Hi! So I’m considering applying to SUNY-ESF but I’m not sure if it’s worth it. I live in Florida but I have an intense interest in the environment, and from what I’ve heard so far, it’s a really good school. I really like the small-school vibe I get from it (I’m leaning towards New College here for that same reason)
I’ve so far applied to pretty much every state school in Florida (FAU, USF, UNF, FIU, New College, UF, FSU, as well as Stetson) and I have already gotten into FAU, FIU, UNF, and Stetson (who gave me a partial scholarship immediately).
Currently I’m a full time dual enrolled student at FAU and I’ll be graduating high school this May with roughly 90 credits. I have:
-A college GPA of 3.75
-A high school unweighted GPA of 3.85 and a weighted GPA of 5.0
-ACT score of 30
-160+ hours of community service (most from being a Junior Counselor at an environmental education summer camp out in the Everglades, which I’m guessing is attractive to ESF)
-Very strong writing skills
My school does not rank so I’m not sure where I stand. My question is, would it be worth it to apply to ESF? I would really need financial help (preferably scholarships) considering I’m not a NY resident, but I do have Florida Prepaid which can be cashed out. I really like the look of it, but I’m wondering if it would be better to save it as a grad school rather than for undergrad, especially considering all the college credits I’ll be coming out of high school with (that may or may not transfer.)
ESF enrolls a lot of transfer students, probably about 1/3 of the junior class come in as transfers. So they are used to granting transfer credits and most of your credits would probably transfer. You might be able to graduate in 3 years if you were on top of the requirements.
I think you’d be accepted, but I don’t know how their financial aid is. My daughter was accepted there and offered $2500 as a scholarship a few years ago, but she was in-state, and it is possible they offer more to out of state students. I’d contact them and ask about scholarships and check the NPC. SUNY schools are relatively cheap for out of state students, but not as cheap as Fl with Bright Futures.
Also there is a pretty big weather difference between Florida and Syracuse!
@literalturtle. Given the 90 credits you have amassed at FAU, wouldn’t make economic sense (more cost-effective) to apply all or most of those credits to a degree at FAU (FAU Honors? - Have your program and possibly full tuition scholarship)? If I not mistaken, most universities will only accept a maximum of 60 transferable credits, essentially discarding 30 out of those 90 credits. It looks like, at the minimum, you would only spend a year (maybe 3 semesters) finishing your undergraduate degree at FAU. I would suggest that you apply to various top-notch graduate schools for Environmental Studies, after completing your undergraduate degree at FAU. I think this will make you more marketable after graduation and basically you will have a MS in 2 to 2+ years, instead of a BS in 2 years.
Do the 90 credits have any degree (major) focus? Does FAU have any environment-oriented degree program that you can target? BTW, what type of position do you see yourself in after graduating with an environment-oriented degree? There are a number of 4-year universities that have “Environmental Studies (B.S.)” degree program and will have no problem accepting at least 60 (out of 90)