Hello! I am an out of state Junior from Minnesota interested in University of Florida due to excellent pre-health program. I would likely major in public health, microbiology, and/or business administration. I will not receive FA anywhere, have no college fund, and am receiving no help from parents.
I want to know if anyone thinks I am competitive for a merit scholarship at U of F.
-white female
-full IB candidate
-16 dual enrollment credits at private university my school is on the campus of
-summer college math classes
-1550+ SAT, retaking for higher, perfect for math
-NHS with lots of community service hours
-Tennis Captain and State participant (not good enough for Florida though!)
-worked all through high school
-good rec letters
GPA is unweighted at my school, probably like a 3.8 ish
Thank you so much for your time! I really appreciate all the input I can get while trying to narrow down schools that I have a good chance at merit aid for.
Did you take the PSAT/are you a National Merit Semi-Finalist?
Just to clarify…your parents have a high income but will not contribute any money for college costs?
I did. I am not. I received a 1420- not national merit material.
Yes, that is correct.
If you are paying yourself, then UF is probably not your best bet. You will get more merit money from other state schools like Alabama, for example. What about univ of Minn?
UF is not known for big merit awards. Most in state kids qualify for bright futures scholarships, which can cover full tuition.
If your heart is set on Florida, you would be better served to look at USF, UCF and even FSU (offers a tuition waiver to some out of state kids)
thank you so much for your advice! I really appreciate it!
Self-funding your college costs will be limiting…and unfortunately will dictate what your options are. Why won’t your parents contribute? Would you be able to live at home and attend either community college or one of the U Minnesota system 4 year colleges?
At U Alabama you would qualify for $26K scholarship, but total COA is around $51K, leaving $25K of costs, per year. That is not going to be affordable without your parents’ help. https://scholarships.ua.edu/freshman/out-of-state/
U Minnesota merit options seem more limited than U Alabama. Take a look here, to see if there are any opportunities where you fit the requirements. https://admissions.tc.umn.edu/costsaid/schol_campus.html
Also look at the other U Minnesota system schools. Take a look at U New Mexico, ASU, and U Arizona, too.
To build some savings, can you get a full-time job this summer? Work part-time now and senior year, then again full-time summer following senior year? Depending on the job(s) you may be able to save $5K-$10K that way. HS students in my area can make $15/hour babysitting/nannying on the weekends and full-time in the summers.
You will also be able to take out a total of $27K in Federal Direct Student Loans over the four undergrad years: $5,500 freshman year, then $6,500/$7,500/$7,500.
Even if you can cobble together $10K with work earnings plus loan each year, it might be a good option to consider community college for a couple of years, maintain a part-time job, and then transfer to a 4 year school to complete your degree.
Do some research on past CC threads too…there are many, here is one:
http://talk.qa.collegeconfidential.com/financial-aid-scholarships/2161948-let-s-talk-regional-exchange-universities-that-also-give-merit-to-further-reduce-costs.html#latest
I’ll also call @thumper1 @mom2collegekids @MYOS1634 for other ideas.
hey addygfre - you have some great stats and have worked hard! well done. I think if you look around, you can find some colleges that will give you really good deals on tuition; some full tuition; some really reduced.
but, what’s very hard to find are schools that cover room & board. That runs around $11-14K per year, and the majority of the time, freshmen are required to pay that.
Some schools have a few full-ride scholarships that cover all; but those are very very competitive. So - I just want you to keep this all in mind. It’s good you are starting to look at it all now. Keep working hard!
Thank you for starting this thread. I know many people in this situation and will continue to follow. Good luck.
U of MN gives close to full merit rides to students from my school. However, due to my family situation I really need to get out of state.
I work a lot but with costs of my long commute to school, car insurance, books for college classes, ect. I cannot save much even without frivolous spending.
I am considering many of schools that give merit aid such as Lehigh, UMich Ann Arbor, UMass Amherst, ect. I have had to cross many schools off of my list due to not wanting to lose transfer college/IB credits I have already completed.
I know that I will have to take on a great deal of debt and I am okay with and prepared for that.
Thank you for your input!
Along with UPitt and Tulane. However I know many of these scholarships are highly competitive.
What I am most looking for is a school that accepts transfer credits from dual enrollment and IB, large enough to have summer courses so I can graduate early, and merit scholarships to offset cost. I could not care less where the school is located as long as its not in Minnesota.
This is helpful.
It sounds like you are preparing well, but needing to get minimum of a full tuition award will make all schools reaches. You will need to cast a wide net.
What do you think you will be able to spend per year, counting the direct student loan?
Lehigh and U Mich (for OOS) do not offer much merit…what are you seeing that suggests they do? I would be surprised if you could get anything approaching full tuition…and then you still have room and board costs as well as transportation costs, etc.
Be careful with dual enrollment/IB credit and confirm that you will get credit before committing to any school. It can take a lot of digging to figure this things out. Public schools tend to offer more credit (in terms of allowing one to potentially graduate early) than do private schools.
It’s great that you are starting on this early. Your least costly options will be in-state…Minnesota is a big state, why do you have to leave?
I don’t recommend you take out greater than the $27K in Federal Direct Student Loans. Any thing above that will require a co-signer.
You said you intend on being pre-health type major or bus admin…what type of career are you thinking about? Is med school a goal?
Yes, I am planning on attending med school. It is worth noting that once I get to med school, my tuition will be paid for.
I go to a college prep school and was previously considered by guidance and counseling a competitive applicant for ivies but ended up eliminating those options due to lack of merit aid. I hope this can paint a better picture of my competitiveness.
Umich lists 18 full rides to out of state students per year and Lehigh also lists minimal full rides. I understand the competition of these but I have already written many of the essays and am prepared to be rejected. I just don’t want to limit my possibilities and want to attend the best school I can.
I planned on withdrawing no more than 30k per year in federal student loans.
I have examined maximum credit transfer and what is accepted at all schools carefully.
Oops! I missed that I am okay with up to that 30-35k mark a year.
Yes, your stats are great and you should certainly apply for full ride scholarships…but they will be highly competitive, with many ivy caliber students competing.
You need an affordable safety.
Who will co-sign your undergrad loans in excess of the $27k in total for 4 years?
Family members who will co-sign but not pay for school in respect to my parents wishes.
Thank you for your guidance! I appreciate it so much
Nope. Your max federally funded student loan is $5500 for the year.
Will your parents take out loans, or co-sign?
Regardless…$30,000 a year…$120,000 total loans for undergrad is WAY too much in loans if you plan to go to medical school, where you will need tons of loans!
I have enough credits to graduate in 2-2.5 years which I have take into account.
Many of these schools have public health programs which enable you to take 33,000 in loans a year.
@addygefre It sounds like you have it all figured out. The cryptic nature of your personal situation (I understand it is sensitive) makes it difficult for people to give input. It does not make sense to me why you HAVE to go OOS. There are no schools in MN that give you the physical buffer with family you want? I imagine that you are living near this family now, and have been for many years. Why not 2-2.5 more years?
Like other responders, I would caution you against taking significant loans for OOS undergraduate school, it is not worth it. If you cast your net wide enough, you may find someone who gives you a full ride or close to that. But, you will have to do a lot of searching. UF will likely not be that school, unless you are NMF.
I’m going to page @WayOutWestMom so that she can help OP understand how taking classes in the summer and using DE or IB credits to graduate ug in 2–2.5 years might impact medical school admission.