<p>I have been researching colleges for the past year for myself and as my college selection process is nearing the end, I must come to a conclusion.</p>
<p>I am a straight A student, with all honors and AP courses. (My schedule simply cannot get any harder). I am ranked about 20 something in my class, though this may be attributed to my change from one school to another (GPA got messed up in the process, etc.) My resume is packed with ECs and my SAT scores are up there. The question I have been pondering is whether to stay in state and go to UF (if I get in, which I think is probable), and do very well academically and socially there, or go to a school out of state like Northwestern or Barnard and maybe not finish as high after the four years conclude.</p>
<p>Please send me your advice, I'm really having a hard time figuring out where I would be happiest/most successful. Thanks.</p>
<p>that’s something you will have to decide for yourself. What you should do is visit a large school as well as a small school nearby and try and find a feel of what you want in a college.</p>
<p>But it’s not necessarily an issue of big vs. small. I don’t know whether to secure my position in somewhat of a safety school or I should take the more challenging risk of going to a school like Barnard or Wellesley.</p>
<p>dang I completely misunderstood you (your title was kinda misleading haha)</p>
<p>You’ll find competitive people at Florida as well as Barnard and Wellesley since Florida is the best public school in Florida. I don’t think you should underestimate Florida. Personally, I would pick Barnard or Wellesley and take the challenge but there’s nothing wrong with Florida either since it’s a premier school in the US. It’s your decision.</p>
<p>Is graduate school in the plans? Is money a problem for any of your schools?</p>
<p>Many of my friends unequivocally chose the Honors College at UF over many well respected institutions, such as the University of Chicago or Emory. </p>
<p>Since tuition is basically free through Bright Futures (an in-state scholarship program), and UF is the best school in the state, it often attracts many well qualified students such as yourself that would rather save the money for graduate school and have a more quintessential college experience.</p>
<p>Money’s not a problem, however, I’d like to spare my parents some potential burden. Miami and Emory were both on my list for quite sometime until it hit me, I’d probably get the same education at Florida for about $47,000 less. Ha ha. I think I’ll go on to graduate school…communications?</p>
<p>If graduate school is a final destination, I would consider going to University of Florida. It’s probably not as competitive as some of the other colleges you are looking to and thus it might be easier for you to do well there. Also if you can get into UF honors, that’s another plus.</p>
<p>There’s no one right answer to this. You may not be at the top of a more competitive school–but the opportunities are usually a little better there, even for the middling students. It’s sort of a wash. I think the difference lies with you–which school would you perform better at? Are you more comfortable being at the head of the pack? Is being around a lot of kids who are more brilliant than you going to discourage you? Then UF may be a better environment.</p>
<p>Conversely, are you a competitive kind of person? Do you look to your peers to set standards for you? Then you may want to go to Wellesley.</p>
<p>There are other differences between the schools that may impact your performance, of course, large v. small being just one of them.</p>
<p>You don’t need to worry about “finishing high” in college. There not a focus on “class rank” in college. You will want to graduate with high grades, with honors, but you won’t need to compare your grades with those of the other students at your school.</p>
<p>If you’re thinking of grad school, definitely go to UF. I actually know a lot of UF graduates who work in publishing in NYC, and they are all brilliant–they have a great reputation!</p>