Strater, the UFW director of strategic campaigns, said the heat protections in California and Oregon improved farmworkers' lives and health. After implementing heat rules in California, she said, data showed that despite increasingly intense heat waves, the rate of kidney disease in farm workers declined dramatically.

“It isn’t just about getting up and not dying that day," Strater said. "It’s about how the nature of that work shortens your life.”

González, who spends her working hours doing deep cleans of Delta’s planes on a South Florida tarmac, said she was livid about HB 433. She demanded that lawmakers think more about the people they represent before passing and signing these bills.

González paused and thought over her words for a moment.

"Estoy indignada," she said. I'm indignant. They should take better care of us. Have some respect for us.

“Deberían tomarse más cura de nosotros, más cuidado. Y creo que el respeto, también. El respeto a la persona."

Contributed: Ana Goñi-Lessan, state watchdog reporter at the Tallahassee Democrat

Kate Cimini is the Florida Investigative Reporter for the USA TODAY-Network Florida, based at The News-Press and The Naples Daily News. Contact her at 239-207-9369 or [email protected].

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DeSantis directed Florida Highway Patrol response to campus protests

• Divya Kumar Times staff

Gov. Ron DeSantis personally directed the Florida Highway Patrol’s response to the recent pro-Palestinian campus protests in Florida, a top state official said Wednesday.

“On countless occasions, campus and local law enforcement has requested the assistance of Florida Highway Patrol. And on countless other occasions, we have proactively assisted campus and local law enforcement,” said Dave Kerner, executive director of the Florida Department of Safety and Motor Vehicles, which oversees the highway patrol.

“In all instances,” Kerner said, “these actions were taken at the direction of Gov. DeSantis.”

His comments came during a DeSantis news conference at the University of Florida campus, near a spot on the campus green where round-the-clock protests have been taking place for 15 days. As DeSantis, Kerner and other officials spoke in praise of Florida’s response to the demonstrations, protesters could be heard chanting.

DeSantis’ office and Kerner’s agency did not respond last week to questions about the governor’s involvement in the protest response. Kerner on Wednesday acknowledged the questions, saying his department was asked if the governor was “personally” involved.

“The answer is yes,” he said.

The governor’s office did not immediately respond when asked to elaborate on Kerner’s remarks. It was unclear how many universities his directives impacted, or how engaged he was in the details of law enforcement tactics.

At least 37 protesters were arrested in demonstrations last week at UF, the University of South Florida, Florida State University and the University of North Florida. The law enforcement response at USF included the use of tear gas.

“As we have seen very clearly, there is a stark difference between Florida and many other states in this nation,” Kerner said. “This is very intentional. Our governor will not bend to the shrill and illogical will of an entitled and reckless super-minority. He will not tolerate for a moment our campuses degenerating into collectives of violence and anti-American and antisemitic dogma, and neither will the Florida Highway Patrol.”

DeSantis thanked state universities and law enforcement agencies for their responses last week, and held them in contrast to “elite colleges and universities that have allowed themselves to be overrun with encampments, graffiti as well as a lot of really nasty antisemitism.”

He pointed to his efforts last year in allowing Jewish students seeking refuge to transfer to Florida universities and investments in security for Jewish Day schools in Florida.

DeSantis said he thought many protesters were joining a “chic cause” without understanding history and “spouting nonsense.”

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“It’s very concerning, some of these elite institutions around the country: Are they just graduating a bunch of imbeciles?” he said. “I think unfortunately that’s the case. That’s why a lot of these people are not going to have job offers. You see even a lot of the big financial institutions, which are very liberal, are now saying we’re not going to be entertaining this nonsense anymore.”

DeSantis also linked the protest groups to Hamas and called attention to a chant frequently repeated at protests across the state and country — “From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free.”

“Part of it is people can say what they want, but when you’re talking about ‘from the river to the sea,’ you’re essentially saying you want a second Holocaust, that you want to wipe Israel off the map,” DeSantis said. “That’s what Hamas stands for.”

Laila Fakhoury, a UF alumni and part of the UF Divest Coalition, was one of the protesters out Wednesday. She said barricades were set so far away from DeSantis that protesters were not able to hear what he said, but later found out and called it “nonsense.”

“Saying things like that is just like a very classic tactic of trying to conflate the idea of antisemitism with criticizing government, criticizing a military, which is not antisemitic at all,” Fakhoury said. “It’s more than just pro-Palestine or pro-Israel. It’s pro-human at the end of the day, and all of us are standing for humanity. So when we say chants like that, ‘from the river to the sea, Palestine will be free,’ it’s literally exactly what it sounds like: that Palestine will be free within our lifetime, and we’ll continue to keep standing up to advocate for that.”

DeSantis also questioned why protesters weren’t out after Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack that launched Israel’s military response.

“I’m sure the protesters were all very upset at the fact that Hamas went into Israeli communities and baked babies in ovens, raped women, assassinated elderly people in very brutal ways,” he said. “I’m sure they were very upset about that. Oh wait, no, they weren’t. That’s right. They didn’t care about that. They were completely fine with those massacres happening. And they had no concern about that.”

He added his views on Gaza, saying the territory was not occupied and that it was a Hamas “sanctuary” that focused on terrorism instead of more productive pursuits.

Fakhoury said many of the protesters are Jewish and felt the governor ignored parts of history.

Also speaking at the news conference was Ray Rodrigues, chancellor of the State University System, who said Florida would continue to take a “law and order” approach to the protests.

He said some universities have made “shameful” concessions to protesters, including creating new faculty positions for Palestinians, establishing a cultural center for Middle Eastern studies and waiving charges for those arrested in the protests.

“In Florida, there will be no negotiations,” Rodrigues said. “There will be no appeasement, there will be no amnesty and there will be no divestment under Gov. DeSantis.”

Fakhoury, with the protest group, said the demonstrators would not be deterred. The goals of the protests, she said, go beyond how universities respond.

“It’s not the only thing that matters to us,” she said. ”We’re making a statement and a presence just by being out there with our flags and our keffiyehs and showing people that we are not going to be silenced by these lies and the rhetoric that they’ve been pushing.”

Times Staff Writer Kirby Wilson contributed to this report.

Divya Kumar covers higher education for the Tampa Bay Times, working in partnership with Open Campus.

Divya Kumar is the higher education reporter. Reach her at [email protected].

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