My ECs and ACT score are really good, however my grades weren’t too good. I took all honors and couple AP’s, however I had 3 C+'s and majority B’s. Will Semifinalist help a lot, or will it not make that big a difference? For reference, I’m not applying to any ivy’s or top tier schools, I’m applying to second tier schools such as U Washington in Seattle, UF, etc.
You may be able to get scholarship money. Look at Alabama and UT-Dallas as some examples. Make sure to take the SAT so you can qualify for NMF
See http://nmfscholarships.yolasite.com/ for some possible scholarships if you advance to NM finalist (though some may be available to semifinalist). Verify on college web sites, since some may have changed.
I don’t think I’m going to get finalist, and I don’t plan on going to Alabama. I was just curious how much does it help on the application, and if that + ec’s + act score can counteract my low gpa.
Low GPA is the hardest thing to counteract. It is usually the very first thing adcoms look at.
Rigor (honors and APs) will help. Circumstances out of your control as an explanation for bad grades will help (You can mention in your essay or it could be in one of your letters). If your ECs are academic, they may help some. Sports will help if you are recruitable.
Your GPA sounds low for both UW and Florida. Make sure you find some safeties you like. Applying to schools with a smaller applicant pool sometimes helps with the GPA issue - they are better able to take the time to read your application in detail rather than just skimming through the numbers.
It will just be another aspect of your application that admission officers look at. I wouldn’t count on it to counteract a low GPA however, because often that is the most important thing in admissions.