<p>I plan to become a veterianarian or pharmacist, I haven't decided yet. Which school should I go to?</p>
<p>Ohio State:
Pros:
The education I could get here in my realm of study (zoology/life sciences) has more opportunities.
Ohio State has both vet and pharmacy schools, which are ranked highly.</p>
<p>Cons:
Money. My parents would have to help pay for what my jobs and scholarships can't cover, and that is JUST for undergrad. I dont want any debt, and both of these grad schools aren't cheap. Where would the money come from?</p>
<p>University of Central Florida:
Pros:
Since I am a National Merit Finalist, they will give me a full ride+ to go here, plus better quality housing, etc. to sweeten the pot. I could graduate without spending a dime on undergrad and have plenty left over for the costs of graduate school. </p>
<p>Cons:
The program here for biology is adequate, not outstanding. I would also have to go to University of Florida for grad school, which means leaving for yet another different area.</p>
<p>Other facts of consideration:
I am waiting on another scholarship from Ohio State, and hopefully I will get it.
But assuming I do not, should I shell out the extra for OSU, or save my money and go to UCF?</p>
<p>Why would you have go to UF for grad school if you go to UCF? You should realize that 1) most people go to a different grad school than where they went for undergrad and 2) going to one public university doesn’t mean you have to go to a same-state public university for graduate school.</p>
<p>You also don’t know what you’re going to do - when I was a high school senior I planned to become a doctor or a lawyer, and I did neither of those two things.</p>
<p>Anyway, it’s certainly not worth it to pay $41,000 (is that per year?) for OSU. UCF is a great school; go there and enjoy yourself.</p>
<p>OSU is THE school to go to for anything medical. Their biology program is outstanding as long as you don’t mind sitting in class with about 500 other people. Other than that Columbus is a great city. You have to go where you’ll be happy. If OSU is going to make you happy, then do it. If not having debt is going to make you happy, then go to UCF. You need to decide what you value more: a better bio program or graduating without debt. </p>
<p>I’d say start out at UCF, see how you like it. If it’s not for you? Transfer to OSU. You’ll get most gen. eds and pre-reqs out of the way at UCF, and avoid 600 person lecture halls at OSU. Plus, then you get at least a year of free schooling and your student debt decreases from 25-50% depending on how long you stay at UCF. If you like UCF, stay and just keep your grades up to go to a great grad school where you can spend money where it really counts. Good luck!</p>
<p>@juillet: no, that’s total over the four years for EVERYTHING (tuition, room and board, etc.) @novafan1225: but will my scholarships still count if I do this? I will pretty much have my general classes out of the way from AP credit, so…</p>
<p>I’m sorry, I didn’t realize you meant $41k for everything for four years. Way different. To me, I’d still pick UCF because free is significantly different than 40k and I don’t think the difference in prestige is largely different between the two schools; not like $40k at Harvard vs. free at a community college. Then again, I don’t know much about vet school…</p>
<p>UCF is a strong school, especially in the sciences, and since you’re NMF you’ll be in the Honors College so you’ll have smaller classes and all kinds of perks that will help you for vet/dental school (like a closer relationship to professors which will lead to better recommendation letters, etc).
Few students stay at the same school for undergrad and grad: you’ll apply to lots of schools around the country regardless of whether you went to OSU or UCF.</p>
<p>Now, can your parents pay the $11,000 or would you be taking on loans for that? (I assume the $11,000 difference is before any loans). If you can take $3,500 in loans and your parents can pay the difference, and you want to discover another part of the country, then it’s possible to do so at OSU at that cost. College is great time to explore the country. Many students would love to attend the college of their choice for $11,000 a year.</p>
<p>An alternative would be UCF Honors undergrad, OSU grad – or, if you really don’t like UCF, UCF honors for your first two years, then transfer to OSU for the last two (but then you wouldn’t have any merit scholarship from OSU).
But academically UCF Honors > OSU for undergrad. If you got into OSU Honors then it’s different.</p>
<p>If your parents easily can afford 10K/year and you don’t have to run up any debt, I’d encourage you to consider tOSU. You won’t hear me very often say that you should spend the money, but in this case you should if it can be done without pain and debt.</p>
<p>@MYOS1634: I did get into OSU honors. And I am not doing the loan thing at all, no sirree!!! @jkeil911: yes, my parents can afford to send me to OSU, but I’m also considering what’s beyond that. Tuition for grad school is only increasing, and what money my parents have saved up will only help me for undergrad, not grad.</p>
<p>then I’d say they cannot afford the 10k/yr, and frankly one biology program is like another, especially at Monstrous U 1 & 2. If they can invest that 40K wisely, in four years it could pay most of your first year of vet school. I’d go with UCF in your case. Enjoy the amenities and warmth. Ohio is pretty gray most of the winter. </p>
<p>I’d go with OSU. It’s far stronger in most programs than UCF, has extensive opportunities to explore agricultural/animal science fields, and is likely overall the better school. Keep in mind that the vast majority of students, even very good ones, change their major/ career plans multiple times in college. </p>
<p>Where do you want to work?
