<p>First off, no I'm not that type of person that constantly uses excuses to get out of situations. I'm very honest. So I feel compelled to explain why I have such a lack of EC's on my application.</p>
<p>Freshman and sophomore year: both summers I had to travel to Colombia due to a family emergency. One of those summers my grandfather died out of nowhere. Both times I came back just days before school started. So basically, this past summer was the only one where I got myself to work and volunteered a good amount of hours. I'm now beginning to volunteer at a hospital. I feel like those previous summers I could've accomplished a lot (dual enrollment classes), yet I just had no choice but to leave. I understand EC's could be done during the school year, but maybe these experiences hindered me into joining anything.</p>
<p>Should I bother explaining this to UF, or would they just see it as a petty excuse and possibly ruin my chances of being accepted? Thanks (and please no harsh lectures, most of this was out of my hands)</p>
<p>if you feel they are valid excuses, yes. whether UF feels they are valid excuses is for admissions to decide</p>
<p>In no way am I some expert on college applications, or, specifically, applying to UF. My son plans to apply, but he looks at it as playing the lottery. He’s got the stats, and if he gets in, fine. If he doesn’t, fine. Now, I definitely understand that the school is the dream school for many, and so I hope you get admitted.</p>
<p>We went to the orientation and the admissions rep stated that the applications are given 50% weight for academics (and looking at stats, the majority of admitted students had 4.0+ and high SAT/ACT test scores- UF really loves 4.0+ gpas - so I would focus mightily on getting that 4.0 and above and make sure every class you take is an academic class) and then 50% is given to the remainder of the holistic review. In your application, you will be given a chance to include information about family obligations, and then you will have your personal essay to share even more.</p>
<p>From my perspective, why look upon your summers spent with family in Colombia, especially during a time of grief, as a negative? Just because you were not able to serve as a volunteer to strangers in the community or weren’t able to sign up for some club? You served the most important people in your life - your family - and you had the unusual experience of having to travel to Colombia to do it. You already have a very unique perspective on life, don’t you think? I think so. You’ve dealt with death, you’ve maintained a connection with your family’s native country, you’ve traveled farther than a lot of teens, you’ve spent two summers in Colombia (probably some interesting things to share) and it sounds like you are a dedicated student on top of all of that.</p>
<p>Stay positive and definitely do not make excuses for your life. Approach all of this from a positive point of view, share your unique perspective with whomever it is at UF who will be reviewing your application, and let them know why you believe you are the right fit for UF and what you will bring to the university. Don’t apologize for anything.</p>
<p>I agree with Chesterton’s post. It may be beneficial to include somewhere in your application of how you faced many tough obstacles in your life up to this point but that this is your background and story, and you’ve become stronger as a result of the experience in some way. Also, there is a section on the application to note if there have been any circumstances (family obligations, etc.) that hindered your participation in extracurriculars during your high school career.</p>