My Stats, Colleges, Chances [FL resident, 3.1 GPA, 26 ACT, need financial aid with single parent; communications or digital media and art design]

Chance Me / Match Me
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MODERATOR EDITS TO REMOVE IDENTIFYING INFORMATION

Hi!! Im a senior in high school in Florida.
I go to a charter school that’s ranked very high academically. I’m Cuban American, Female, and White.

My intended major is sports communication, but since many colleges don’t offer that, I’m typically applying communications or digital media and art design.

My GPA unweighted is 3.1, weighted is 3.9. I’m top 40% out of a 123 class size. I’ve sent my ACT everywhere, I scored a 26 (not superscore)

I’ve taken 9 AP classes, scored mostly 3s and 4s.

I think what carries my application is my extracurriclers- My school offers a TV production and Film program that I’ve been a part of for 6+ years( I have a lot to show for my major, bc I make content and creations for the school and sports teams.) We’re ranked nationally and compete around the country, so I have many awards for that as well.
I have many other activities, some being leadership positions, part time jobs, small businesses, and athletics.

My essay is extremely strong as I am a strong writer and I spent months on it with extra help. I also have a very heavy topic that speaks on my family history. My additional information shares a lot about why my GPA is low, as it dropped my freshman year in the midst of serious problems throughout my family.

I have a single parent who is a teacher, so money is very low, and my twin and I are the youngest of 7 kids( same parents). So, my older sisters still in college go almost for free due to the amount of financial aid received, and I am expecting to receive a lot from FAFSA and need based scholarships.

Here is my list of Colleges!!
ED- Duke (Rejected) *I am a legacy

EA- Clemson (Deffered)

  • FSU (Rejected)
  • NC State
  • Penn State
  • UGA
  • U Michigan
  • UMiami
  • Syracuse
  • UMass Amherst
  • UNC Chapel Hill

Extras

  • LSU
  • FIU (Accepted)
  • UIowa (Accepted)
  • UPitt
  • UConn
  • Indiana University

I also have been thinking about going out of the country, but I need some help on paying for it, and I don’t really understand how it works for American students.

My top school right now is Syracuse, and I would love to go.

PLEASE LMK what you think my chances are !!! Plus lmk which would be best for my major, and what I should to + other schools I should apply to. I’ll update as I find out decisions.

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I’m so glad you have two acceptances because I think most of your list will be reaches for you. Your ECs will not make up for your grades, or ACT score (hoping you went test optional where that was possible).

I’m also concerned that your “extra” list contains colleges that will not be affordable.

I think you will get accepted to LSU. Not sure if cost will be OK for you.

I’m hoping your two acceptances are affordable for you.

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A couple of things.

FAFSA is a financial aid form. It does not give money. It determines your eligibility for federally funded aid. The total Pell Grant and the total Direct Loan for freshmen is about $12000 total…which will not cover the costs of any of the colleges on your list.

Starting now…the FAFSA form is no longer considering multiple students in college at the same time.

Some of the colleges on your list don’t guarantee to meet full need for all…and they don’t.

I’m not trying to be a Debbie downer here, but I think you need to be cautious expecting sufficient total aid from the schools on this list where you are likely to be accepted.

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Thank you for the information! Where do you think I have a good chance going w the best major for me. Or the school that would be the best fit for my circumstances

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@ecardelle21 I edited the OP to remove identifying information. Please be mindful of what you share on public forums on the internet. This is College Confidential for your benefit and safety. :smiley: Best of luck!

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Which school did you apply to? Newhouse is incredibly competitive as I’m sure you know. Good luck!!

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I applied to David B. Falk College of Sport and Human Dynamics!

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Update- Deferred from Penn State
Rejected from UGA

I’ve been deferred from 2 schools so far, any advice on what I should do? I heard reaching out to the school is beneficial.

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You have a GPA well below the average of the schools you applied and an ACT that is average to below average for the schools.

I’m shocked you got deferred at Clemson.

Duke, FSU, NC State, UGA, U Michigan, UNC and Miami - I don’t see any chance.

Syracuse - unlikely - but if full pay, you never know.

UMASS - unlikely.

LSU will be a yes. FIU and Iowa you’re already in. IU - you may be.

It’s a question of where you applied vs. your stats.

