<p>Everything @MYOS1634 has said is spot on. :)>-</p>
<p>With a 4.0 W gpa UF is also a possibility (think low reach). UF (and the other schools in Florida) do “love” IB students; they value the rigor of the program. However, UF also looks at your ECs, etc. </p>
<p>If you’re interested in merit $ (at the Florida public universities), UF and FSU are not likely to give you any. However, do well on your SAT/ACT (and keep your GPA up!) and you could earn merit scholarships at UCF/USF/UNF, etc. Merit scholarships can be anywhere from $4K to $15K (total), or $1K too close to $4k a year, in value. Add the Bright Futures scholarship, and these schools can be very affordable (it’s hard to beat $6K a year in tuition cost at the Florida state/public schools, and thats before taking into account your Bright Futures and/or merit scholarships…).</p>
<p>You should also look at some of the in-state privates (and in Florida, you can still use your Bright Futures scholarship), as they can also offer merit aid and based on your family situation, a significant amount of financial aid. It’s worth researching. In fact, some of them don’t require an application fee (I think Flagler didn’t…).</p>
<p>Finally, do take a look at some of the out-of-state privates and public universities (that offer merit scholarships). For example, do some research on the University of Alabama and it’s out of state scholarships. </p>
<p><a href=“http://scholarships.ua.edu/types/out_of_state.html”>http://scholarships.ua.edu/types/out_of_state.html</a></p>
<p>Check out the Finacial Aid forum for a listing of schools that offer automatic scholarships (like Alabama) and other useful information.</p>
<p><a href=“Financial Aid and Scholarships - College Confidential Forums”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/financial-aid-scholarships/</a></p>
<p>This is the fun part! All that hard work in school is about to pay off.</p>
<p>Good Luck! [-O< </p>