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U. of Miami for Jamaican Student with 2.8 GPA?

Written by Sally Rubenstone | July 10, 2011

Question:I have a 2.8 gpa and I am an international student from Jamaica. U. of Miami is my dream school. I play a lot of sports and I am in a lot of clubs. I am a high school junior about to be a senior. What should I do for senior year?

Your GPA (2.8) is extremely low for the University of Miami. Only about 2% of all U. of Miami freshmen enter with a GPA between 2.5 and 2.99. So it seems like your only (long-shot) chance of admission would be as a highly recruited athlete. If you are outstanding in any of your sports (i.e., one of the top players in your age bracket in all of Jamaica), then you should contact the appropriate Miami coach. (The coaches' names and email addresses can be found on the university's athletic Web site.) Explain your interest in the university and provide details about your experience and ability in your sport. Note, however, that U. of Miami recruits athletes from around the world, so you would need to be exceptionally talented to be considered.

You should also search for other colleges where you will be welcomed with a 2.8 GPA. Try College Confidential's SuperMatch which will help you find schools that meet your preferences as well as your profile: http://www.collegeconfidential.com/college_search/ If you are especially interested in schools in Florida, you can choose your location preference on the SuperMatch questionnaire.

Note, however, that if you require financial assistance, the bar will be set extremely high for you (unless you are a U.S. citizen). International students requiring financial aid who are admitted to U.S. colleges usually have GPA's and SAT scores that are well above those of the typical admitted freshman. If you haven't taken the SAT yet, you should sign up now to do so at the start of your senior year. (See http://sat.collegeboard.org/register/ ) Alternatively, you can try the ACT instead. (See http://www.actstudent.org/regist/index.html ).

Admission to U.S. colleges can be a complex and daunting process, but hopefully you'll find some help from College Confidential. Good luck!

(posted 7/10/2011)

Sally Rubenstone

Sally Rubenstone knows the competitive and often convoluted college admission process inside out: From the first time the topic of college comes up at the dinner table until the last duffel bag is unloaded on a dorm room floor. She is the co-author of Panicked Parents' Guide to College Admissions; The Transfer Student's Guide to Changing Colleges and The International Student's Guide to Going to College in America. Sally has appeared on NBC's Today program and has been quoted in countless publications, including The New York Times, The Washington Post, USA Weekend, USA Today, U.S. News & World Report, Newsweek, People and Seventeen. Sally has viewed the admissions world from many angles: As a Smith College admission counselor for 15 years, an independent college counselor serving students from a wide range of backgrounds and the author of College Confidential's "Ask the Dean" column. She also taught language arts, social studies, study skills and test preparation in 10 schools, including American international schools in London, Paris, Geneva, Athens and Tel Aviv. As senior advisor to College Confidential since 2002, Sally has helped hundreds of students and parents navigate the college admissions maze. In 2008, she co-founded College Karma, a private college consulting firm, with her College Confidential colleague Dave Berry, and she continues to serve as a College Confidential advisor. Sally and her husband, Chris Petrides, became first-time parents in 1997 at the ripe-old age of 45. So Sally was nearly an official senior citizen when her son Jack began the college selection process, and when she was finally able to practice what she had preached for more than three decades.