<p>Currently, I'm a senior from Maryland. I've decided to go into a pretty rare major - Forensic Science and Investigations. Apparently, there's only 18 accredited schools in this major in the country. So far, I've applied to 8 schools - 3 of which offer the major, and 5 who don't. My other option, if I don't attend an undergraduate program, is to major in biochemistry, and pursue graduate work in Forensic Science. However, that's expensive, and I'd rather not.</p>
<p>I'm having lots of trouble picking which school to attend. Cost and distance is a factor - EFC is $0, and ideally I'd want to travel no more than 8 hours away (and that's a stretch).</p>
<p>I've been accepted to:
Tulane University ($20,000/year scholarship)
George Mason University (still waiting to hear on honors/scholarships)
Penn State University
Rutgers
West Virginia University (Honors College + $50,000 scholarship)</p>
<p>Waiting to hear from:
University of Maryland, College Park
Grinnell College
Northeastern University</p>
<p>The schools that offer forensic science are WVU, GMU, and PSU. Out of those, WVU is the cheapest and offers the best program. However, with my stats, I feel like WVU is selling myself short, and that I do have the potential of going to a great school (like Northeastern or Tulane).</p>
<p>Any thoughts??</p>
<p>How can you decide if you don’t have all the data yet, especially all the financial aid info?
So there are only 3 schools within 8 hours that have that major?</p>
<p>How did you conduct your search? College Navigator found 24 schools within 200 miles of Baltimore with either Forensic Chemistry or Forensic Science and Technology.
[College</a> Navigator - Search Results](<a href=“College Navigator - Search Results”>College Navigator - Search Results)
If I remove the geographic limitation it comes up with 91.</p>
<p>I was looking for schools accredited by the American Academy of Forensic Science, as well as schools that offer Forensic Investigations. A lot of schools only offer either Forensic Chem or Forensic Science without specialization.</p>
<p>Wouldn’t $50,000 be more than tuition/room/board at WVU? </p>
<p>I think the opportunity to graduate debt free from a top school in your field seems to good to turn down. I wouldn’t worry about reputation. </p>
<p>Of course if GMU or PSU comes back with a great offer then that might change things.</p>
<p>CuriousJane: It’s over 4 years, so it leaves about $6000 in costs a year, but I think that should be manageable. I applied for a full ride at GMU which I should hear back soon, so hopefully I’ll know my final college by then.</p>
<p>What is the breakdown if that package at WVU? Does it include the federal loans, or can you use your federal loans to cover part of your family contribution?</p>
<p>Do you need to maintain a certain GPA in order to keep your scholarship? Is the scholarship a fixed dollar figure that will not increase as cost of attendance increases, or is it set to cover a certain percentage of tuition/fees/etc. ?</p>
<p>When all your offers are on the table, look at all of the factors.</p>
<p>Congratulations on your offers so far!</p>