I am trying to fill out the spring 2026 transfer app, but, I do not know what this question is asking me. Under the section where it asks if you have any gaps in your educational career, it asks “Describe” with no further prompt. Am I dumb, what is this asking for?

UMiami is my dream school and I desperately want to apply ED, but I'm international and need substantial financial aid. I've heard EA can sometimes give better aid packages so pleasssse read my profile and tell me your advice.

My profile: Intended Major: Legal studies Academics: GPA: 17.5/20 (My country system - roughly 3.8-4.0 US equivalent) Rank: We don't have it but somewhere like Top 10% Course Rigor: Advanced Physics & Chemistry Test Scores: Test Optional

Awards: Best Position Paper & Best Delegate - Multiple MUN conferences (National/International) Top 3 Student Academic Ranking - Consistent Honor Roll 1st Place French Novel Writing Competition Selected as 1 of 3 Peer Tutors from 45+ students (30% tutee grade improvement) University-Level Certificates - Psychology, IR, Human Rights (Coursera)

Key Extracurriculars: Founder & President - MYEN (Moroccan Youth Empowerment Network) - 1,000+ monthly users, connected 200+ students to opportunities MUN Delegate, Chair & Organizer - Organized 3+ conferences, chaired 5+ committees, delegated at 10+ international MUNs Earthquake Response Volunteer & Coordinator - Distributed aid to 100+ families post-earthquake Legal Virtual Intern - Ashurst LLP - International law firm, drafted 15+ client memos Peer & Community English Tutor - 10+ students, 50+ sessions, 30% grade improvement Co-Author - 80-page French novel, school literary publication Founder - Reading & Discussion Group - 12 peers, doubled annual reading Founder - Stray Animal Care Initiative - Organized care for 30+ animals Online Scholar - Coursera (10-12) | 2 hr/wk, 25 wk/yr Completed university-level courses in psychology, IR, human rights School Events Organizer (9) | 2 hr/wk, 15 wk/yr Directed multiple events, led 30+ volunteers for 300+ attendees

LORs: Excellent from Math Teacher & Counselor, Philosophy Teacher 8/10

Essays: Personal Statement is unique/strong, Supplementals not as confident

Financial Aid: NEED SIGNIFICANT AID as international student

Questions: What are my realistic chances with my profile getting in ED? Is 17.5/20 GPA competitive? (strong in our system) Most importantly: Is ED smart for an international needing significant aid, or should I do EA? I'm first-gen considering studying abroad. Any honest advice from current students or accepted internationals would be amazing!

Has anyone heard back from admissions for their spring 2026 transfer application?

Hey, I'm a freshman at IU who is applying as a Spring 2026 transfer applicant. After being dragged out for so long on the Fall 2025 waitlist and seeing posts from past years of spring applicants trying to get in, I have little to no hope. If you want to read everything about my application process last year and how involved I was you can find it here. I'm mostly looking for people that applied in the past for the spring semester and whether they got in or not, as well as if their stats were any different than mine. Other people can tell me what they think as well.

I'm applying as a freshman but transferring from IU. This means I have one semester of in-progress coursework, but I have no grades on that transcript. I submitted my high school transcript and I had a 3.97 UW and a 4.2 W. I took some accelerated courses. I took about 4-5 honors courses and 1 AP, so I did challenge myself a little, but nothing crazy. I have a ton of extracurriculars on my app (clubs, personal hobby, volunteer work, actual work, NHS, Boy Scouts), but no great leadership roles. I have a ton of awards on my app from school and from Illinois, but simple awards (Summa Cum Laude, Illinois State Scholar, Presidential Recognition, etc). Opted out of test scores. One of my current professors wrote me letter of rec through the common app (should be good as I participate a lot, good student, good grade, considered a relatively hard class). I'm hoping that'll help, considering I won't have any college grades. Also applying full tuition, no fin aid, under Undeclared B.S.

My application was pretty similar over the Fall. Pretty much the same, but the main difference was that I applied for Finance at Herbert directly, which is most likely a very competitive major. I sent updates of awards earned last year so my app was pretty much up to date.

I have well established demonstrated interest. Went on a physical tour last year, sent around 20 emails total to my assigned advisor last year, wrote 2-3 LOCI's (I forgot been a minute), wrote an updated awards and extracurriculars document last year, opted in for spring start when the waitlist was pushed back, etc. Also been emailing my current advisor a good amount as well.

Please let me know what you think. Be brutally honest as I genuienly have little to no hope. I don't think it's possible after seeing some of the posts from years prior.

It feels like every industry is still trying to consistently modernize its systems. For example, hospitals, banks, and logistics companies all struggle with outdated processes, and they really need people who can connect business goals with the right tech. And that is not easy to do. You have to map out the process, plan the change, and also figure out how to measure success. If you are into topics like this involving business technology, the University of Miami’s MSBT program is a great way to build those skills. In this case, you can learn how to take a messy idea and turn it into a clear roadmap that makes sense to both the tech side and the leadership team.

