<p>So I have decided on my safeties as Louisiana Tech (which offers me full ride) and Temple (full tuition plus 12000 stipend) but my dad wants me to apply to UF and FSU. Is it more wise to apply to my safety schools with guaranteed merit scholarships or UF and FSU (closer to home) where maybe I'll get some aid and Bright Futures could possibly complete tuition (probably not)?</p>
<p>Apply to all of them. No decision to make until all acceptances and financial packages are in hand. :)</p>
<p>I know but he wants my safeties to be UF and FSU and I don’t know if I should apply when I don’t know if I have enough aid and bright futures to afford them</p>
<p>Bump</p>
<p>Apply to all of them. Then, in April, you and your father can see which ones are the lowest cost based on actual financial aid and scholarship offers. If UF and FSU are too expensive, then you can go to LT or Temple.</p>
<p>Or is he able and willing to pay whatever UF or FSU costs?</p>
<p>Or apply to one of them if you already have two safeties. it sound from your other posts (you have started quite a few threads in the past few days) like your financial situation is unsettled. At least with these two choices, it sounds like your dad wants you to cast a wide net for affordable options, can’t blame him for that. </p>
<p>He can’t I know he can’t but I don’t want to rub it in his face that he can’t afford that…I comprised my list of if I may ask your opinion good schools that place the least amount of loans on my part and he wouldn’t have to pay (currently unemployed) </p>
<p>explain to your dad that you will apply to a few FL schools, but UF and FSU are NOT safeties for you because you are NOT sure that you have all costs covered.</p>
<p>a school is NOT a safety unless you are certain that you will have all costs covered. Getting accepted to UF or FSU and finding out that you cant afford them would be mistake if those were your safeties because then you would have no school to attend.</p>
<p>your dad may be thinking that all you need to be concerned about is getting accepted.</p>
<p>also apply to at least one of the following …UCF, USF, FAU or FIU…where you know that you would get large merit. at least two of these schools have med schools.</p>
<p>have your dad read this thread.</p>
<p>You are starting too many threads and panicking over this. By the time you apply, he may be employed again, you don’t know how that will sort out. Apply to some schools you KNOW you can afford (sounds like you have two on your list), some you think are good choices from a fit perspective (you have posted a list on one of your many other threads), and add a couple he wants (UF and FSU) that are in-state and may be more affordable than some of your other choices. Show him the info on merit scholarships from each school and the NPC results. Calm down… you have a few months to sort this out, and there are facts out there you can use to convince him if you take the time to run the calculators and crunch the numbers on possible merit aid.</p>
<p>Note that even if you get merit aid, if you are also awarded some need based aid, many colleges just knock down the amount of need based aid and your cost of attendance does not change. You can’t know for sure how a college will handle it without checking their website and asking them (it is not always obvious).</p>
<p>I think this will be my last thread one more question: how can I be sure i will like a college when I can’t really visit them? For example my safeties? How can I be sure I will like the campus without visiting them?</p>
<p>If he wants you in-state (independent of cost considerations), note that Florida A&M has an automatic full ride if your unweighted HS GPA is at least 3.5:
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<p>That is why you need to select some florida schools as safeties…much easier to visit…and maybe you can tag along with some classmates who will be visiting those florida schools.</p>
<p>which FL schools do you live near enough to take a day visit?</p>
<p>FIU? FAU? UCF? USF? </p>
<p>also, check out Flagler…lowish cost and may get good aid/merit…and can use BF there, too.</p>
<p>I’ve been to FIU because I’m doing an internship but I didn’t really like it. UCF is in Orlando…I live in miami…I’m not sure where the others are</p>
<p>UF is not a safety for anyone. There admissions are holistic to a fault.</p>
<p>Depending on your stats, Bright Futures will cover a lot, and you can get more financial/merit aid on top of it. Run the net price calculators.
If your family makes less than 65k, apply to some of the full-need schools.
<a href=“List of Colleges That Meet 100% of Financial Need”>http://www.thecollegesolution.com/list-of-colleges-that-meet-100-of-financial-need/</a></p>
<p>Their**</p>
<p>If you absolutely can’t visit, some things to do narrow the list:
- Run net price calculators. Throw out the ones that are not affordable. Be ruthless… no point in applying to schools you won’t be able to pay for.
- As you said you have, check out the websites and online tours.
- Read up on them. Read the Fiske Guide to Colleges very carefully if there is an entry, it tells you a lot. Also check out the website c-o-l-l-e-g-e p-r-o-w-l-e-r (sorry, gotta do that avoid *s blocking it).
- Go to the CC forum and read as many back entries as you can stand to read. Lots of nuggets of good info there.
- Study the major requirements and course catalogs. If you see courses that are really exciting, check the actual course listing and see when they have been or will be offered (you can usually see at least a full year of semesters/terms). Sometimes stuff in the catalog is very rarely offered.
- Review things like the study abroad website and EC info online if you are interested.
- Email with the college if you have specific questions. You can email admissions, or if you have academic questions you can email a professor in the departments where you have the question.
- See if the student newspaper is online. You can often see what the marketing people don’t want you to know…
- If the college has any kind of info session or get together in your area, go to it.
- Sign up for emails from the admissions office. Some colleges sent out newsletter type emails, etc. that can be helpful.
- Look at the Common Data Set for each college. Google “<college name=”"> Common Data Set". There is loads of info that might help with your decision.</college></p>
<p>But you really need to visit before making a final decision to attend if at all possible. The window is pretty short between acceptances and decision dates unless a school has rolling admissions, though, so that can be really challenging to wait to see where you get in before trying to visit. As suggested above, try to get to the closer ones sooner (maybe your dad can drive you, since he isn’t working right now).</p>
<p>As was said above - your financial situation could shift again by next March so it could be wise to at least pick a couple in state publics even if you are uncertain of ability to pay now. </p>
<p>Your FAFSA will be based on what happens between Jan 1, 2014 and Dec 31, 2014 so his 2013 income doesn’t matter. You can also have him write up a change of circumstances letter with documentation. Many privates will consider that to a degree.</p>
<p>WOW… that was a great bit of information about Florida A&M. Thanks!</p>