Please help me for advice for UM?

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

<p>Ok, so UM is my dream school. I am a junior in high school, and I know that If I can get into UM with a scholarship I have a good chance of going. The thing is, I don't have money now to pay any huge amount and honestly I don't qualify for a scholarship at all..I need the best of the best advice for things I can until I apply senior year, I'm looking for a 20,000+ is my goal. I will gave you some basic info and you guys can tell me what to expand and whatnot
Thank you!
GPA W 4.2
GPA UW: 3.5
Class rank: top 11% (really close to top 10)
ACT: 22 (I know, I know. I'm taking the SAT later this year)
5 APs by the time i graduate, not sending any cores due to low scores.. is this a bad idea and do they care for the AP exam score? 10+ honors
I'm a dancer, singer, tennis player, and golfer. I'm actually trying out to be a Miami Heat Dancer or Miami Dolphin Cheerleader next year, which makes me stand out i guess.
Thank you again!</p>

2

<p>I would say you definately need to retake the ACT and get that score up to at least a 27 or 28. The higher the better, and the good thing about UM is that they superscore the ACT. Also, take as many AP classes you can, and do good in them. Do good on the test! I did not send my scores officially, but I did report them(I passed them all), and I was accepted without sending them so I don’t think it really matters. Any extracurriculars? Start clubs, show leadership. & lastly, I would highly recommend, if it is available to you, really consider taking some dual enrollment classes!! As a junior, you still have some time left. UM is competitive to get into, but it is not impossible!</p>

3

<p>Your GPA is a bit on the low side - assume 3.5 uw is on a scale of 4.0. Your class rank is good and I’d say in line with others that have received the 20k scholarship. But to be honest with you, one strong factor will not put your app in the 20k pile. You need to back up that rank in class with at least a couple of these: </p>

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<p>I don’t know if not reporting your AP scores will negatively affect your chance for the scholarship. I guess if I were in admissions and saw APs reported as “passed”, I’d assume a score of 3. Again, if I’m looking at 2 applicants who both sort of qualify for a 20k and one has AP scores of 4 and 5, I’m probably going to pick them. So, I’m agreeing with Chinadoll - score well on the AP tests!</p>

<p>Regarding the cheerleading - that does sound like a great EC, especially if you actually become a cheerleader for a pro team. And, I’m not sure if UM has any athletic scholarships related to cheerleading - I know some schools do - something you should look into. </p>

<p>I’m kind of guessing you live in the Miami area? If so, you should definitely visit the campus, make contacts with people in admissions and also in the school you’ll likely apply to. Meet with professors. Some of the schools have a peer counselor program (<a href=“http://www.rsmas.miami.edu/assets/pdfs/undergraduate/Peer-Counselors-2011.pdf[/url]”>http://www.rsmas.miami.edu/assets/pdfs/undergraduate/Peer-Counselors-2011.pdf&lt;/a&gt;).</p>

<p>I apologize if I sound a bit negative for your chances at the 20k, but based on what I saw last year and this, the competition is strong and if you really want the prize you have to be stronger!
~Zinc</p>

4

<p>thank you and no it’s ok I like honestly, how about my chances just to get in without a scholarship? and oh and do you think getting my unweighted to a 3.6-3.7 would give me a better chance?
thank you again!</p>

5

<p>I think if you pull your gpa up to a 3.7, keep in the top 11% of your class AND improve your ACT score, or turn in a good SAT, you have a great chance at being accepted. </p>

<p>I think your chances improve by doing any of the things I have marked as > above. I also think you should visit and let them know you are serious about the school (my D visited in Feb of her junior year - we combined with a mini vacation) and that trip did wonders for all of us. </p>

<p>Finally, think you should plan on applying Early Action - the acceptance rates seem be higher in that pool.</p>

<p>Hoping others who keep viewing this thread will jump in here…</p>

6

<p>Only about 4% of incoming students had an ACT score in your range, and they were probably, frankly, student-athletes or had some sort of connection. I’d say it really comes down to what you score on the SAT.</p>

7

<p>yeah I know I got to bring that up, and yep I already visited the campus… I love the whole area and the campus, I only live about 35-45 minutes away and have no clue if I should stay in a dorm or not if i did go.</p>

8

<p>There have been a lot of threads here about dorm living for “locals” or commuters. I think you miss out on a whole lot of the college experience as well as a lot of fun by not living in the dorms. If you search for the other threads, you’ll see many arguments both for and against this, but I think the pros outweigh the cons. </p>

<p>Of course, the ~12,000 expense for room and board can be a big factor for some - but if you can swing it financially I’d vote for living on campus.</p>

9

<p>You can get in with a 3.5 GPA but a 22 on the ACT will demolish your chances. Focus on studying and try to get it up to atleast 27. Try out the SAT too. </p>

<p>Have you taken any dual enrollment classes? I wasn’t eligible for scholarships but I took a dual enrollment class, got an A in it and I got a Scholarship for transfer students even though I’m going in as a freshman! </p>

<p>Also look at Miami.edu under scholarships and there is a nice list of hundreds of scholarships you can apply for that could be used at UM.</p>

10

<p>thank you guys! I didn’t expect this much feedback. Anyone know how UM is vs lets say FIU?</p>

11

<p>You can get into FIU easily. If I were you I’d apply to UM early decision, but if you don’t get in then you can go to FIU for a year or two and then transfer.</p>

<p>I know FIU has a great environment and its a fun school. Can’t really talk on the academics side because I don’t know much about it.</p>

<p>Just try to put your heart into your essays and show your passions.</p>

12

<p>I would say apply Early Action so you are not obligated to attend if the cost is too high. EA also has a much higher acceptance rate than ED.</p>

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