Anyone received a near free ride at a lessor state university?

Colleges and Universities A-Z University of Florida
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<p>Wow - I never imagined how difficult this would be. My son was accepted to UF. We visited the campus and absolutely loved it. Here is the issue:</p>

<p>Last week, he received a nearly free ride from USF. He would not need to take any student loans and it would only cost me about 4K per year. That is huge to me.</p>

<p>My son has not, as of yet, been awarded any type of scholarship from UF and at this point, we should probably not expect anything. When we completed the early financial aid estimator, it gave us $2200 in some type of grant and the rest in loans and expected family contribution. Still waiting on UF to give the official financial aid notification. Again - we don't expect much.</p>

<p>Soooo - what to do? I know that only we can really decide this, but I'm looking for a little input if anyone has any. Is one state university so much better than another? Is taking up to 40K in student loans worth it to go to UF? I hear that employment recruiting is great at UF, but it is 40K worth of great?</p>

<p>More info on my son - he is not into sports and could have cared less about the thrill of The Swamp. He is not a social person and pretty much keeps to himself and studies.</p>

<p>Any input?</p>

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<p>Just my honest opinion, UF is a great school both academically and athletically and there is no doubt your son would receive a fantastic education. I think one of the hugely appealing things about UF is the atmosphere and the social life, and quite frankly the Gator Nation. That doesn’t mean your son wouldn’t have a good time, but when it comes down to saving that much money it may be the better idea to lean towards USF. What kinda of major is he looking at? That is also a big game changer, as if he’s going medical, you can’t really beat UF with Shand’s. Again, in the end it’s all up to you.</p>

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<p>I can only tell you my personal opinion, but I was in the same position as you last year, and not a week goes by that I don’t regret going to UF over USF. The education may be slightly better here, but I definitely don’t feel it is worth the loans and anguish me and my family have been through trying to find ways for me to be able to pay for an education here. if your son is smart, he is going to succeed anywhere, so take the opportunity, and get out of college without loans.</p>

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<p>Personal opinions is all I was looking for so thanks!</p>

<p>He is leaning toward biology/biomedical engineering. </p>

<p>So glasswright - you don’t regret going to UF? I’m taking from your post that it is a struggle financially but you still think you made the right choice?n (never mind - I re-read that. You do regret going to UF?)</p>

5

<p>Sorry, I probably could have worded that better, but yes I do regret going to UF. I am actually currently on the fence of transferring to fau next year to save money by living with family while I’m there. Just waiting until I can figure out which courses actually transfer over.</p>

<p>Also, with what bernstein15 mentioned about majors, I think you should take that into slight consideration, but don’t let it be the deciding factor. Something like 60-70% of students change majors at least once, according to the major advisors I talked with at the crc earlier this year. I’m sure it would really suck if your son decided to go to UF specifically because of a certain major, and then switched to something that would have been of equal or greater value at USF.</p>

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<p>I don’t think the major issue can be a deciding factor because he is really undecided at this point.</p>

<p>My biggest concern is that if he goes to UF - he will lose the scholarship for USF and then all of that money will be off the table except for Bright Futures. He could always put in a couple years for free at USF and then transfer I suppose. Or he just does the 4 years at USF and uses the money he would have spent at UF for grad school. This is a very difficult decision.</p>

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<p>I’m confused. Are you from Florida?? If so, and you are receiving grants such as the Pell Grant and whatnot, and he has Bright Futures (which almost every UF student has, I’m guessing), why would you be taking out 40,000 in loans? UF is certainly expensive, but not that expensive. And I understand taking out loans is a personal decision, and taking out loans is not something that should be taken lightly, but the loans that the government offers you are great - either very low interest, or they pay the interest for you while you are in school… they are pretty different from private loans.</p>

<p>As someone who has lived in Florida their entire life, there is absolutely no comparison. UF is a much better school. Not to say that he won’t receive a good education at USF - he will, of course (although I am sure it is really major dependent). But UF is absolutely outstanding, and has so many opportunities. There’s a big difference between living in Tampa and Gainesville also. Tampa is a big city, whereas Gainesville is much smaller and consists of mainly the school. This could be a good thing, or a bad thing, depending on how you look at it, but to me it’s a good thing. There are so many opportunities for students here, because students are a big part of the population. I got into USF as a senior in high school, and chose to go to community college so I could later transfer to UF. So I guess you could say I am biased… but really, there is no comparison. Especially if you say he is thinking about majoring in biology - is he thinking about med school? If he is thinking med school, Shands has some great volunteering opportunities for students. </p>

