<p>At this point, I have been admitted to my two first choice schools- Notre Dame and Rice. In case merit scholarships (from outside sources) don't work out, my parents and I would like to have a low-cost "financial safety" that would still provide an excellent education. At this point, I am deciding between ASU and UF for this. Both have excellent residential honors colleges, and I could go almost for free (I am a National Merit Finalist). We only have time to visit one of these schools, so I was wondering if any of you had advice for how to choose which one to pursue? I will be a biology major (premed), so research opportunities are important. Does anyone have a son or daughter at one of these schools, or know much about either? Choosing a college is such a big decision, and my parents and I are finding it a little bit overwhelming, even though we know I have great options. Thanks in advance for any advice!</p>
<p>Where do you live & which location do you think you'd be happier at--Florida or Arizona? Does distance from home matter to you--it may affect how often you'd be able to get home or have your folks visit you.</p>
<p>I'd suggest you contact the biology department at each of those schools to find out a bit more about each & their research opportunities for undergrads. This would show interest & also let you know how they deal with inquiries.</p>
<p>I've read some good things about both programs & if you're not sure, why not apply to both? Having two financial safeties is not unreasonable, especially in case things don't turn out as you hope & one doesn't give you the aid you expect, even with your NMF status. Who knows, some campuses even invite you to visit & send you a plane ticket, which may also affect your choices.</p>
<p>I am from Southern Indiana, so both schools are very far from home, although Florida is within driving distance. Distance is only a small consideration. I have applied to both schools, but we probably only have time to visit one, so we are trying to choose one to focus on at this point. I will definitely e-mail to ask about research opportunities.</p>
<p>When you e-mail, ask if there is a professor you can SPEAK with at each campus to further discuss research opportunities as an undergraduate. This will help you get a better "feel" for the campus/professor than just a written e-mail. I always find speaking with a person very helpful, though of course it's superficial too.</p>
<p>My D is also a NMF. How about Baylor (full tuition)? </p>
<p>If you are applyng for this fall, I believe they are still taking applications. Go to their website amd plug in your numbers on their Baylor calculator and see how much you would qualify for. I hear they have a good pre med track.</p>
<p>ASU honors grad do amazingly well in grad school, fellowships etc. Their mentoring program is phenominal. It is a good bet. We know a lot of students who got into Ivys but money was a huge factor as they had too many kids in their family to get through college. They have had huge success with medical school acceptances and less pressure at ASU Barretts.</p>
<p>I've also heard good things about University of Arizona, which also has an honors college. University of Texas also awards a lot of money to NMFs, but I'm not as familiar with their programs.</p>
<p>There are quite a few places where NMFs can get nice merit awards, which are in some of the other threads on CC. Don't have personal knowledge & know my son will be sifting through all of this soon too. He's also a NMF.</p>
<p>The U of A honors program gives more money to in state kids then out of state National Merit and I think Barretts at ASU is extremely good with both.</p>
<p>Try to search for top tier universities that offer unconditional merit aid. There are a bunch of schools out there that pretty much leave no mystery as to how much money you will receive, not counting the FAFSA. </p>
<p>For example, the merit aid program at ** Ohio University ** offers merit money based on test scores so you know EXACTLY how much money you will receive. For the Class of 2010, this is the scale they used. Also, they tack on an *additional $4,500 if you're out of state. *</p>
<p>There are two bonuses to this program. The first is that they are 4-yr renewable as long as you have a 3.0 or something. The second is that if you are in the 1400 SAT+ range, as tuition rises, so does the value of your award. </p>
<p>ACT SAT (M+CR) Gateway Scholarship
36 1580 - 1600 Full In-State Tuition
35 1530 - 1570 Full In-State Tuition<br>
34 1500 - 1520 Full In-State Tuition
33 1450 - 1490 Full In-State Tuition
32 1400 - 1440 Full In-State Tuition
31 1360 - 1390 $4,000<br>
30 1320 - 1350 $2,000<br>
29 1280 - 1310 $1,500
28 1240 - 1270 $1,000<br>
27 1200 - 1230 $ 750<br>
26 1170 - 1190 $ 500
25 1130 - 1160 $ 500 </p>
<p>The Ohio.U. scholarships for high sAT scores pay you the amount of money for instate tuition - you are still responsible for paying the out-of-state tuition surcharge. Just FYI.</p>
<p>Correct - minus $4,500.</p>
<p>For example, OOS tuition is $17,199. Subtract in-state tuition ($8,235) and the OOS discount ($4,500) and tuition becomes $4,464. </p>
<p>Total cost per year (including R&B): $12,150</p>