I have no idea what to do. Someone help me please (UF/UIUC transfer advice)

<p>This is basically copied from my email sent to Engineering Advising at the University of Florida. I'm also putting it here for anyone with any knowledge to help me out.</p>

<p>To whom it may concern:</p>

<p>As a current student at the University of Illinois that has just completed his first semester majoring in Nuclear Engineering, I have been looking into potentially transferring into the University of Florida. Without going into detail, I graduated from a Florida high school and the burden of going out-of-state to Illinois has become rather large, mentally and financially. The costs are too much for my family to handle, and as my mother has issues with being bipolar and an alcoholic, going to school one thousand miles away has been quite taxing on our family. The biggest hurdle to overcome is that my GPA during this semester has suffered rather considerably. I achieved as followed (credit hours indicated):</p>

<p>Chemistry 1: B (3)
Chemistry 1 Lab: A- (1)
Microeconomics: B (3)
Intro to Nuclear Engineering: A (1)
Physics 1: C- (4)
Calculus 2: D+ (3)</p>

<p>Calculated GPA: 2.42</p>

<p>Essentially, I challenged myself too much by jumping into physics and calculus early, and now I fear that aside from hurting my GPA, it will also hurt my chances of getting into the college I truly belong at. With these facts in mind, what kind of chances do I have of getting into UF for Fall 2006? As an aside, I was accepted into UF during my senior year, I have an SAT score of 1450, and my GPA was 3.96W with a decent amount of IB/AP credits. I was upset because on the online application, there was no area to account for my grades during this time, and I feel my application will be quickly rejected without giving care into my particular situation. Besides being the first immediate choice for transfer, UF is the only Florida school that offers a Nuclear Engineering major, which is very important to me.</p>

<p>What I'm exactly looking for, is some knowledge and insight from people who have been in similar situations. I need to know what kind of chance I have at being accepted into UF for next fall, and if not then, what are some of the best options to get into the university? Some people have suggested transferring to a community college or a school such as UCF until I could get into UF, but you must understand the risks involved there. I fear that if I were to switch and not ever get into UF, I will have not only missed an opportunity there, at one of the top engineering schools in the country, but also forfeited an education at the University of Illinois, another top school for engineering. I humbly request ANY information or advice you can give me for my situation, so I'm best equipped to make the best course of action on something that could affect the rest of my life.</p>

<p>bumpity bump bump, help please.</p>

<p>well, if you're going to transfer to a community college before UF, Santa Fe is your best bet, rather than UCF (even though UCF is better than a community college). thats bc UF has a special relationship with Santa Fe and accepts tons of transfers from there. plus, you'll get a chance to know Gainesville before you more there. </p>

<p>i think that if you submit an explanation of your grades, you should have a decent shot. your HS stats are really strong, strong enough to get you into the honors' program here...so they will give you some consideration for that. i would call them and ask to speak with an admissions officer and then tell them basically what you wrote. explain your situation and ask if that will have any bearing on the decision.</p>

<p>(i go to UF now, so you can let me know if you have any other questions)</p>