<p>I want to major in Biology or Biochemistry but am having a hard time finding good, cheap schools for undergraduate. I have University of Florida (UF) down, since I can easily get Bright Futures 100% tuition, but I want to expand my options outside of Florida. I thought of some other schools like Cornell, Harvard, and MIT (all extremely high reaches, of course) since they offer great Financial Aid from what I hear and Johns Hopkins (awesome pre-med, but don't know about financial aid...), but I don't know.</p>
<p>I also heard Amherst, Tufts, and University of Miami are good for undergraduate science, but I'm sketchy on the financial aid that they offer. My parents make around $140K combined, so... :/</p>
<p>Thanks,
ansar </p>
<p>P. S. - I'm currently a junior, but I want to be sure of where I want to apply, hence the thread.</p>
<p>You'll be very hard pressed finding a cheaper option than UF's Bright Futures...this is because you don't know what financial aid you'll receive at other schools until you're accepted.</p>
<p>All you can do is apply to other schools and see what kind of financial aid packages they award you.</p>
<p>Uh, they're REALLY good. If you want to do Biology, I'd recommend Bowdoin college, but that could be personal bias (they give all finaid in the form of grants and work-study, if you get a scholarship for 2,500 ish it replaces work-study, any more than that and it goes into grant money, I think.)</p>
<p>Ultimately, your interests might be your guide. If your looking for a very specific discipline in the sciences, then your choice of universities might be limited. If you don't really have a clear idea of what you might want to study, perhaps a large public university with lots of diverse departments might be a better fit. In either case, public is probably going to be cheaper than private and very large will be cheaper than very small. At the undergraduate level, you don't really need to worry about the "science reputation" of a school. The system is fairly standardized to fit certain requirements (eg cover all material included on GRE subject tests, MCAT, Industry requirements etc) such that the only realistic differences in coursework will come from your advanced credits in your department. If you are a pre med, then your choice of undergrad institution really doesn't make a difference as long as it can provide the opportunities for research, volunteering and student organizations that are required to be a competitive applicant.</p>
<p>Investigate Rice U.
Also U. Texas at Austin will give you in-state tuition if you are a national merit finalist--so try to do really well on the PSAT--oops, you already had that, didnt you?</p>
<p>For broader options in the life sciences, take a look at the SUNY College of Ag. and Life Science (Biology, Biochemistry), and SUNY College of Human Ecology at Cornell (Biochemistry, Human Nutrition). For an out of state student, these will be about the same price as the College of Arts and Sciences, but they offer different programs.</p>
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Also U. Texas at Austin will give you in-state tuition if you are a national merit finalist--so try to do really well on the PSAT--oops, you already had that, didnt you?
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I'm a junior and I'm taking the PSAT on Wednesday. </p>
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Well, of course, but what science schools usually give out good packages?
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<p>Caltech gives out merit scholarships, which cover not only tuition but also give you full stipends, such that not only will you won't have to pay anything for college, rather, you actually get paid to go to college. I would argue that Caltech is a pretty decent science school, and a "negative" price is pretty darn cheap. </p>
<p>For non-residents with high marks, U of South Carolina-Columbia can provide scholarships that make the cost of attendance essentially the same as resident tuition. I think U of Alabama-Tuscaloosa does the same thing. Also, Hood College in Maryland and Ohio Wesleyan University in Ohio have very strong science departments and reasonable tuition.</p>
<p>You need to do things. Talk to your parents about how much they plan to pay each year. Also, find an online estimation program for the Expected Family Contribution. These are easy to find. That way, you will have an idea about how much the schools will expect your parents to contribute even before you file FAFSA. Be warned- most families feel comfortable with a much smaller number than is expected by the schools. With their income, they may be required to pay $25 to $30 K per year.</p>
<p>SUNY Geneseo has a GREAT Biology program and is VERY cheap.
And as far as college goes, no jobs look at where your B.S. came from, they only care about masters or doctorite. Might as well get a good education for cheap at a good, be it non-prostegious school, than p[ay $40,000 a year for nothing</p>
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I thought of some other schools like Cornell, Harvard, and MIT (all extremely high reaches, of course) since they offer great Financial Aid from what I hear
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<p>The new financial aid initiative at Cornell isn't as great as most think...but still better than the aid they gave me for my education. Yes...the student's need-based loans are eliminated (if under 60K for this year) capped at $3,000 per year (income between 60K and 120K)...but that is exclusive of the expected student and family contribution. So...if your family income is $100,000 and Cornell calculates an EFC of $20,000 for your family and if (like most families) you can't pay that out of pocket...you'd still be borrowing $23,000 a year. So you'd still have a good chunk of debt...but it could be worse.</p>