Donavaun Horne is 17, but he knows more about his future than most 40-year-olds.
In a strong voice, the Eastside High School senior quickly runs through his goals, which include publishing his second book, earning a Ph.D. in psychiatry and attending UF in fall 2008.
He said he's always wanted to go to UF. It's the only place he's applying to this year.
In previous years, students like Horne, who were 100 percent sure that UF was their top-choice school, applied for the early decision deadline, which gave them a contractually bound admissions decision in December.
But this year, UF eliminated the early decision process, so Horne applied for admission along with all other prospective students.
As thousands of applications stream into the UF admissions department today, high-school students and guidance counselors in Gainesville are unsure of how the application deadline change will affect students' chances of acceptance.
Ret Thomas, a guidance counselor at F.W. Buchholz High School for 28 years, said he doesn't think the change will impact the quality of the 2008 freshman class.
"I'd be surprised if it really changes the complexion of their freshman class," he said.
Sylvia Walker, career counselor at Eastside High School, said she thinks other factors such as academic programs and cost are more influential in determining who applies to UF.
"The interest is always there," she said, estimating that 50 to 70 percent of her students apply to UF each year. "I think we probably have more students applying this year, specifically African-American students applying, because there's support for some of these students."
While admission may not change, some students are disappointed by not having an early option.
"Now it's kind of like you're on edge, and you don't really have a guaranteed spot anymore," said Mackenzie Hellstrom, an Eastside senior. "It's kind of a bummer."
Hellstrom, an 18-year-old in the International Baccalaureate program, said most of her friends feel they lost their advantage when UF took away the early decision program.
"I feel like Florida students had an advantage with early decision, and now we're on the same playing field as everyone else," she said.
And that playing field has grown since UF's three national championships, she added.
"Everyone wants to be a Gator. I have friends in California who are applying, [and in] Hawaii, Costa Rica," she said. "UF is on the map."
