Florida, Minnesota, or Colorado?

College Search & Selection
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<p>Which school do you go to if you were in my position? These are my top three schools, and I want to major in political science, and maybe double major with either economics or urban studies as my second major. After that, I would like to attend law school (but not necessarily at the same place I go for undergrad). I should hear back from UF and CU-Boulder soon, and I've already been accepted at the U of M with the Gold National Scholarship. </p>

<p>Which school would you go to if you were in my position? These are my top three schools, and I want to major in political science, and maybe double major with either economics or urban studies as my second major. After that, I would like to attend law school (but not necessarily at the same place I go for undergrad). I should hear back from UF and CU-Boulder soon, and I've been accepted at the U of M with the Gold National Scholarship. </p>

<p>Regarding the University of Minnesota, how good is the political science program? I've seen that the graduate program is in like the top 20 (along with economics)... but how are those undergrad programs? I love the urban setting of the campus, but I'm a little concerned that with a portion of the students commuting, I may not have a high quality social life... either way, it's probably the front-runner at this point.</p>

<p>With UF, is there anything else to do in Gainesville besides party and drink? I realize there are also awesome sports, and it is only a couple hours from Orlando and Tampa. But still, as pretty as the town and campus may be, it seems like there's nothing to do there. </p>

<p>Finally, CU-Boulder seems pretty cool... but can a relatively conservative person like me make it in pot-ville? Also, I'd be out of state, and it would be super expensive for me the first year. Is this school good enough that it would be worth it? </p>

<p>So what do you think? What are your opinions of these schools? Sorry to throw so many questions at you guys at once lol. Thanks!</p>

2

<p>My sister goes to Uof MN and she loves it. She is science, but I think her boyfriend is in economics and he is a genius (36 ACT) so I know that the program has attracted intelligent people, but to what extent I don't know. Great school though; the winters in Minnesota though are brutal so if it was me I'd go to Florida (just joking).</p>

3

<p>Gainesville is the quintessential college town where everything revolves around the university. There are plenty of local club and music venues...museums...theaters...and, of course, Florida’s recent string of national championships has electrified the town.</p>

4

<p>Wow! Despite their wildly different locations, these are remarkably similar schools---large public flagships, all moderately selective (Colorado a little less so), extremely similar SAT/ACT stats. In fact, in almost every statistical dimension they're quite evenly matched. </p>

<p>Two numbers jump out at me: Florida's 22:1 student faculty ratio is just awful, much worse than Colorado's 16:1 and Minnesota's 15:1 (neither of which is great, but not bad for a large public university). And at $14,634, Minnesota's OOS tuition is about $7,000/year cheaper than Florida and $10,000/yr cheaper than Colorado. I think at any of these schools you'll end up with a lot of big intro lecture classes, especially in a popular major like Poli Sci (classes with 50 or more students: Florida 20.8%, Minnesota 15.8%, Colorado 14.3%). But I think there's also no question that of the three, Minnesota has by far the most highly regarded faculty in all three substantive areas you mention, Poli Sci, Economics, and Urban Studies--all three of which I'd rank among Minnesota's core strengths. And to the extent some of your classes will be taught by TAs at any of these schools, at least at Minnesota you'll be getting TAs drawn from very highly regarded graduate programs in the areas you want to concentrate your studies, and the professors will be top people in their respective fields. Strictly as an economic and educational proposition then---and even setting aside your scholarship for the moment---Minnesota strikes me as the best value. The rest, it seems to me, comes down to personal preferences: would you rather be in a lively northern urban environment (Mpls-St. Paul); a hip upscale college town in the foothills of the Rockies (Boulder); or the quintessential sports-crazed Southern college town (Gainesville)? And how much is that preference worth to you?</p>

<p>I love Boulder, but given this choice I'd take Minnesota. And depending on the size of that scholarship, it may be close to a no-brainer.</p>

5

<p>I would take Florida off the list.</p>

6

<p>At Colorado you have to be prepared for immersion in the politically correct, even in economics.</p>

7

<p>Thanks for the input everyone! I should have added in my original post that I am from Pensacola, so I'd be getting in-state tuition at UF... with bright futures and everything, I'd be paying about 10K-12K a year. Also, I have a ton of dual enrollment classes (63 credits), so most of the basic first year classes like English comp should be covered. The scholarship at Minnesota covers the difference between in-state and out-of-state tuition, which is roughly $4,000-$5,000 a year. So it's not huge, I'd still be paying about 16K-17K a year. But hey, $4,000 is still a lot of money! </p>

<p>rogracer, I realize that UF has a great campus, and they have great sports (Go Tebow!). But Gainesville just doesn't seem to compare with cities like Minneapolis and Boulder. But I'll certainly tour the campus if I'm admitted, and maybe my perceptions will change =). </p>

<p>Coolbrezze, any particular reason you'd take UF off the list?</p>

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<p>Me personally wouldn't have any of Florida schools nor cities as a top choice, due to climate and other factors. </p>

