<p>Briefly looking over Florida’s scholarship site does not look promising. Alabama is one of the most generous with scholarship money based on merit for stats, but, as you can see from the link you’d have to bring up your ACT a bit to qualify.</p>
<p>I would advise you to concentrate on your in-state options.</p>
<p>I feel like unless I get a ROTC scholarship my chances of afford an OOS public are slim to none. So what I plan to do is apply to UNC, and NC state early admissions and maybe some private colleges, ( Villanova, Wake Forest, Rensselaer Tech, maybe some others). Then if I am awarded an ROTC scholarship I will apply to some OOS publics. Georgia Tech is a school I am really interested in! Do you know how clemson is on aid, they have a high OOS population (35%) and for this reason I believe they must have good aid compared to U of Florida whose OOS population is under 5%. My thing is I just want to go to the best school possible. I know stat wise I am not the best student, but I can honestly tell you I am smarter than they show. I just lost a sense of motivation during High School but luckily got it back with enough time left. I feel that if I surround myself with smarter people I will be more motivated to work hard and will have a higher GPA upon graduation and such. Not to pick on NC state, but I know some of the people from my High School who have gotten accepted and lets just say they arent the smartest or the most academically motivated people I know. Not that there is anything wrong with that, I just want to be with the smartest people I can be so it can rub off on me, haha.</p>
<p>Some would suggest (myself included) that the SMARTEST are those that get a good education for as little $$$ as they can in this economy. You can spend a LOT of money going to a BIG NAME SCHOOL and yet your employer won’t care one hoot what name is on the parchment. They care that you have a degree and distinguished yourself in college. I would certainly be more impressed with someone with great recommendations from, say, UNCG who has little debt than someone that went to Wake and owes $100K while they desperately look for a job. You are going to find smart and not-so-smart people EVERYWHERE you go. Don’t fool yourself into thinking BIG NAME SCHOOLs somehow miss out on their share of the latter. Get over the Brand Name bias and look for the best deal that suits your needs. If you get an ROTC scholarship to go to one of the BIG NAME SCHOOLs and you can go on the cheap, by all means, help yourself. If that doesn’t come through, don’t strap your parents/relatives unnecessarily. They might do it willingly, but, more than likely they’d think more kindly of you if you take a more thrifty path to your degree.</p>
<p>See i keep getting mixed information about if going to a big name school like wake forest, Georgia tech, villanova, etc. all lead to more opportunities. I hear that it is important to have that brand name when trying to get big jobs in the business world or other competitive fields. You are paying for that name and the network that come with it, and it givevs you more opportunities. Honestly idk what is true. I have heard it more this way than the way you are putting it, but i have heard it both ways. Honestly is I was a company and I saw a person had a degree from Villanova vs ECU, I would probably go with the guy from Nova even if the guy from ECU had a little better stats. If someone could give me some facts on wither or not going to well established big name schools give you in advantage in life I would love to hear it. because honestly if it wasnt true why would people keep paying this high amount of money to go to these schools.</p>
<p>P.S. Also going to these private colleges gives you a smaller faculty to student ratio which I think is important! But ho important is this really? Also, I would love to have the opportunity to go to grad school in some fashion, not sure for what, but doesnt going to a big name school help increase your chance at getting a graduate student slot in a competitive university?</p>
<p>My husband went to a college with that has NO prestige or name recognition outside of our state. He has had a very successful career in his STEM related field for a LONG time.</p>
<p>DD went to a college that no one in our town ever heard of…also in a STEM field. She’ll do fine too (once she gets out of the Peace Corps).</p>
<p>DS went to a top 100 university in a field that has a lot of under and unemployed graduates. The “name” isn’t going to help him get a better job. His performance will.</p>
<p>I think folks put a LOT more into “name recognition” than is necessary…especially if you don’t have the financial resources to PAY for that name recognition. Yes…many of these high profile schools do have connections…but I’ll venture an opinion here. If you decide to go to California to look for a job…Lehigh, Villanova, and Wake Forest probably won’t mean much to the employers unless there happens to be a grad employed where you are applying.</p>
<p>Here is my opinion…get your undergrad degree. Do the VERY best you can possibly do. Look for schools that have good job recruiting on campus, and find out about internship and summer job opportunities. The “name” of the school might get you an interview but it’s not likely to get you a job. YOU need to do well, and get some good experiences…and then sell yourself. The name of the school won’t do that for you.</p>
<p>And if you decide to go east of the Rocky Mountains (or maybe even the Sierras) with your Harvey Mudd degree, you’re likely to get the question, “There’s really a college named ‘Harvey Mudd?’”</p>
<p>What I’ve noticed is that what you do while you’re IN college is what leads to more jobs. If you do research, co-ops, internships…then you increase your chances for immediate employment after graduation because employers already know you.</p>
<p>I live near a small 3rd tier school…UAHuntsville. However, it is very good for STEM, business and nursing… It is also located in Cummings Research Park so it is surrounded by many high-tech companies. Those students have internships and co-ops during their school years…and JOBS right after graduation.</p>