<p>Also, transferring from a state university to UF can be very hard… they have to take a certain amount of community college student transfers, so keep that in mind too when making your decision. Not to mention that transferring in general can be hard - all the paperwork that comes with it, getting used to a new city, etc.</p>

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<p>Yep - we are in Florida and my son is eligible for the highest BF scholarship. No pell grant, at least for his freshman year. During his sophomore year, I will have two or three in college at the same time depending on what one of my twins wants to do, so maybe he will be eligible for more then. I think I miscalculated the amount of loans - it’s more like $30K.</p>

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<p>We are in the same situation. My son’s #1 choice was UF, but he was offered scholarship money at FSU and UCF. Even with his grades and scores, he won’t be offered anything at UF. It was a tough decision for him, but he has decided on UCF. </p>

<p>Yes, UF is a more “prestigious” choice, but he can get his under grad with no loans (we don’t qualify for aid), and have some money from us left over to attend grad school. He also will be in honors college where he can register for 2 semesters at a time, and have about 25 kids in those classes vs 200. </p>

<p>I agree that major plays a role, but if they are going to grad school, that choice matters more. Good luck.</p>

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<p>I am in the same exact boat, except I got a scholarship for UNF. I got a $10,000 scholarship when I applied due to my test scores and grades. We live in Jacksonville, so I wouldn’t have to pay for a dorm, and we don’t live that far away so the commute wouldn’t cost much. I would really only have to pay for books, and even those will probably be covered with Bright Futures (I got the highest one).</p>

<p>UNF also admitted me into their Honors program and I would get first pick for all my classes, have smaller classes, and most of the Honors classes take educational field trips that sound like a lot of fun. (The econ class went to Wall Street in NYC, and the government class flew to D.C. and Capitol Hill to present a fake bill, for example.)</p>

<p>A lot of my friends are going to UNF, and I don’t have any good friends going to UF, only acquaintances. I have a lot of fears about going to UF. I’m an only child, and I’ve never shared a room with someone, so I don’t know how living with a stranger would be for me. I don’t like the idea of having common bathrooms, and having to make my own meals. I’m also afraid about being able to find my classes, waking myself up (that is really hard, as I sleep through an alarm. :P), not knowing anyone, not seeing my family and friends, etc.</p>

<p>I know UF is a phenomenally better school, and I am a die-hard Gator, as my mom, two aunts, and my mom’s cousin went there. My whole family, (including my dad, my mom’s five siblings, and my 12 cousins), are Gators, so being able to go to Florida is like a dream come true.</p>

<p>I’m considering Child Psychology as my major, eventually getting my doctorate. (Although I know that my major will change, as it has already changed multiple times.)</p>

<p>Sorry for hijacking the thread, I’m just glad to know that there’s someone else out there who cannot decide either! (:</p>

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<p>@JenaS62 Did your son apply to any outside scholarships.</p>

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<p>@jeromefulton…unfortunately, no. At the time being the only other scholarship we are waiting on is the Byrd scholarship. My son started looking at scholarships the day before spring break and any that he would have qualified were due during spring break and required a teacher’s recommendation (I won’t start venting here).</p>

<p>And @ bubblespink, I’m glad that you “hijacked” the thread because I am very interested and comforted to know that there are others in the same boat and would love to hear about your decisions. I am having this huge internal conflict about what to do that is best for my son, my other sons and myself. We put him in all AP classes because we were told that colleges would throw money at him. Unfortunately, not the right one. :-(</p>

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<p>@JenaS62 My family’s income is really low; therefore, I received a need-based scholarship from UF. I have been accepted to USF as well; however, I think UF is a better choice. The Gator Nation has the best connections. UF alumni are every where. If your son has to take out loans to attend UF, I think they are worth it because the experience at UF is priceless. I think that your son will perform well at any university he will attend but there is no school in Florida Like UF. </p>