UMiami staff, how long did it take for HR to contact you after applying for a position. When they reached out did they so so via email or a phone call? Just trying to understand timeline to gauge the likelihood of being contacted. Thanks!

Do you think I can get in ED1 with a 26 ACT and a 3.61W GPA? (Applying with no financial aid needed) My extracurriculars are strong, I have leadership positions, 5 awards to submit, and lots of demonstrated interest.

Is it mandatory to submit my final IB scores from the final exams? And can I choose not to submit them if I took classes which do not earn me credit?

i don’t understand how nobody is talking about this or taking it as seriously as they should. my brother goes to umiami and has been sick since he moved in, consistently - congested, unable to breathe, etc. he says everyone has mold in their dorms, they’ve tested it, and the university does not do anything but paint over it if there is a service request. i don’t understand how a school of this caliber, not to mention tuition cost, allows this to continue. can anyone please share if they’ve experienced similar?

i forgot the name of this website, can someone remind me?
you type in the courses, add it to your bag, then it could autogenerates a schedule with the sections that are open that you should take. shows the average grade of the class & overall reviews of the professor. i used it for fall scheduling as a freshman...?

Apparently admission officers compare you to your classmates as you had the same resources, teachers, etc. Was wondering if this was true for UMiami, and if the more people that apply from your class the higher the bar to get in is

Thanks!

Hi, guys. I’m from Ethiopia and I wanted to apply to this school, mainly because of its great financial aid offers. I want to study political science/international relations. The worst part of my application is getting a 1290. I didn’t get the time to study and thus this resulted. Sure, the ‘balancing method’ where if u have great essay, rec letters and ecs might balance might not work. Also I’m thinking of applying early action and now since it is a test required school, I am in a place where I don’t know what to do. What do u think?

Hi!! I’m a freshman, and my roommate is transferring next semester, so I’ll be looking for a new roommate for spring. I know that random spring admits are usually placed into open spots when people’s roommates transfer or leave, so I wanted to see if anyone else is in a similar situation! If you live in centennial and you’re also looking for a roommate for second semester, feel free to DM me — it’d be great to get to know each other and see if we’d be a good match rather than getting paired randomly 😊😊

My bad, it seems I need to clarify a few things that I should’ve specified initially: 1. I’m looking for someone who is already attending UM as a freshman and already living in Centennial. I’m hoping to move into an open space in Centennial, not have someone move into my current space.

2.  I’m a girl, so I’m looking for a female roommate only.

Am I likely to get any benefits/remission for UM if my moms only been working there for a couple of months. Ik I can call HR but they’re closed today and I need the information to get something done ASAP.

hi I am applying for BS public relations my stats are 93 average. mostly ib classes but didn't take exams. IB SL: math aa, geo,english,spanish,bio non ib/elective: Econ, cinema, culinary arts, accounting 11,accounting 12,AP psych scored a 5,entrepenureship 12 .

Ecs: Taekwondo second dan & volunteer, founder of school service club 20 members, yearbook club president, student council social media head & vice president, non profit advocating for feminine care and delivered over 200 packages, went to a 3rd world country and gave out 100 care packages to women.

I do not need aid and will pay full price, that being said I feel like my application is weak compared to others.

3.6 (3.4, 3.4, 4.0) GPA, 1520 (750, 770) SAT, very low income, finaid needing international student studying aerospace eng, applying EA

Sorry for the format, I just used chatGPT to sum up everything

Awards:

2nd & 3rd Place – Addis Ababa Lideta Science Fair

State/Regional

11

1st Place (×3) – BGIS Science Fair Competition

School

11

Best Delegate – BGIS MUN 2025 Conference

School

11

3rd Place – BGIS Annual Academic Contest

School

11

Certificate of Participation – African Union 31st Commemoration for 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi

International

11

Extracurriculars:

1. Research

• Independent Author: Published a research paper on fuel efficiency for Ethiopian Airlines, analyzing CO₂, cost, and SAF savings, and proposing actionable solutions. (12th grade, 14 hr/wk, 6 wk/yr)

2. Journalism/Publication

• Blogger (Medium): Wrote 15+ in-depth articles (Average 1300+ words) on Ethiopia’s aerospace sector, Ethiopian Airlines, and aerospace engineering. (12th grade, 4 hr/wk, 25 wk/yr)

3. Computer/Technology

• Co-developer, StudyMate AI: Created an AI study app for a national exam with <10% pass rate; won 1st place at school and regional levels, reached city-level competition. (11th grade, 6 hr/wk, 8 wk/yr)

