<p>My son was accepted at U. of Florida, Florida State, and U. of Miami, waitlisted at Wm. and Mary and Wash U. He accepted FSU because he is in the honors program which provides smaller, more selective classes. UF is just too big, and has too many TAs - he's not in the honors program there. He leaned toward Miami for awhile, but ultimately decided against it. His reasoning was that it was not enough better to be worth the additional cost. Today he was notifed that he made it off the waitlist at Wm. and Mary. I estimate it will cost s $28-30 per year versus $4K at FSU with merit scholarships. However, it does seem to us to be significantly better. He has to let them know by Monday, so we don't have time to fly up for a look around. His area of interest is government/international relations with an eye toward law school. We already have tuition and housing deposits and orientation registration paid at FSU. Any advice?</p>
<p>One plus to consider about FSU is that it's located down the street from the state capital of one of the country's largest states. FSU has a large alumni base, and those alums are very well connected in FL. That could lead to your son's more easily getting internships and other opportunities than at W&M.</p>
<p>I think your son made the right choice among Miami, FSU, and Florida. Honors college plus the state capital. . .good call for a poli sci kid thinking about law school.</p>
<p>Biggest question here is what does your S think? If he has a real preference for William & Mary, you can afford the higher costs without radically restrcuturing family finances, and you all believe he will be more academically engaged in a smaller-school environment I'd go W&M.</p>
<p>If he is looking forward to the large uni experience (more kids, more majors, football etc.) and has a track record of making the most of his educational opportunities, I'd go FSU and save the money for law school.</p>
<p>Congrats to your son for being asked off the waitlist! Government and International Relations are particularly strong majors at W&M. Though small for a state school, there are still about 7K students, so it's comparable to other mid-sized schools. Sports aren't the first thing you think of about W&M, but there is interest in athletics - and this year's football team had a lot of success and generated something of a frenzy on campus.</p>
<p>On the negative side - our out-of-state costs went from 22K in 2001 to just under 30K last year, and more increases are inevitable. Your costs at FSU will certainly leave your family in a better position to help pay for law school.</p>
<p>I can't tell from your post whether your son has visited or not. If not, and he truly doesn't have time to go up and look around before a decision is due, maybe it would be best to stick with the excellent opportunity he has at FSU, since he already knows he likes it.</p>
<p>If your son hasn't visited W&M, my thought would be to see if the school can collect him from an airport if you send him up. If it were me, I would be willing to spend a few hundred for a trip as insurance against spending 120K+ sight unseen for a less than optimal decision.</p>
<p>What does your son want to do?</p>
<p>Sounds alike FSU is the way to go for your son. Unless he truly felt he wanted William & Mary, I wouldn't spend the extra money, lose all the deposits, and pay higher tuition for a school that he "might" like. Obviously, you all like FSU enough to have put down all the deposits.</p>
<p>Just my humble opinion.</p>
<p>As a side note, the state legislature in Tallahassee does not meet year round so opportunities could be limited in so far as making contacts and networking are concerned. By your own words, "However, it does seem to us to be significantly better" it sounds like you'd like to send him to William and Mary. See if you can get your deposits back. Check out the William and Mary posts and get a feel for it. The campus itself is beautiful. Good luck.</p>
<p>Ok..brand me a snob. There's no comparison. W&M is a FAR better school than FSU. Unless it's going to be a financial sacrifice that means you'll end up on welfare....go for W&M. </p>
<p>He may not want to go to law school 3-4 years from now and if he doesn't, he'll have better job opportunities coming out of W&M. If he does go to law school .. take a look at the law school forum. There's a thread buried there somewhere with a title along the lines of breakdown of students at law schools. Look at how many FSU students ended up at top law schools and how many W&M students ended up at top law schools. </p>
<p>Same conclusion: choose W & M.</p>
<p>William and Mary is a totally different college experience than FSU although you might get a happy life outcome on either path. William and Mary is essentially a private LAC college in feel..intimate community, inspired teachers, intense student body one third are top drawer from other states, one third are intensely talented from the DC burbs excellent high schools with varied backgrounds and roots, one third from gentler corners of Virginia. My S lived there one summer and took a college course and I was blown away with the quality of the teaching he received. Lots of homework, high expectations, discipline required and teachers know if you miss a class. It is a very academic community...and a much better foundation for some graduate school paths, which would leave you open to Florida state schools for grad schools later. Congrats on getting off the waitlist. Many Virginia kids are still waiting and hoping. The name of the school does carry weight if that matters. If you can afford it, I say jump on it. You are only 18-22 once in life and Wm and Mary delivers the education we all want for our kids with quality and intensity.</p>
<p>Is this a situation where you will never get financial aid because your EFC is too high, or that you won't get financial aid the first year at W&M because he was waitlisted? Financial aid is determined each year and so he might qualify soph, junior and senior year. If that is a possibility, call the finan aid office at W&M and ask.</p>
<p>Thanks to all for your inputs. He has decided on WM and is very excited. Now I have to start unraveling the deposits and travel reservations from FSU, and try to get the rest of it sorted it out.</p>
<p>Congratulations on William and Mary. They are working hard now (with UVa) on charter school status to increase their foundations and ability to keep the facilities up to the standards of the very fine student body's learning needs. You will be receiving a private school atmosphere for out of state fees, and your child's peer group will be very strong and motivated. Although it is hard work, the outcomes regarding graduate school and ability to move around the USA with a fine degree in hand are wonderful. My son still hears from teachers he only had the summer he was 16...very caring people. They treated his precollegiate summer program as if it was of great import, bringing in terrific guest experts and speakers, and delivering superb lectures. If you invest your energies in their courses, they invest in you.</p>
<p>WM is a great choice. As for the cost, it's only money. </p>
<p>(I taught at FSU some years ago and had many talented, highly motivated students there. So your son would have found a group he could hang with, while enjoying the larger circus that is D 1 sports, etc.)</p>
<p>Mackinaw,
I do think FSU is a great school. My oldest is there, and it's a perfect fit for him. So I would have been happy (and more fiscally sound) had the second one made that choice, but I'm also delighted that he will find his own adventure.</p>