OSU Honors is better than UCF Honors since OSU will have a larger (less regional) reputation than UCF.
You need to talk with your parents, but if they can afford the $10,000 without loans then it’s really up to them (and you).</p>
<p>I was about to agree with UCBChemEGrad and rjkofnovi’s advice until I read that $41k is for the whole undergrad education… lol </p>
<p>First off, UCF has well over 50,000 undergrad students with a student:faculty ratio of 23:1 compared with tOSU’s 44,000 undergrad students and a 19:1 ratio and shrinking. Academic strength, Faculties, Resources, as well as Selectivity, the two schools are really not on the same level. The (honors) biology program at tOSU will certainly prepared the student(s) better for the Pre-Vet or Pre-Pharm student(s) when it comes time for the PCAT or VCAT exam. Besides the strength of the program, as some posters above had alluded that nationally, Ohio State’s academic reputation, campus environment along with its excellence in both Pharm and Vet Schools will most likely provide more resources and opportunities if not a better fit for the OP down the stretch. </p>
<p>Above all, our newly elected school President Dr. Michael Drake - a Stanford / UCSF educated Opthamologist has pledged to make Ohio State’s School of Biological Sciences and its Medical Center the top in the nation in the future. Last I checked, both Pharm and Vet Schools at tOSU are ranked Top-5 in the nation. Best of Luck & Go Bucks! :)</p>
<p>First of all, no, going to UCF and transferring is not really an option for you if the scholarships are a significant factor. The scholarships are good for freshman admission; they’re not going to hold them for you.</p>
<p>On the one hand, I have to say $41,000 isn’t a whole lot for undergrad, and if your parents are paying for the entire thing that means you won’t be in debt at all. If they are willing to pay, and you really prefer Ohio State for a variety of reasons, I would go there. I don’t have any children, but in the hypothetical case that I did and I could afford it I would pay this much for my child to go to a school they really wanted to go to rather than settle for their second-choice.</p>
<p>But it has to be for a variety of reasons, and I hope it’s not simply because you think their zoology/biology programs are better (they are, but that’s besides the point). MANY college students change their major and their career plans.</p>
<p>There really is not a big difference between 23:1 and 19:1. UCF is also technically more selective than Ohio State (46% vs. 56%; these are the publicly available numbers. Even if Ohio State’s new acceptance rate is 42%, there’s no meaningful difference between 46% and 42%.) I’m not saying this to say that UCF is a qualitatively better school than OSU; I’m saying this to make a point: people often focus on the wrong numbers when evaluating the difference between the two schools. Ohio State is clearly a better overall university when it comes to resources, faculty quality, and research, and their acceptance rate doesn’t really have much to do with that. (Also, the rankings of the pharm and vet schools don’t matter for you - you aren’t going there; you’re going to the undergrad school.)</p>
<p>On the other hand - as you say, grad school is VERY expensive, and if your parents are planning to give you a finite amount of money you may want to save it for grad school. $41,000 could pay for the first year of a vet or PharmD program, lessening the amount of debt you have to take on. Remember that vet and pharmacy programs are mostly financed through loans.</p>
<p>Indeed, rjk!! I am told they also have a great football team similar to that of the Buckeyes!! </p>
<p>I guess the number(s) that really matter in terms of student selectivity between the two schools as a whole at the undergraduate level is that tOSU 50% ACT 27-31 vs UCF ACT 24-28 as of last year. In addition, OP is part of tOSU’s top-notch honors program (Ave peer ACT score 31) which offers smaller classes and early course registration among other perks, which should make Ohio State a more attractive option over UCF imho. Last but not least, facility-wise, OP would most likely be taking many classes in the newly renovated/opened ($32 million) Jennings Hall, and ($160 million) Biomedical Research Tower, both adjacent to the School of Biological Sciences at Ohio State. </p>
– or, if you really don’t like UCF, UCF honors for your first two years, then transfer to OSU for the last two (but then you wouldn’t have any merit scholarship from OSU).
</p>