Where should I apply in Florida?

College Search & Lists
1

Hello,

I’m currently a HS junior who will be applying for universities later this year. My grades are a mix of A’s and a few B+'s, but mostly A’s. My UW GPA is a 3.9/4.0 with my weighted being a 4.6. My ranking is top 4%. So far, I’ve taken 3 AP classes and have 3 more planned for senior year, which will total up to 6 AP’s (1 in sophomore year, 2 in junior, 3 in senior year).

I think I’m doing okay as a student and am studying for the SAT to receive the BF FAS Scholarship. However, I have a few flaws that I’m very concerned about. In 8th, 9th, and 10th grade, I was online schooled and had some problems at home because of my parents, separation, etc., but I joined public school in 11th grade and now live with a single mother.

My extracurriculars are seriously lacking and I’m afraid it’ll deem my application as worthless. I am currently in Environmental Club, a mental health awareness club, and was recently accepted into a leadership board outside of school for a non-profit organization (but I recently joined these activities, so I’ve spent less than a year in each of them).
I spent my entire 10th grade year volunteering like a madman and now have 330 volunteer hours. I am a decent writer and was nominated by my teacher to enter a writing competition a few weeks ago, but the results come out later in May. I also applied for two summer programs (SCS Noonan and GWC) and was accepted into GWC, but am waiting to hear back from SCS Noonan before I secure my seat with GWC.

I spend most of my time studying, reading, and practicing piano. However, these are not “real extracurriculars” and I honestly don’t know what to do about it. I read a lot of philosophy in my free time because I love it. I read research papers, novels, historical books, biographies, and more. In regards to piano, I work with a private instructor in studying music theory, music history, and learning classical music pieces. I absolutely love classical music and am thinking about submitting a music supplement with my application, but am not sure if that’s a good idea and don’t know how to go about submitting the supplement (I don’t intend on majoring in music, but I’m around an early advanced level in music and practice for 1-2 hours/day). My extracurriculars don’t align with the physical school I attend–they’re sort of selfish and completely independent compared to my peers who dedicate their time to after school clubs and leadership positions.

I apologize for the lengthy post, but I tried to provide enough information in hopes of receiving genuine advice. So, what can I do about my lacking extracurriculars? Should I submit a music supplement? What FL schools are likely to accept me? I have a lot of questions, so any advice is appreciated.

2

Taking and studying piano and music is a real EC and I think you should treat it as such. You can emphasize it and not have to major in it. I think you are better positioned than you think you are. Good luck!

3

I hope so, but do most state universities allow music supplements even if you’re not majoring in music?

4

What kind of schools are you interested in?

I would encourage you to apply to New College of Florida, which is the state’s public honors liberal arts college. It’s in Sarasota and does holistic admissions. The academic program there is very unique so you should definitely do your research and see if it’s for you, but you seem like you’d be a good fit, and they LOVE students with genuine passion. You should definitely mention your piano playing in your admissions portfolio. Independent work like that is really well-received by New College, their ideal student is independent and self-driven.

5

Are you a FL resident?

It sounds like you’ve got a fascinating background. One thing to possibly focus on is what you plan to do during the summer–you can potentially demonstrate a strong interest you have through a related internship, for example.

You say you are a good writer–do you LIKE to write? Fiction, non-fiction? Poetry? The reason I ask is that there are a lot of writing opportunities for teens–not just contests, but also journals. There’s at least one journal in Florida I know of that loves to publish stories and poems by teens and developing writers, but is only open to Florida residents. Getting published, even in a small journal, is pretty cool and is a way to demonstrate interest and talent in an application. If you’re outside Florida, there are plenty of other options. You can find some on thereviewreview.net. Good luck!

6

@Grads2020 As was said above, “EC” is “extra-curricular”, meaning anything outside school. Studying an instrument counts. Are you in-state and want to apply to Florida state schools for financial reasons? Definitely consider UF. If you were willing to look outside Florida, there are schools like Vassar that don’t much care about ECs. Or McGill, that doesn’t care at all.