You can apply anywhere if you get into a school that you’d love to attend and can afford.

But it sounds like FIU and Iowa are not of interest. So if that’s the case - then why have applied.

So - what type of school would be of interest?

There are flagships that would want you - Bama, Ole Miss, Ms State, Ohio U, MIzzou, Kanasas and more. Smaller - Charleston, Coastal Carolina, Marshall, UT Chattanooga and more.

Most of your list is just a bit reachy for the stats you brought to the table.

That you need aid makes it harder - and likely places you in state. There’s lots of great publics in the state - maybe check out UNF, UWF, FAU, FGCU?

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Since your school is a “known quantity” in FL, apply to universities in FL that either have a D1 team or a pro team in town (even minor leagues).
I worry that deadlines may have passed at most Florida publics but look into USF, FAU, Florida tech, Florida Gulf coast, etc. As well as the private colleges (Flagler, Eckerd, Stetson, UTampa…)

Your sisters probably attend “meet need” schools (out if 3,700 universities in the country, there are 85 or so) or instate universities with full bright future grants.
Fafsa, ie., EFC/SAI amounts would be roughly 12k including half loans half grants. Most universities on your list cost ~50k+ OOS and won’t give you merit scholarships so you’d have to pay ALOT. Basically cross out all OOS public universities that you haven’t applied to.

The only exception here is Syracuse which has the resources to devote more time on applications and thus is more mikely to weigh your great ECs. It doesn’t mean it’ll be affordable- run thr Net Price Calculator and check.

Can you apply RD where your sisters are attending?(there may be some sibling preference and you know they meet need for your family).

Apply to Honors College at FIU.

What’s your budget? Is your EFC 0?

Your essays can be reviewed here by official CC readers.
http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/t/follow-these-instructions-to-get-essay-help/3640959/

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Were any of your older siblings NM finalists who qualified for the full ride for instate residents via Benequisto ?

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FAFSA is going to be different this year. No more "discounts “for multiples in college at the same time. Divorced parents will be questioned different this year, it is not about who you live with it is about " who provides the most support”. If you parents provide equal support, it will defer to who has the higher income and assets. So, depending on parents situation, your FAFSA aid could be different from siblings previous aid. Your SAI ( previous language EFC) is now per child, not split among students in college. Make sure you run the Net Price Calculator on Syracuse website. Also, my daughter is at Newhouse in Syracuse, VERY competitive major, and entry level jobs are not high paying. So make sure you have some state schools on your list, that can offer internships at all the major sports networks. My undergrad was Communications, many friends of mine work for ESPN and Turner and were state school kids who had awesome internships and got hired from them. That’s the golden ticket!

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I’m not sure LSU is a given anymore. Last year they had well over 40,000 applicants and just based on their admitted student orientation profile and their accepted student orientation, it’s gotten a lot more competitive. They also had a much larger than normal yield. It also seemed like other schools in the region that used to be easier to get into were also swamped with applications . We had several schools that we applied to, that based on stats the schools published we should have gotten significant merit, and were deferred to regular admissions and even wait listed. FSU, Clemson, UGA, USC pretty much deferred most to regular admissions because their admissions offices were swamped. So I would cast a wide net because I don’t think applications have gone down, and I am not sure admissions has enough time and man power to do holistic reviews.

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I would add University of Alabama (you will find Cuban Americans there, don’t worry) to your list and agree with others re adding more Florida schools.

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Awesome! My daughter’s roomate is in Falk. Good luck to you!

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@ecardelle21 I agree with the flagship list! Don’t discount universities like Alabama, Ole Miss, and Mizzou (where you can get decent scholarships). Plus they are fun, large, solid SEC schools!

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They don’t give a lot of out of state money. They are very Conservative politically / traditional values.

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SEC schools have a lot of money to give. We are OOS and my daughter got at least 50% from both Ole Miss and Mizzou. Plus, we are a conservative family so I’m not sure if that was supposed to be an insult or just a lapse in appropriate response.

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Not an insult - just an FYI. I get the sense that the poster needs full support - a half-ride of OOS (30k+ incl room and board) won’t meet their needs.

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Coming back to update!

I was accepted to the University of Connecticut and I am most likely attending! I was close to choosing Indiana, and UIowa was an option too, but UConn makes the most sense for me. Pls share any tips you may have!

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