<p>Where is Stetson located in Florida? Have you personally visited that school?</p>
<p>*Thank you. And my parents will pay max 100,000, however I would also help. Can I get into the University of Florida with a 3.9w 3.4 uw? 27 act? *</p>
<p>Maybe, maybe not. It’s hard to tell. UF doesn’t accept many OOS kids, so I’m guessing that the OOS kids need higher stats. Besides, UF costs $40k to OOS students, so you couldn’t come up with the other $15k needed.</p>
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<p>Bear in mind that you only have seven semesters to compile a GPA and that five of them are already in the books. A student who is at 3.0 after five semesters can only get the GPA up to 3.29 if he gets a 4.0 in each of the next two semesters (assuming the same number of courses and not counting for weighted courses). A 3.4 after five semesters can only be brought up to a 3.57.</p>
<p>You start applying the fall of your senior year, the admissions people see your first six semesters or through junior year. Mid term grades are sent in January to the colleges you have applied to. The college you finally enroll at receives your final transcipt in June.</p>
<p>Reconsider Univ of Arizona. Has the rah-rah and is a bit easier to get into than the UCs or UF. Still has the sunny weather you desire. I also think LSU is a good choice. You aren’t that far from the northern FL beaches for spring break. Most of the UCs are not rah-rah. Only UCLA and Cal, really. UCSC is a good option for your stats and for creative writing but it’s definitely not rah-rah (go Banana Slugs!)</p>
<p>But still parents will only go $25,000/year out of pocket.</p>
<p>I think UC Davis in pretty rah-rah!</p>
<p>Thanks for all the feedback – I will look into UC Davis, UCSC, and those private colleges in Florida.</p>
<p>Davis has some rah rah, UCSC has almost none, but OP, any UC is going to cost you $50k a year. The UCs do not guarantee to meet need, and there is little aid for out of state applicants. Your family can afford to pay $25k a year. Unfortunately, the UCs are going to be too expensive for you. </p>
<p>I’ll second the UofArizona recommendation.</p>
<p>Your $25k budget from your parents is going to eliminate all the UC schools in Calif and likely UF and FSU. </p>
<p>You need to limit your list to schools that cost about $32k per year (assuming you’d do a student loan and contribute some from a job). Or apply to some low tier schools that might give you merit (however, many low tier schools don’t have the rah rah component and are often commuter schools).</p>
<p>Anyone know of some good California U or colleges in reach for me?</p>
<p>Dream, are you asking…</p>
<p>1) are there Calif schools that will accept you?</p>
<p>or, are you asking…</p>
<p>2) are there Calif schools that will be affordable on your $25k-30k budget?</p>
<p>I’m sure there are schools that will accept you, but I can’t think of any that will be affordable and have the rah rah besides maybe San Jose State, Fresno State, or San Diego State. The others will expect an unaffordable amount of $50k or so.</p>
<p>To avoid wasting time identifying schools that won’t work out money-wise, it’s best to work within the parameters of your budget AND your stats. :)</p>
<p>dreamdream, I concur with mom2collegekids’ assessment, though I think your stats will be too low for San Diego State, which is highly competitive. </p>
<p>Is there any particular reason why you want to go to school in California over Arizona? Lots of California kids go to AZ for school and then return to work in CA after graduation. So much of what you want is at AZ, which is why so many of us are suggesting you check it out. The only issue is cost, as tuition alone is $25k a year. See if you might be at all competitive for any scholarship funds if you get your test scores up. Costs for ASU (which would also fulfill your requirements) would be within your budget.</p>
<p>Your right, I will indeed add Arizona to my list. However I’m more interested in California because I have family that live there. I think I’m quite a competitive applicant. I only have a couple cs and alot of b+, As. One of the reasons my grades are not higher on the latter is because I don’t do well on math tests and exams. I’m still a devoted student involved in sports, extracurricular activities, and volunteer work. And I strongly believe what could set me apart from the rest of the applicants would be the fact that I write books and published 2 and set up a blog to promote my stories and share them to a broader audience. I’m going under a creative writing major and I think my passion for literature will help me. Input appreciated, thanks everyone. It’s helping me alot and it means alot to me!!</p>
<p>^I’m not sure what that means GPA wise, but it seems to take about @3.6 UC GPA to get into most UC’s, and that’s in state, with EC’s and “ballin’” essay, without merit. To get into a private with merit, it seems to take a 3.S+ 1900 SAT, but also something that school wants, and that merit may not bring you to 32K. Take those same states to the PNW, and you are “in-like- flynn” for 32k!</p>
<p>It is important for you to focus on schools you can afford & have a chance to get accepted to. If you are so motivated by prestige or perceived prestige then review the USNWR’s rankings and see if you can find a school that will fit your budget & your stats. </p>
<p>Other sources: Princeton Review website, Collegeboard website, Petersons website, walk into a big box book store & look at their college books. You don’t need to buy the book, just take some notes while you are browsing the book. </p>
<p>You wanted “Rah Rah” that you could afford, Kansas & West Virginia were excellent suggestions in my view.</p>
<p>Dream…</p>
<p>You need to determine what your “UC” and “Cal State” GPA is.</p>
<p>the thing that you don’t realize is that a certain minimum GPA is needed for OOS students, and if your GPA doesn’t make the cut, your app and your ECs will NEVER be seen. </p>
<p>the Calif schools get soooooo many apps that they use a computerized filter system that eliminates a bunch of apps purely by GPA BEFORE a human EVER sees the apps. So, any of your ECs, books, etc, will not matter if you don’t have the GPA needed to make it thru that first electronic filter of apps.</p>
<p>You need a thoughtful strategy that includes takes into acct your situation: your stats, your budget, your academic interests, and your rah rah interest.</p>
<p>Limiting to mostly Calif and Florida schools would be a big mistake because that could mean ending up with no acceptances or only unaffordable acceptances.</p>
<p>So, pick 3-5 Calif and Florida schools as reaches and matches.</p>
<p>Then pick 2-4 schools from other states that fit your situation: budget, stats, academic interests, and rah rah aspect.</p>