Chance me for UF? OOS/NJ student

Chance Me / Match Me!
1

<p>I was born in NYC, grew up in NJ, lived in FL for two years (still have a house down there), and I currently live in NJ. I'm 100% Italian (idk if ethnicity matters). I'm a junior at the #15 ranked high school in the country. My dream is to go to UF, but I'm not sure if I can even get in. If I don't get in first go around, I'm going to go to a community college in Gainesville then transfer after soph year. I've taken the PSAT twice and got pretty good scores, not super incredibly great but good nonetheless. </p>

<p>GPA (sophomore year): 2.9... Really bad I know. I had all B's and C's and D's.
I'm getting all A's and B's this year, and a C average in AP Biology... So I'm hoping my GPA will go up.</p>

<p>I've also taken a few online classes through a virtual high school program. I've taken: business and personal law, american multiculturalism, contemporary issues in american law and justice, and honors intro to government. I've averaged either an A or A+ in all the classes.</p>

<p>EC's:
Freshman year: varsity golf team, ski club
Soph year: interact club, ski club
Junior year: debate club, varsity golf team, ski club</p>

<p>Community service:
*Cooking teacher at a community house for about 150 hours over the past 4 yrs.
*Crew leader at church camp at a Church in FL... Approx 60 hours total over the past 3 yrs.
*I've done random volunteer things, but I'm not sure how many hrs all those add up to.</p>

<p>Awards/honors:
*Recognized as "student of the month" in my sophomore year.
*Was asked to join National Society For High School Scholars last year, and joined.
*Invited to go to the National Student Leadership Conference, which I'm definitely going to go to.</p>

<p>*Student Advisor to Congressman Rodney Frelinghuysen: In the beginning of 11th grade, I applied to become a part of Congressman Frelinghuysen’s Youth Advisory Council. All students from grades 10-12 were eligible, and I was chosen as the one female student that would represent Madison High School. We meet every month for around 2-6 hours, depending on the subject matter. We have visited historical sites, museums where we viewed antique documents, met with current and former NJ political leaders, and talk about contemporary issues involved both NJ and the US.
^ Would this help me get into UF? </p>

<p>As far as letters of recommendation... I have one from my favorite teacher already, and my assistant principal is writing me one. If I go to the Leadership Conference, I'll get one or two there. I'm definitely getting a letter from a prominent congressman in NJ... He's been in congress for like 20 years and has a great reputation. I might get a letter from Congressman Frelinghuysen from the Youth Advisory Council.</p>

<p>My essay is pretty good... I go in detail about how I was sexually harassed and cyber bullied at school and at home and how depressed I was and everything... How I lost motivation to do well in school (my grades reflected that), etc. I end my essay with:</p>

<pre><code> "I emerged from my ordeal a stronger, more confident person that has learned that being strong through the worst of times is the best thing that I could have done. I know that my newfound confidence will help me to excel in both my academic studies and extra curricular activities at the University of Florida, where I hope to grow both as an individual and as a vital part of the Gators community."
</code></pre>

<p>What are my chances? Don't be a jerk but I'll respect opinions... I'm just looking for some help/guidance. </p>

<p>Thanks :)</p>

2

<p>Well, I’d need to know your SAT scores, but things aren’t looking great. I’d say you probably will not get in, because of GPA alone. Your EC’s are good, but your GPA is just too low even with a letter of recommendation from a congressman(though this will help). If I were you I would bust it my junior year, show them what your made of, get a 4.0+ GPA if you can. Literally lock yourself in your room and force yourself to study and do your homework. If you nail it your junior year and get 2000+ SAT’s your chances will be greatly enhanced and I’d say you would have a fair shot. If you want any shot though you will need to be 1800+ SAT though. Below that and no EC’s or recommendations will get you in.</p>

<p>So simply:
-Try your absolute hardest junior year
-Get good SAT scores, preferably 2000+
-Do any EC’s you can fit in your schedule </p>

<p>Do all that and you have a good shot. Best of luck to you.</p>

3

<p>OOS acceptance into UF if very difficult even for highly qualified students. Only 3% are able to be OOS. Last year the % was under 3%–do the math. Therefore I believe your chances are very slim. If your dream is to go the UF, enrolling at Santa Fe Community College is a smart choice if you can make it work financially. Students that graduate from SFCC have the strongest statistical chance of admissions as a transfer student from any school–4 year or community college. Some same professors teach at both schools. There will be other students at SFCC with the same goal of transfering into UF that you will be able to sorround yourself with. You are considered a “Gator in Waiting” and will enjoy many of the same experiences as a UF student until you transfer and become “official”. As a Florida resident since 1985 I know many students that graduated high school in Florida, could not get into UF right away so started at SFCC, then transferred to UF. Some believe it is a financially smarter way regardless since it is a lot cheaper to go to a community college for the first 2 years. Remember the college diploma you ultimately receive–if that is your goal, will not state where you started but rather where you finished. If you want it bad enough you can find a way–no doubt! Good Luck.</p>

4

<p>*Was asked to join National Society For High School Scholars last year, and joined.
Be careful, they are a scam, and I would not add them to any EC’s. As far as the advice, I would definetely consider AP type courses, since they do translate to either 1 or 1/2 level up in weighting. I cannot recall since we visited UCF, UF, New College, etc… Your situation is precarious, because the hardest school in FL to get in is New College and UF. I know UF (unweighted) has a minimum of 3.8 unless you play football. Best of Luck.</p>