Currently I am a high school junior in Florida, although I know I have many great options in Florida I am heavily considering going out of state for college if I feel an out of state school matches me or I find a great opportunity.
I have a 3.8 unweighted and 4.5 weighted GPA and I am in the top 8% of my class. I’ve only taken the SAT and ACT once each, and got a 1920 and 31 respectively but I would be willing to take it again if need be. I would like to be a future law student and want to major in either international relations or politics, although being a political science major would be ok as well.
I’m not good at sports so I don’t have any chance for that sort of scholarship. The big issue for me is cost, I don’t usually qualify for big financial aid but my family would still struggle to pay for a very expensive college. So if I go to a school out of state, I would need to get a really good deal.
My question is, does anyone have any recommendations of state schools I should apply to, similar to UF? As that is my top choice right now.
One big public U that would give you nice merit-based aid for your current GPA provided you can pull your test scores up a bit is U of Alabama. Check the links in this thread for places where you would be guaranteed aid, and talk budget with your parents. http://automaticfulltuition.yolasite.com/
Use the 31, not the 1920, unless you retake both and compare then.
The thing about being OOS at a large state uni is that you pay the OOS tuition. This can start at 35K and go upward. It’s not always the most beneficial to drop so much coin when a majority of the students are paying less. You don’t have this issue with private unis–it’s the same price for both in-state and OOS students. U of Alabama is an exception because of their good scholarships. OSU (Ohio State) also has a lot of merit scholarships. You should check them out as well.
I don’t know the financial situation but definitely talk with your parents and see what you can afford. If you can get your stats up, Georgetown would be a great option based off your given path.
Most OOS colleges at the level of UF and above will cost a lot extra with the OOS tuition add-on. Most states save their aid for their own instate students. They charge an OOS supplement because you don’t pay taxes there so why would they turn around and give you a really good deal? UA is the best state college that offers super generous merit aid. Ohio State has a Buckeye scholarship. You might be able to get more merit aid from privates if you target well. But better scores will translate to better chances. Your scores are good, they just aren’t competitive for the hard to get bigger money.