<p>On the contrary, a full ride is a full ride. However, money can’t buy happiness. If he will not be content at USF, then he should attend UF. I do not let money hinder my educational plans. I have a full ride to USF as well. If I had not received the scholarship from UF, I still would have attended the school because UF has my heart. I hope my personal opinions are beneficial to you. </p>

<p>*You can always petition financial aid awards. Try contacting Mrs. Fooks she gets the job done.</p>

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<p>@jeromefulton - your personal opinions are very beneficial to me. I really appreciate them. I’m glad you found your place! I very much want my son to attend UF. I wish that we had never received the offer from USF. I had pretty much dismissed it until we got the email notification. It really threw a monkey wrench into my emotions. </p>

<p>As it stands now, I would say that there is an 85% chance that my son will go to UF and he will take whatever loans he needs to and I will have to run a tight ship around the house to pay my share. </p>

<p>I so wish that UF would come out with their financial aid notifications already. Maybe I could just relax if I knew for sure. I’m one of those people that has to have a plan. I have to know the worst case scenario. It’s the great unknown that is starting to get to me.</p>

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<p>what is Mrs. Fooks email address? I really need to contact her and heard she is the one to go from numerous people. so how do I contact her?</p>

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<p>@JenaS62 I am glad I can assist you. UF is the best. Go Gators!!!</p>

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<p>Jena, you think you have a tough decision? Listen to this. My son has been offered a scholarship to UM $96,000.
He was also offered a $10,000 per year scholarship to UCF.
He was admitted to UF no scholarship.
He was admitted to Ga Tech we are waiting on news for a possible $10,000 per year scholarship.</p>

<p>All this equals to UF cost: $14,000 after BF
UCF cost: $4,000 after BF
UM cost: $10,000 after BF
GA Tech cost: now w/o scholarship $38,000 with scholarship $28,000.</p>

<p>Here is the way I look at it. If he studies Env Engineering in UF vs Ga Tech will it be worth going into debt by $112,000? I say NO.</p>

<p>But in your sons case where the total $$ difference is only $40,000 and his field of choice is the top money winner among the Engineering majors. I would say yes. $40,000 to us right now seems like a huge amount. But he will be making $65,000 to $70,000 per year when he graduates. He could pay off the loan in a few years with no problem what so ever.</p>

<p>I guess you need to do some research. Contact the placement centers at USF and UF and find out what the starting salaries would be at each school?</p>

<p>IMO being a graduate of the University of Florida is priceless. if he plans on staying in Florida after graduation. But this my very biased opinion.</p>

<p>Good Luck to you and you son.</p>

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<p>According to this website, the maximum loans for 4 years is $31,000. [Student</a> Aid on the Web](<a href=“http://studentaid.ed.gov/PORTALSWebApp/students/english/studentloans.jsp]Student”>http://studentaid.ed.gov/PORTALSWebApp/students/english/studentloans.jsp)</p>

<p>However, if he is eligible for a Pell Grant, if he applied “on time” for FAFSA (March 15), he should also receive a Florida Student Assistance Grant, and probably an Academic Competitiveness Grant (which is small, but any bit helps). You said you qualified for $2200 in grants, which ones were they? And is this per a semester, or per a year? That amount of money will help too, and you can always reduce your loan amount.</p>

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<p>It’s great to be a Florida Gator!</p>

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<p>@gator4ever - That’s the way we are leaning. I think (because my son is pretty non-communcative) that my son REALLY wants to go to UF. I guess I have to find a way to make that happen. My mom, who also really wants him to go to UF has offered a couple thousand dollars a year to help out. I suppose if I absolutely have to, I can rent out my house and rent some place in Gainesville later on. I still have twin boys that are currently juniors and I need to get them out of highschool first.</p>

<p>@ufhopeful24 - we do not qualify for pell or student assistance grant this year. I am in the unfortunate income bracket where I make too much for any “free” money and not enough to just pay out of pocket. I’m divorced with no contact or support from my ex husband and I have 3 sons - one is 18 and then I have twins that are almost 17. One of the twins will probably go to college in 2012 (community college as he has not worked nearly as hard as his older brother and just does not have the test scores to go anywhere else) and if he does, we may qualify for more financial aid at that time. </p>

<p>The $2200 grant was only an early estimate of financial aid on the UF Financial Aid website. I have no idea if he will actually get this or not. Still waiting on UF…</p>