Please chance me! :D

Colleges and Universities A-Z University of Miami - Florida
1

<p>I visited UMiami 2 years ago and I loved the campus and city! I'm Cuban soo I feel very at home there, haha. Will my ethnicity negatively impact my chances?</p>

<p>A little background info about me:
-I'm 17 & male
-I had depression for most of hs, which reflects my horrible freshman year :/, but I'm not writing about it. I don't want it to be an excuse.
-I'm Cuban (Born in Chicago, but my grandparents/parents were refugees)
-I'm an Illinois resident
-I'm bisexual & agnostic (some little things that set me apart)
-My parents are divorced and my mum's had full custody of me since I was 1(ish)
-I have 2 sisters in college
-my mom's income is $75,000</p>

<p>My Stats:
-I've taken all honors/APs excluding math. I was in advanced geometry freshman year but for sophomore year (and the years following), I decided to take Alg 2 Trig I, Pre-Calc I, and senior year I'll be taking AP Calc AB.
Other APs: US History, Language and Comp, American Gov't and Politics, and AP Microeconomics.
-Senior Schedule: Photo 1 (first sem), Journalism (2nd sem), AP Literature, International Relations (advanced), Leisure and Recreation (4 yrs of gym required in IL), AP Calc AB, AP psych, and AP Spanish.
-Uw GPA: 3.4 (ugh, low I know.); W GPA:5.1...my school weights it weird..Upward trend.
-Rank: top 16% (yeah, fml.)
-ACT: 1) 31 (E:34, R:34, S:27, M:27, no writing-school couldn't afford it
2) 29 (E:31, R:30, S:25..., M: 28, writing: 8)..and I want to be a journalist too :/ lol.
3) I'll be retaking in October. I want at least a 30.
-Sat 2's: US History: 770, Spanish w/o listening: 740 (I speak it at home, but I'm not great at reading & writing)
<em>Luckily UM accepts the 31</em></p>

<p>-Extracurriculars: Cross country (2 years), Yearbook (3 years, including editorship for 2), Club Environmental Rescue (3 yrs) , Habitat for Humanity (3 yrs), Stage crew (3 yrs), Spanish Honor Society (3 yrs), and Nat'l Honor Society (2 yrs). We don't even do anything for Sp Honor Society though, so it's useless. </p>

<p>-Community Service:
1) Ever since I was about 7 my family has helped out at a homeless shelter once a month for our church (they only have it once a month :/, but it's for 4-5 hours). We first set up pads and sheets, then we serve the food to the homeless, and afterwards we are able to eat and socialize. We also sometimes play bingo or do some other fun activities with them.
2) For three years I've helped out at my Church's thanksgiving drive. This is 4-5 hours a year, so it's not much. Anyways, I translate for Hispanic families and I'm a personal shopper (I tell them what they can get, and I hold the bag/box).
3) I also have helped for 3 yrs at the summer vacation bible camp. As a crew leader I lead a group of 5-6 kids (ages 5-10) throughout the stations and I help them in finding God (yeah, I'm not even Catholic lol).
4) I've helped out at this soccer camp for 2 summers. I was in charge of registration & translation. It took place in a low-income, predominantly Hispanic neighborhood.
5) I've gone two times to a food pantry, totaling 10 hours. I'm hoping to go more, it's just so hard to wake up early on Saturday morning with schools >.<</p>

<p>-I want to major in journalism (I prefer broadcast); also interested in double majoring in Spanish. I'm also interested in studying Portuguese.</p>

<p><strong>Quick question-should I apply EA with a 3.4 gpa? Or should I apply RD with first sem grades which I'm confident I can boost my gpa to a 3.5 at least?</strong></p>

<p>Thanks for reading this REALLY long post. I really do appreciate all the help and I thank you for your time if you were patient enough to read all of this! Also, is this a reach? match? I know my gpa is low :/.</p>

2

<p>-I’m bisexual & agnostic (some little things that set me apart)</p>

<p>Do NOT put that on your application. Not that UM discriminates against sexuality and religion, but those are two things that have nothing to do with anything. Why the f*** would UM care if you’re bi and what your religious preference is? It’s like saying “I broke my arm when I was 7, so I believe I’m a good candidate.”</p>

<p>And I’m going to go ahead and say maybe. Maybe maybe. You have very nice volunteer work and EC’s. Your ACT score is higher than the average ACT score of 30. But…what you’re trying to say is that if you don’t get scholarships, you can’t go to UM (mom makes 75k). You’ll probably get a lot in financial aid if you’re accepted. But, idk if you’d be accepted because of your GPA.</p>

3

<p>I also think you are on the border. Your 31 ACT is very good and would normally get you in (IMO), but the class rank (and I guess GPA) is what doesn’t jive to me. So much depends on the strength of the rest of the applicant pool. If you apply EA, I think best case you’d be accepted but with a small merit scholarship. Worst case I think you’d be waitlisted. </p>

<p>If you need scholarship $$$ to attend, better start looking for outside money, or hope for a favorable FAFSA EFC number based on your family income and there may be 3 siblings in college at the same time?</p>

<p>There probably isn’t much you can do about your GPA or class rank at this point in high school. So I’d focus on what you can impact - taking ACT again, and instead of hoping for a 30 - shoot for a 33!! You’re already taking a rigorous schedule (very important). Ramp up your ECs if possible and find teachers who will write you fantastic RECs. If you have any contact with a local UM rep, keep in touch with them, let them know that you consider the U your first choice (that is, if you do).</p>

<p>Good luck to you this upcoming application season!</p>