<p>I am already in CC dual enrolled and will be able to get my AA if I complete a summer term after I graduate HS.</p>
<p>Someone please correct me of I’m wrong, but wouldn’t completing your AA after you graduated high school changes your status from incoming freshman to transfer? </p>
<p>And what are you looking for, OP? For the past posts you’ve just chimed in with posts of facts. What are you hoping to get through your thread? Advice on how to talk to your mom? Colleges to look at? Tips? What?</p>
<p>^^^</p>
<p>Not usually if the class is taken in the summer between graduation and fall enrollment. The student will be applying in fall of senior year (not grad yet), and that status is really the one the school will be accepting the student.</p>
<p>but check with the schools. dont take the summer class if your school would change an award offer because of that summer class.</p>
<p>I don’t think you are looking at your Pre-Paid correctly. If your mother has paid in $12,000, it will cover a lot more than that at a Florida public school. $12,000 may be what you’d get if you use it at another school (what you’ve paid in plus some interest). My daughter’s private school ‘accepts’ Florida pre-paid, but all she’d get is about $5000 toward the $37k tuition. If you use it at a Florida public, you get tuition paid no matter what the tuition is that year. The real value of pre-paid is that it will cover tuition at today’s prices, even if your mother paid for it 18 years ago. A co-worker paid for his son’s account in full 20 years ago, probably about $3-4000, and he has 4 years of college and one of room and board. His son got a full scholarship OOS, so is saving the pre-paid account in case he transfers or goes to grad school. My co-worker would only get a few thousand if he cashes it out, really no different than a savings account (with tax benefits).</p>
<p>The top level of Bright Futures is about $3000 per year, but that requires a 3.5 and 29 ACT. From the stats you posted, you’d qualify for the medallion level, ~$2300 per year, if you’ve met the other requirements of community service, foreign language, etc. They expect the number of students eligible for any Bright Future award to be 50% of what it was 3 years ago because of the increased requirements. Also, BF must be used in-state, although it can also be used at an in-state private school too. </p>
<p>All the schools you listed are big. Is that what you want? There are several smaller publics or privates in Florida. Flagler is, IMO, a bargain if that is the type of school you are looking for. Tuition is about $16000, but you’d get a FRAG of $2500, they offer merit, and you can use BF.</p>
<p>Is Tallahassee really that bad? Can your brother change? He might be thrilled to see you join him! How many years will you be there at the same time. </p>
<p>No Tallahassee is not that bad! I live there and have children at FSU and the community college there. There is no more homelessness there than any other city. FSU happens to be located in the middle of downtown, a couple of blocks behind the Capitol building. As long as you use your wits, like you would in any city, or stay in groups then it is fine. I’ve lived in Miami also, and I can tell you that I feel much safer in the FSU area than the University of Miami area. </p>
<p>Thanks for the comment. Not every school is located in the best areas, especially in older towns. In this regard, Johns Hopkins, Penn, and even Yale are not exactly located in dreams areas! The same could be said about a couple of CC darlings in California. </p>
<p>In the end, I believe that many 18 years old have a pretty romantic notion of what attending college means. Moving out of the house, leaving the parental control behind, having plenty of time (and money) on hand to enjoy all the hours of freedom, “free” food around the clock, palatial dorms, Spring Breaks, crazy frats, and a lot less work than in high school. Cannot blame to dream a little! 
