The University of Central Florida started its fall semester this week with a freshman class of more than 5,000 bright, eager young Knights.

The majority of the class of 2017 hails from Florida, but some students came to UCF from as far away as California, Washington and Oregon.

According to preliminary numbers, the freshman class boats average SAT scores of 1248, or 1837 with all three phases included; average ACT scores of 27.1; and an average high school GPA of 3.89. The incoming class also includes 61 National Merit Scholars.

Members of the new class are excited to dive into the campus community and contribute to the growing tradition of the nation’s second-largest university.

“I chose UCF because I like the environment as well as the opportunities it provides for me,” said Christina Richards, a first-year biomedical sciences major.

Dre Lewis, a freshman radio-television pending major, was drawn to UCF because of its campus, too.

“I’m excited to start getting involved and becoming a part of the UCF community,” Lewis said.

As freshman settle in to a routine of classes, studying, work, extracurriculars and other activities, upper classmen offered them some advice.

“Use all the facilities UCF has to offer, like Supplemental Instruction and the Student Academic Resource Center. They are a big help when it comes to classes,” said Aleaha Evans, who is beginning her sophomore year as an athletic training student.

“Take advantage of as many new opportunities you can,” said Brian Sullivan, a senior majoring in legal studies. “You’ll meet a lot of people that will be able to help you after you leave UCF.”

Students seeking opportunities to get involved on campus should visit http://osi.ucf.edu. Information about academic support is available at http://sarc.sdes.ucf.edu.