<p>Obviously now it's crunch time with decisions due in less than a week (Monday!). I have a good idea that I want to major in Physics (the subject that most interests me) but it's not an absolute certainty.</p>
<p>My top choices come down to University of Florida or University of Michigan AA. I visited and loved both schools, and in my eyes they are incredibly comparable. To me it seemed Michigan trumped Florida in academics and research opportunities (a must for grad school?) while Florida (Honors college if it makes a difference) edges ahead in all non-academics, including the campus, town, and weather. I wouldn't hesitate to choose Michigan just for the academics, but it would cost much more as an out of state school, and I'd be taking up the debt in student loans. Michigan comes in at about $15200 a year (including 6000 in awarded loans), while Florida would be around 6800 (5500 in awarded loans).</p>
<p>Would choosing Florida seriously hurt my chances for getting into a top graduate school? Would Michigan be worth the debt for me?</p>
<p>I do plan on graduating as top of my class as possible (something definitely within my reach) and taking up all research opportunities available (or making them available myself). If choosing Florida wouldn't seriously damage any chances, I'd like to graduate with as little debt as possible. I'd love to hear opinions of what would be in my best interests.</p>
<p>No, Florida is a great school and is tier 1. If you get a great GPA and do great internships and have a good profile, then you’ll be fine to get into a great Grad school. </p>
<p>If you like UF overall AND it’s cheaper, then it seems like the obvious choice. Besides, Michigan isnt really all that great of a school…</p>
<p>Florida is a good public university, but Michigan is definitely at a higher level, and may well be worth the extra cost (if I interpret your numbers correctly, the difference would amount to about $33,000 over four years). For physics specifically, you are looking at the difference between a top 15 (borderline top 10) department in Michigan vs. a top-40 department at Florida. You will find a similar, if not greater, spread in most other departments.<br>
The extent to which the additional cost is a burden to you and/or your family should be the determining factor. If you consider Michigan affordable, though, that is where I would go, were I in your position.
Just my $0.02. Good luck with your decision.</p>
<p>I don’t think it would make any difference to grad school unless you had access to a professor at UF or Univ Mich who had connections to the grad school you wanted to attend. Mich is not a “higher level”. They are both well respected state flagships. Pick the one that you feel most comfortable with. I certainly would not incur a burdensome debt to chose one over the other.</p>
<p>Michigan is going to be a better place to study physics, but if you are a star student at UF, I don’t think you’ll have trouble getting into a good graduate school. You’re going to want to really distinguish yourself, though, at UF to make an impression on grad school admissions.</p>