Can somebody please chance me for UF? FSU?

Chance Me / Match Me!
1

I REALLY want to go to UF, and FSU is my second choice.
Here are my stats:

Cumulative unweighted GPA: 4.00
Weighted GPA: 6.08
SAT composite: 1820 (530 CR. 650 M, 640 W, 9 Essay)
ACT composite: not going to submit
Community service: up to 150 hours volunteering at camps, as an office aid, for school organizations, etc.
Awards: Principals Honor Roll, AP Physics award for being the top performing student academically in my class, Junior Marshal, AP Scholar
Extracurriculars:

  • Played tennis (9th and 10th grade)
  • National Honor Society (10th-12th grade)
  • Officer position in Spanish club (11th grade)
  • Environmental Awareness club (9th to 12th grade)
  • I am going to be involved a lot more for this upcoming school year!
    Other facts:
  • White, first generation male
  • I took the most rigorous classes available. (10 AP classes and 8 dual enrollment classes by the time I graduate. The rest were Honors classes)
  • Took 6 years of Spanish classes
  • Currently seeking employment

Do I have a chance to get admitted to at least ONE of those schools? Any helpful comments would be greatly appreciated.

2

I’m no expert - having a rising senior son myself, so grain of salt moment here. I like you for FSU, and you have a good shot at UF given holistic admissions. Your stats are great (especially your GPA - wow), my only concern would be your SAT. For SAT you are in the mid 50% at FSU, and if I remember correctly on the lower end for UF (but double check me on that).

If you were my son I’d feel good about you applying both places. Nice job in high school!

3

You’re virtually guaranteed to get in to FSU. However, I don’t think your chances at UF are as good as the first commenter implied. That weighted GPA is going to go waaaaaaaaaay down when colleges recalculate it. Nothing stands out to me for a UF application, but being in state, you’ve got a shot. I’d say FSU is a match and UF is a low reach.

4

@tigerrocks13 . . . UW GPA of 4.0 is going to go down? Not following you there. And I am extra interested because my own son has an UW 3.9 (or something close to that). :slight_smile:

5

How does your school do weights? Usually it’s +2 for AP, +1 for honors. What’s your UF GPA? It’s +1 for AP, and for every core class it’s + 0.5. Elective honor classes do not count I believe. What’s your class rank? Is it competitive?

6

Maybe @Gator88NE will chime in?

7

First off, thank you @SouthFloridaMom9 for having faith in me and being awesome! And for @JackBurg- I have no idea how my school calculates the weighted GPA lol. I’ve been told that AP classes have a weight of 7 at my school, but that doesn’t make sense to me, because that would mean Honors is 6 and on-level is 5??! Anyway, I calculated my GPA EXACTLY the way UF does it, and I got 4.65. What standing does that put me in now? Thanks everyone!

8

Oh and my class rank is 4/530 @JackBurg

9

For UF:

At UF (based on my discussions with the AO, back in 2013-14), 50% of admissions is based on GPA (most important), Class Rigor, Essay (which really counts at UF) and standard test scores (least important). The other 50% is based on EC’s, Leadership, volunteer, work, etc.

Your GPA looks great (it’s hard to beat a 4.0 uw GPA, if you took rigorous classes). UF only counts academic classes, and gives an extra point (+1.0) to DE, IB, AP and AICE classes. It gives an extra 0.5 points to honor classes. Your UF GPA is likely around 4.5 or better.

Though test scores are not as important, you may want to retake the SAT and focus on the CR section. Your current SAT scores are in the middle 50% range, but a higher score can’t hurt and it may make up for any issues with your ECs. Note that even though the application due date is November 1’st, you have until the end of December to get UF your latest SAT scores.

Your EC’s look OK at best. UF likes to see a commitment to an activity. They will be more impressed by your 4 years in Environmental Awareness club than 3 new clubs you may joined your senior year. You can include EC’s outside of school, and when you list your EC’s, make it a point to list any times you took on a leadership role or went the extra mile. It’s one thing to say you attended the meeting for your club. It’s another to say how you helped coordinate several activities, put on a play, started a fund raiser…etc.

If you can get your stats in the top 25% range, then your EC’s may not need to be as strong. On the other hand, if your Stats are in the bottom 25%, you really need a solid slate of EC’s to compensate.

At this point, think about re-taking the SAT (and studying that CR section), keeping up on your ECs, and even starting a part time job. Don’t forget to start early on that essay!

Good Luck!

BTW: At FSU, The academic profile of the middle 50% of freshmen accepted in 2015 was:

3.8-4.3 academic GPA; 26-30 ACT composite; 1750-1960 SAT total

10

@Gator88NE Thank you for all of that! I am definitely going to retake the SAT, but I’m in a pretty weird situation. I calculated my GPA exactly the way UF does it (1 quality point for AP/DE, 0.5 for honors, academic core) and got ~4.7. This puts me in the top 25% for GPA, but I’m near the bottom 25% for test scores, so it’s hard to see exactly where I stand because of this! Do both my GPA and SAT need to be in the top 25% to feel safe? I know you said the GPA is more important so that is why I’m confused lol.

11

@SouthFloridaMom9 Nope, not the UW GPA. That’ll stay the same. Weighted will change a ton when recalculated.

12

He already calculated his GPA the same way UF does it and got 4.7… I don’t see what is going to “change a ton” lol.

13

@c0untryp0p Uh… it went from a 6.08 to a 4.7… that’s quite a change lol. And who knows: it could go down from there, but that really is quite a change lol.

14

Keep in mind that GPA is more important that standardized test scores. You would much rather have your GPA being in the top 25%, than test scores. :slight_smile:

It can’t hurt to improve your test scores, and it would help compensate for any weakness you may have with your ECs. (EC’s are hard to evaluate…). I think it’s worth the effort to take the SAT one more time (and spend your time preppy for the CR section). Other than that, continue with your efforts to get a part time job. UF treats part time jobs like an “EC”. Your time is better spent working a part time job than joining any new clubs. Also a part time job means more money in your pocket, and a bit more fun your senior year…don’t forget to have some fun! :stuck_out_tongue:

Good Luck!