Daughter recently got into the Honors program with an invite to attend the Presidential Scholars weekend in April, which we are thrilled about. I had read about the Presidential Scholars but did not think that she would be considered among such a small select group of students (80 in total get the invite to the interview weekend and only 25 get the award and 4 year experience), which of course is exciting and affirming, but it is giving us pause. The backstory is that she wants to get a public health major and was deciding between Tulane or University of South Carolina, both chosen because of their outstanding undergraduate public health programs and the urban campuses. (UF also has amazing PH program and she applied and got in, but does not want to attend. The public health program is very competitive in the sophomore year and if you don’t get in, tough luck. You have to find a different degree, which is not worth it to us, full Bright Futures or not.)
FSU is only just starting the PH degree program this coming fall, so while she can still get the degree, it is not yet established and that concerns me. Tulane was really all she wanted, so she worked hard and was accepted at the end of December in the early action round.However, we were knocked down a bit when the aid came in, which was generous, but still feels like an enormous amount compared not only to USouthCarolina, but especially to FSU. We can make it work and were prepared to do so for any of the schools but my question is this: Does it make more sense to go to the state school where she can be in honors program, live in the honors dorm, do research early on, have first pick of her classes and likely have a very special experience but have to give up the better degree program - or is it worth it to pursue schools where she is not in honors, cost WAY more, but that have a very established, accredited, and well respected degree program…and are more prestigious?
FSU’s tour was amazing, the campus is beautiful, and the people are warm and friendly. And honestly, very helpful at every turn. The study abroad presentation was so great also and the students who put that on were awesome. Can any current FSU student or parents with a student in the honors/Presidential Scholar program comment with advice? Thanks in advance!
@elcs76 , here’s my two cents, as a parent of a current FSU Presidential Scholar (and as a Tulane grad). The Presidential Scholar program is amazing. FSU will be very invested in your daughter’s success. So even though the PH program will be new, I suspect she will get more research and other opportunities at FSU than at Tulane, to say nothing of the study abroad opportunities funded with the Presidential Scholarship stipend. She will also be surrounded by some really smart, highly motivated students in both her Presidential cohort and in the honors program and dorm.
Tulane is also a great school, and New Orleans is a fun, interesting city to be a college student. I do not know anything about the PH program at Tulane.
Does she plan on graduate school? That is one reason my son ended up at FSU. The generous merit scholarships at FSU allow us to spend more money on his graduate education, keep him from incurring any debt, and give him more freedom of choice post-graduate.
Thank you so much for your input, @vistajay - I agree that this program will be an amazing experience for her from everything I am hearing and reading. Just the invitation to participate in the interview weekend feels like such an honor, even if she is not selected. I imagine she will, at the very least, meet some amazing kids and possibly find a roommate for Landis living during that weekend. There is something to be said for a kid coming out with little to no debt and also being given special attention, research opportunities (UROP), and more focused advising and first picks on class selection. None of that is lost on me.
I just think when you spend almost two years searching for the right fit, with the main focus being a well respected undergraduate program, it takes you by surprise to have such an interesting turn of events, ie, a better offer. She only wanted a Southern school (loves the heat and humidity) with an accredited PH undergrad program and applied to FSU because it was close, the IMS degree looks pretty good, and she has full BF - but then this invitation came the same week we were scheduled to tour and everything has fallen into place. The tour was awesome (A current PresScolar was one of the tour guides. She was incredible!) and I’ve not seen her this happy during the entire process. FSU is a beautiful university and we are happy to let her make the decision to attend, with the hope tha she can be an integral part of helping to shape the new PH program, or at least work next to the professors to offer input and do research.
She does have plans to either pursue her Masters of PH or go to PA school. Maybe she will do both - MPH first and then PA school down the road a bit, so not incurring debt for undergraduate is extremely desirable and will give her her pick for grad school. As a very practical 18 year old, she also did not see the point of going into debt just to attend her “dream school” – Tulane’s PH program is incredible and kids do choose to attend based on it’s accreditation and possibility to get into their MPH without having to take the GRE, depending on stats as a senior. I grew up in South Louisiana, so NOLA feels like home to us and it was a huge plus that she could come home or go visit grandparents and cousins within 2-3 hours. No doubt, it was an honor to have been accepted to Tulane. It was some fierce competition at a prestigious southern liberal arts university and she would have done very well there. But, she would not receive this much attention or likely have as much opportunity to shine. A friend just told me yesterday that sometimes we go where most of the arrows are pointing, even if it’s not ALL of the arrows. Thank you again for responding.
Thank you again for responding.