Don’t mean to sound harsh, but why didn’t you apply to Ball State as a backup? I too had a sense of wanderlust back in the mid-90s, but like a good boy Hap stayed in his home state of IL, three hours from home (plenty far). Then, for grad school I went OOS (AL, OH, MO) and have worked outside of IL as an adult as well (MO, Spain, and now FL).
Also, can your parents not afford USF or do they not want to pay? Either way, parents do have a say, though it can be frustrating, I know.
I think Ohio Wesleyan has zoology.