</p>
<p>I know my mom did her residency at Yale and HATED it!</p>
<p>What part of Tally are you in? My brother is always being approached by homeless people asking for money who get angry when he says no and FSU sends out alerts about students getting mugged. I’ve literally witnessed a drug deal on Tennessee. Don’t get me wrong, the entire city is not terrible, but the parts surrounding campus are not the safest. To be honest, FSU would be my 1st or 2nd choice if I could get over the fact that it’s in Tally. If I do go to FSU or FAMU my mom will expect me to live with my brother who will be there for 2 years ( or 6 if he goes to grad school).</p>
<p>Lol and physicsfreak it’s defferent for me! I have lived in a rural area with low crime and am not used to seeing that much homelessness. </p>
<p>And yes as I begin to apply for schools I am applying as a transfer student with less than 60 credit hours.</p>
<p>The purpose of this post was to get helpful advice to face this situation. I was adding details to help people assess the situation lol.</p>
<p>The OP stated someplace that she would not likely qualify for need based aid.</p>
<p>Latest news…she is applying as a transfer student. Silly me, I thought she was applying as a first year student.</p>
<p>As a transfer student, your options for merit aid at many places is significantly reduced. Those scholarships at UA, for example, are for incoming freshmen only…not transfer students. </p>
<p>And as a transfer student, your SAT and ACT scores won’t really matter very much. If you plan to retake them as a CC college student, this could be,a waste of your time…and money. The test is for HS students, not those who have completed more than a year of college.</p>
<p>Wait, did the OP already graduate from high school? If so, the Bright Futures option is gone as you must apply BEFORE you graduate. You have up to 3 years to start using it, but you have to apply when in high school. I think OP is still in high school, so would be applying as a freshman (with lots of AP and dual enrollment credits).</p>
<p>Edit: OP says she will be a senior this year. You aren’t applying as a transfer, but are just bringing advance standing with you. You still apply as a freshman, and you’ll get more benefits that way. I really think you should consider FAU, UNF or some of the other state schools. UNF is in a very nice part of Jacksonville, near the beach and major mall.</p>
<p>In our state you still apply as a freshman even in you did cc dual enrollment as long as you do not accumulate any more college credit after you graduate from HS - not even that summer. </p>
<p>???</p>
<p>why are you applying as a transfer student? did you graduate and attend college elsewhere?</p>
<p>YOU DONT apply as a transfer student if you are still in HS.</p>
<p>transfers get the worst merit/aid.</p>
<p>OP…please clarify. If you are currently a high school student taking college courses as a non-matriculated student…you would NOT be applying as a transfer student. </p>
<p>So…clarify…please.</p>
<p>This is NOT news to the OP…and she IS still a HS student. She started this thread in April…same “stuff” with a different slant. Clearly, the mom is concerned about financing something the mom views as unaffordable.</p>
<p><a href=“Too rich for FA, too poor to pay... - Financial Aid and Scholarships - College Confidential Forums”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/financial-aid-scholarships/1639576-too-rich-for-fa-too-poor-to-pay-p1.html</a></p>
<p>OP…do NOT put that you are a transfer student in you applications. Unless you were a matriculated student at a CC getting a degree, you are not a transfer.</p>
<p>But my other advice still goes…and it’s pretty much the same as on that other thread…apply wherever you would like to apply, but include the (affordable) FL schools. If you get significant money from another college, woohoo. Or if YOU can pay the difference between what your mom says she can pay and what the college costs, fine. Otherwise, be prepared to walk away from any college that is NOT affordable.</p>
<p>In your other thread you say you are watching your mom"struggle" to pay for your brother’s college costs. That being the case, don’t add to her struggle with your own.</p>
<p>No, she wouldn’t apply as a transfer student. My post was in terms of award offers. Taking courses over the summer would change her status, would it not?</p>
<p>
Are you going to talk your mom? </p>
<p>
Ditto. If YOU can find a way to handle the costs on your own that would be splendid, but do not force her hand into helping you once you’re tied up in an unaffordable college. </p>
<p>I am so confused now. I read that I should apply as a transfer if I have Dual Enrolled…so I’m not supposed to?</p>
<p>At most colleges, college courses taken before high school graduation do not change your application status from frosh to transfer (but check each college to be sure).</p>
<p>It is usually advantageous to apply as frosh for students in your situation, since scholarships are usually much better for frosh, and some schools’ financial aid is worse for transfers.</p>
<p>No, you are a high school student so should apply as a first time student to college. In Florida it is possible to get an AA degree at the same time as your high school diploma, and you’d still apply as a first time college student. </p>
<p>Have your guidance counselor help you. You also need to apply for Bright Futures as a high school student, so don’t graduate before you do that.</p>
<p>You have lots of options. Take your time and look at the colleges that interest you, talk to your mother about finances, see what kind of aid you can get from the schools that interest you. Gather all the information, but be prepared to compromise a little, then your mother will too. You might not go to FSU like your mother wants, but you might not go OOS like you want. LOTS of other options.</p>
<p>LOL my guidance counselor doesn’t quite know how to use a computer and just learned this year (from a student) how to use the commonapp </p>
<p>Have you looked at Colleges that Change Lives website (or book)? Eckerd and New College of Florida are both in Florida, but for these small liberal arts colleges you would have options in many states. Look into them…at least read the websites and share with your mom…</p>
<p>Generally I think dual enrolled students apply as freshman but that may also depend on whether you have done a full years’ worth. Check with the colleges themselves or talk to your community college. Clearly your high school counselor is not a good source of info.</p>