<p>I'm a junior in high school looking to major in biology and later go to medical school. I'm a Florida resident and I live near USF. Up until this year, I thought USF Tampa was the place for me. It's 20 minutes away and I'm pretty much guaranteed a decent scholarship + Bright Futures. Once I improve my SAT score (by just ten points!) I will meet all the requirements for a presidential award from USF, the highest level admissions scholarship. If I got that, plus Bright Futures, I'd basically be going to school for free.</p>
<p>But the more I think about it, the less I want to stay in Florida. I know that staying in Florida will be much easier on me financially and my parents really want me to live at home. But I want to challenge myself. I want to go to a more prestigious school and I feel like that isn't really an option if I stay in Florida. Also, I dislike Florida in general, and it's not like I want to have my career + life here, but out-of-state tuition is a lot more expensive than, well, going to USF on a scholarship.</p>
<p>Extra info:
SAT: 2100 (670 math, 710 writing, 720 reading) - retaking this soon to improve everything, esp. math
ACT: haven't taken it yet, but I expect at least a 30
GPA- 4.0 unweighted, 4.5 weighted
Extracurriculars: math honor society, school newspaper
Major: biology, like I said (pre-med)</p>
<p>You don’t have to make your decision today or this year.
And if you stay in Florida, you don’t have to go to USF Tampa.
Create options for yourself.
Look at colleges and run Net Price Calculators. Plan to apply to several schools,
not just a couple.Don’t forget to ask your parents
how much they’re willing/able to spend on your education.
Then, you’ll know: it’s that budget + Bright Futures, or that budget + financial aid from elsewhere,
and it’s up to you to stay within budget. (NPCs will help you see how much you can expect
in financial aid - with private colleges in particuler, there’s often a big difference between
sticker price - the price they list - and net price - the price your family would have to pay.)
If you have a low EFC (you’re lower-income), private schools may actually be as cheap as
public universities. If you have a high EFC, you’ll need merit money.
In March 2016, you’ll choose the best fit and the best value.<br>
Apply to several schools you’re interested in - (2) safeties like USF,
matches like UF/FSU (3-5), and reaches (as many as you like and can afford).
Be ready to walk out from any school that isn’t within budget but
don’t prevent yourself from applying to possible schools.</p>
<p>With your SAT score, if (when) you reach 1400 CR+M, you have an automatic full tuition scholarship at UAlabama Tuscaloosa (the flagship), which has a great Honors College. </p>
<p>Within Florida, apply to USF as soon as the app is up, as well as UF or FSU. Both UF and FSU would be bargains and would still be more of a college experience than commuting to USF. Include a couple schools you may like - check out Rollins (visit - there’s a drug culture that isn’t to everyone’s liking), Eckerd, Flagler, not to mention UMiami.</p>
<p>For premed, you can go pretty much anywhere.
Look into Rhodes, for example.
But most of all, go to your school library and borrow any of these: Fiske Guide, Insider’s Guide to the Colleges, or Princeton Review’s Best Colleges. Start by colleges you’ve never heard of, in states you’re interested in. Then add colleges that are referenced for science (premed isn’t a major, but you do want a college that’s good for science). Keep a little “notebook” with just that, your notes: what do you like in this college, and in that one? After a while, a picture will start to emerge, and you’ll be able to figure out what type of college you want.</p>
<p>Do you have any idea what region of the country you would like to go to? Do you like large schools or small schools? Liberal Arts focused or University? Do you like urban, suburban, or rural campuses? There are a lot of options out there. You have time to investigate and decide. </p>
<p>Keep USF Tampa on your list. You can visit other schools and see what is out there. Maybe you decide somewhere else is where you want to go or maybe after looking at what is out there you realize you will thrive at USF. </p>
<p>Florida has some great public options, and you should qualify for terrific aid packages. Knowing that, why not go ahead and apply to some elite colleges elsewhere, and see what they offer you? Don’t rule out New College, as an alternative within Florida’s public college system. It has some very strong, albeit small, science programs, with good research and independent study opportunities. I recommend applying to UF, FSU, UCF, NCF - under rolling admissions, where possible - and then shooting high for some reach schools. </p>