<p>Reguardless Colorado and Minnesota are great schools, and both located in good cities. Since you claim your a resident of Florida then maybe you should keep UF as an option, due to in state tuition... and I don't think UF is a poorly ranked school either. I just think Minnesota and Colorado has more to offer.</p>

<p>Then again, if prestige is a factor then I would take Colorado off the list. Keeping Florida on the list is a good option for you, since your instate and it seems to be a good school also.</p>

9

<p>I would endorse Minnesota especially if you have an interest in urban studies. The Twin Cities are great case studies for urban life, policy...etc. that you might not get in places like Boulder and Gainesville.</p>

10

<p>Of the three, UF is ranked highest by US News (UF bottom of the top 50; UM and UC towards the middle of the second 50). UM's and UC's law schools both outrank UF's, however (22th, 32th, 46th, respectively).</p>

<p>Florida is a much bigger state than either Minnesota or Colorado and Florida's grown much more rapidly than either of them. Florida also has Miami (the city I'm referring to, not the U of) which is both a positive and a negative.</p>

<p>My perception of Pensacola, though, is that you'd find Gainesville a rather wild place by comparison.</p>

11

<p>Thanks again for all the advice... it is certainly helpful and greatly appreciated! </p>

<p>UPDATE: I just checked my status at CU-Boulder, and I was accepted. Not really a surprise, but it's still nice to see that friendly phrase "Congratulations!", on my status check haha.</p>

12

<p>
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[CU-Boulder] would be super expensive for me the first year

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<p>Remember that it's pretty much impossible to get in-state tuition if you're enrolled as a student. So expect to pay OOS tuition all four years.</p>

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<p>
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Me personally wouldn't have any of Florida schools nor cities as a top choice, due to climate and other factors.

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<p>You're also pretty biased, hence the name/your other posts. You don't understand how miserable anywhere up north is for Floridians. I would pick Florida over those other 2 schools for price alone. By no means does either of the other school's academic prestige outweigh how freaking cheap it is to go to UF in state.</p>

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<p>Minnesota! Especially for your areas of interest.</p>

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<p>As stated above, you'd be paying OOS the whole time you're at CU or UM. Lots of students around the country would gladly pay OOS to go to UF though, and you can do it for a song.</p>

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<p>Academically it's a bit of a wash. UF is the highest ranked public...but the others have better ranked poly-sci programs. But still, UF has a top-50 poly-sci program, so that is still plenty strong enough to open the doors to any grad school if you do well.</p>

<p>It really is going to come done to personal factors...and no one on this board is going to be able to help you with that.</p>

17

<p>"UF is the highest ranked public."</p>

<p>UF is, according to my count, the seventeenth highest ranked public university by US News, sixth in the South (behind UVa, UNC, William & Mary, Georgia Tech, and Texas, in that order, and just barely ahead of Georgia and Clemson).</p>

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<p>If you're IS for Florida I would go there, especially with Bright Futures paying for part (or all) of your tuition.</p>

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<p>If you can manage the finances, I'd say go out of state. Other parts of the country have differing points of view and realities and it is good to get exposed to them.</p>

20

<p>Senior's Dad, I believe rogracer was saying that UF was the highest ranked public out of the schools on my list, which is true. I don't think he was trying to say that it's the highest ranked public in the nation. </p>

<p>I'd actually be paying in-state tuition at U of M because that's what my scholarship does.. it covers the difference between in-state and OOS tuition. Is it that hard to get in-state at CU? The reason I applied to Colorado schools is because my family may be moving there in May, and my dad may be there even earlier in mid February. So not only will I be at CU, but my family will have established residency during that time as well. So that's a question I'll ask their admissions people, and I hope that I can get in-state after the first year. The 40K over four years is just too much for that school. </p>

<p>The cost at UF would be the driving force behind my decision there. I realize that it's a really hard offer to turn down, considering the cost and the fact that it's one of the most selective public universities in the nation (their acceptance rate will likely be in the low 30's or 20's this year). However, this is assuming I get in. A big chunk of my problem could be solved if I get rejected ;). </p>

<p>This is just a really hard decision to make for me.
UF
Positives: CHEAP, good school, decent poli-sci program, warm, great school spirit and good sports.
Negatives: I don't particularly like Gainesville (or Florida for that matter), it could be thousands of miles from my family. </p>

<p>U of M
Positives: Great poli-sci program, I love the city, relatively cheap (16k a year), and a few hours from my relatives in SD.
Negatives: COLD, don't know anyone there. </p>

<p>CU
Positives: Awesome location, good public school. If I go there, my family will only be a couple hours away, and my aunt and cousin live in Denver.
Negatives: Super expensive, and not as good of a school as the other two. </p>

<p>I realize that it will eventually all boil down to personal preferences, but I just started this thread because I wanted to see what insights you all may have. Thanks again!</p>