International student with an American citizenship

<p>I posted this on the "what are my chances" board but then noticed there is a forum dedicated to International students, so I decided to try my luck here as well.</p>

<p>As stated by the title, I am an international student with an american citizenship. I would like to apply as a freshman to a university in the US. I graduated from High School in 09'.
My country does not offer AP\IB classes, however it does offer levels of difficulty for some classes.</p>

<p>Unfortunately, while in High School I didn't consider the consequences of not studying for my finals, and therefore, my GPA does not reflect me. </p>

<p>My GPA is: 75 unweighted and 88 weighted (98\100 in the highest english difficulty which is a weighted 123).</p>

<p>EC's:
Served in my countries army for 7 months as a combat medic (volunteered).</p>

<p>ACT\SAT:
Planning on taking the SAT in October.</p>

<p>The universities I would like to apply to are: FSU,UF,UMich,UCLA. My top priorities are fsu and uf due to the possibility of applying as a Florida resident for financial aid.</p>

<p>Considering my low GPA, am I better off getting a GED and applying to these schools with it, or does the fact that i am an international student might give me an advantage even with my low GPA?</p>

<p>If you are already a high school graduate, taking the GED is pointless. I don’t know about Florida, but Michigan and UCLA are reaches for you, since you’d be considered out of state. However, don’t forget you also have the option of community college for a year, establishing a good GPA, and then transfering.</p>

<p>“My top priorities are fsu and uf due to the possibility of applying as a Florida resident for financial aid.”</p>

<p>If you can claim Florida residence, then the public universities and community colleges in Florida would be a good place to start. As a US citizen, you are eligible for federally determined (FAFSA) financial aid. Read up on it at [FinAid</a>! Financial Aid, College Scholarships and Student Loans](<a href=“http://www.finaid.org%5DFinAid”>http://www.finaid.org) You also do have the option of choosing the part of the country you would like to study in, moving there, getting a job so that you can establish residence for tuition purposes. In most cases you would need to be living and working in that state for a year before you apply to college, however each state (and sometimes each institution) makes its own rules about this.</p>

<p>I will be considered a Florida resident by the time I apply for college, thus I do not need to establish residence for tuition purposes. The only thing I wonder is whether I stand a chance getting accepted to one of the universities I have stated above or not.</p>

<p>The only people who can tell you whether it is likely you will be admitted are the admissions counselors at these two universities. It is perfectly OK for you to contact them directly and ask for an estimate of your chances. If it is unlikely that you would be admitted, talk with them about the best options for you within the Florida Community College system. It may be to your advantage to start at a CC that has a formal articulation or guaranteed admission agreement for your major with one or more of the public universities in Florida.</p>

<p>I see, thank you.</p>