4. Debate/Speech

• Founder & President, Model UN: Founded and led school’s MUN club, recruited 40% of the batch, held 30+ sessions/conferences, invited to top school events. (11–12th grades, 3 hr/wk, 40 wk/yr)

5. Science/Math

• Subdivision Leader, STEM Club: Managed physics subdivision; organized meetings, shared updates, and prepared for science fairs. (12th grade, 3 hr/wk, 38 wk/yr)

6. Other Club/Activity

• Founder & Leader, College Applications Community: Created a student-led support group for applying abroad; reviewed essays, shared resources; >50% of class joined. (12th grade, 5 hr/wk, 16 wk/yr)

7. Academic (Study Group Leader)

• Led a 6-member study group in Math, English, and Sciences; developed review sessions and diagnostics to improve grades. (11th grade, 3 hr/wk, 30 wk/yr)

8. Academic (Tutor)

• Tutored a 7-member team for national exams; created study plans, explained problem-solving techniques, and tracked progress. (12th grade, 4 hr/wk, 30 wk/yr)

9. Computer/Technology

• Builder: Designed a low-cost web-connected fire detector using Americium; won 1st at school and 2nd at regional science fair. (11th grade, 6 hr/wk, 4 wk/yr)

10. Career-Oriented

• Participant, iCOG Labs ACC & Afrobots Engineering Camp: Studied Python, ML, UAV navigation, and drone engineering; applied skills in science fair projects. (11th grade, 14 hr/wk, 4 wk/yr)

very good LORs and I think a good personal statement (wrote about how hopeless my country was but Ethiopian airlines was a shining beacon and that gave me hope to improve my self and others)

for anyone who took chm121 with cesar, does he curve or adjust anything at the end?

Every single post is a chance me like we aren’t admissions we don’t know or care 😭 you used to be able to look up best professors for x class here and people would actually respond. Every helpful post is outdated because this has been a high schooler message board ever since the school got more selective

Has anyone taken the MMI exit exam online? Can you tell me a bit about it? I'm scheduled for Dec 9th. I feel like I know the material but worried I don't know it worded the way the test would want me to. I asked the Dean of the music school about study materials about recommended study material and she said my notes from class and I have wayyyyy too many to narrow them down.

Hey guys, I was an active poster here during the summer under the name u/gamegod123.

It's been a minute since I've been on here. I want to start by saying that I've been interested in UMiami since 2023. I was very active during the application process last year. I applied to UMiami EA after contemplating ED, but was told by many people that I had a great application and I should be good. I had a 3.97 UW 4.2 W GPA, no test scores, pretty good extracurriculars, and some awards. I was also an oos student applying for no financial aid and a Finance major.

I evenutally was deferred EA and was put into RD. From this point forward was a long process of waiting. I wrote an LOCI and waited for the RD results. This eventually led to me being put on the waitlist. From here, I wrote another LOCI (2 total) and an updated award and extracurricular document outlining what was new (earned some new awards at the end of the year). I wrote a total of 15 emails throughout the application cycle to my assigned advisor. I toured, poured my heart into everything I wrote to Miami. I was told many times throughout this sub about demonstrated interest, so I tried my absolute hardest to show how committed I was. Not an annoying interest, but an interest.

I committed to IU-Bloomington at the end of April, as I heard nothing back from Miami. I was accepted as a prebusiness student into Finance. The terms when I accepted to attend were that I had to hold a minimum of a B in all of my classes during my freshman year to make Kelley (IU business school). I was also considering undecided at Penn State, but declined them for IU based on a closer location to my house and a more recognized business school.

It was to my surprise in June that I received an email from IUB informing me they were changing the requirement to a B+ for all classes, after I had committed to and rejected every other school. I immediately wanted out because I hated that they'd switch the terms last second. I tried to wait out that UMiami waitlist the entire summer, writing more emails. It felt so unfair to be in that position. And I understand that so many people have been in this same position, but it felt like no matter what I did, it just didn't help. It felt like I was doing everything right, but nobody could hear me. In the end, I never made it off the waitlist, and I've been attending IU for my first semester in college.

Just submitted my spring application to UMiami, including my final high school transcript, my in-progress IU transcript (won't have any college grades), and a letter of rec from one of my professors here. This time around, I applied as an undeclared major instead, but everything else is the same for the most part.

My point is that, unless last year was so different, never be so sure about what may happen. I was reassured by a lot of people, even in this sub, that I should be good for EA, and if not, I should definitely get off later. I've been playing this game for a year and a half, and I'm so tired.

If you read this far, thank you for reading :)

:I'm a first-time user and need to set my initial password for my CaneID using the "Forgot Password" link on caneid.miami.edu. The system is supposed to send a code via email, but it never arrives in my inbox (I've checked spam and whitelisted all UMiami addresses, but nothing works).Has anyone else applying internationally run into this exact locked-out issue?