<p>Why didn't you apply to state schools in other states? I'm going to a state school...and it's not in Texas. I totally understand that you don't like the school itself, though...I feel pretty much the same about A&M as you do about U of Florida...but I'm still a bit confused as to why you didn't apply to other affordable schools. </p>
<p>Like I said before, there are other places aside from private schools where you can get a great education. Prestige really doesn't rank too high in my book because there are a lot of schools out there that have great programs for specific majors but aren't looked at as great over-all (like the school I'll be attending). </p>
<p>Most schools have a decent amount of liberal and international students, too, and a full ride at a state school would open up the oppurtunity of studying abroad. If you're really into other cultures, studying abroad would be so much cooler than going to school in the northeast. You could still go up there for law school, too.</p>
<p>not worth it to hate where u are for 4 years. go ivy and work on getting scholarships from outside sources where they are. as someone who is in the midddle of transferring because they hate their state school, i can tell you DON'T go to a place you already hate and yes, it is exponentially harder to get in as a transfer to ivys.</p>
<p>Many schools have out-of-state tuition waivers, and if you managed a full ride at U of Florida you'd probably qualify for something close at another.</p>
<p>My brother went to local state U because dad refused to allow him to go to Stanford as a freshman (tho he was accepted). He went to local state U & contiued to do exceptionally & transferred as a 2nd semester sophomore into Stanford & graduated with honors from there after 2+ years of Stanford tuition. He got into ALL the med schools he applied to & chose to go to UCSF, where he again graduated with honors (turned down Harvard, Johns Hopkins & everyone else as too expensive). He graduated from med school relatively debt-free & my dad was happy that there were only 2+ years of Stanford tuition. He now has his dream job & a great life with a guaranteed pension from Kaiser.</p>
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Why didn't you apply to state schools in other states?
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<p>I would second that and add why don't you apply to private schools that offer merit aid? My brother got into Caltech on a full ride + stipend - such that not only did he not pay a dime to Caltech, they actually paid him. In other words, he MADE money by going to Caltech. I see other people here getting full rides to go to places like Duke or Washington University.</p>
<p>Getting substantial merit money from CalTech is very impressive & pretty unusual. Your brother must have been very highly qualified. There are indeed great schools which offer substantial merit aid for students they wish to attract. It takes research to find the schools which match your needs with their needs & will offer you substantial merit aid. There are threads about schools which offer substantial merit aid. There is absolutely nothing wrong with going to a state U (either for a few years or getting your undergrad degree therre) & then going on to a more "prestigous" U to save money, if that is what the student & family desires.</p>
<p>As for why it is UF, Ivy or bust, I'm kind of in the same situation. I live in Florida, have really good grades and everything, and really want to go to a great school. But then again, I don't want to pay out the butt for it when I have to go to med school too. My family just started making enough money so that I can't qualify for FA, and we have no money saved up really. So I've been going for a LOT of scholarships on Fastweb, and I haven't heard from a few, but the only one I've gotten so far is from AAA for $1,000. It's only my junior year, but unless I get enough money, it looks like I'm going to UF.</p>
<p>In Florida, they offer this scholarship to kids called "Bright Futures" in which you have to get a 3.5, 1280 SAT and 28 ACT, 75 hours community service, and you get a full ride to any public institution or the equivalent to any private institution in the state. The problem is, Florida schools are not anywhere near northeast or midwest standards, and yes the best school is UF. The academics there have gotten oretty good lately, and I would go there except it is so freakin' big and my chances of being able to swim there are nonexistent.</p>
<p>Basically, what Bright Futures does is to make all kids underachieve in high school, since they know that they can get free college (or 75% with a 3.0, 1050 SAT, 24 ACT, and no community service) and then they stay in Florida, and make our state dumber than it already is. The only reason I've worked my butt off in HS is b/c I'm from the midwest, and actually have heard about good schools, as most kids here don't even bother considering anywhere out of state. If I had to go anywhere in this state, it would be UF, but I can understand where heartonsleeve is coming from for wanting to get out of this state, but being hesitant for coughing up all the extra dough. The sun really gets to some people's heads down here...</p>
<p>if you can get into the same law school without having to worry about transferring and paying all that extra money, then stick with the school you are at. If the school you want to transfer to is the only way to help you get into law school, then you might want to transfer.</p>
<p>erhswimming--you completely got what I was trying to say. I guess it takes a Floridian to see what kind of mess we're in. I was actually talking to a teacher about it this morning, and she basically told me not to give up, and try to get merit aid somewhere--so I guess I'll try. But still. It's so unlikely...ugh, just the thought of UF makes me miserable. If I end up going there, I'm gonna get a lot of AP credits, and spend a year abroad so that I don't actually have to spend all four years there. And then maybe I'll transfer anyway...UF is just not a good fit for me, I hate it, and I hate that it's the only real option.</p>
<p>Wow, your hatred for UF is really strong. Honestly, before I visited there this spring, I could never see myself going there and I had my in-state "backup" labeled as FSU. But when I visited there, if it wasn't for the so-so prestige and the impossibility of doing a varsity sport there, I wouldn't mind going there since it is incredibly cheap and actually not too hard to get into other schools afterwards. One of my friends who was sick of everyone he knew in Florida was afraid UF was going to be a repeat of his high school. He had actually wanted to go to Washington & Lee, but was one of the first ones not to get accepted so he was stuck at UF. But if it wasn't for his wanting to swim in college (like me) he wouldn't now be transferring to W&L.</p>
<p>I'm not sure what you consider to be enough to satisfy your urban needs, but for me I think Gainesville has plenty to do. I guess that's only because I grew up in suburban midwest with the biggest city being Cincinnati (not too big). There are a bazillion clubs there and a few malls and tons of restaurants and Tampa, Orlando, Daytona, Jacksonville, and if your willing to drive all the way to Miami are all good weekend getaways. </p>
<p>One of my tour guides when I visited actually sounded a lot like you. She lived in Florida but wanted to get out and experience the fast-paced city life of NYU. She actually ended up hating it so much that she transferred back to UF, a school that she previously hated with a passion. Yes there are a lot of drinkers there (which is a big turnoff for me too), there isn't much of a city, and there isn't a beach too close. But there is a buttload of school spirit, plenty of activities to get your mind off of the lack of outside things to do, and it is a heck of a lot cheaper than undergrad at an Ivy. And I've heard that southerners don't adjust too well to snow... If you end up going there, just try to make the best of it and definitely take advantage of the study abroad program! And try to apply for their honors college!</p>
<p>I didn't know that schools could opt not to accept transfer students. Which of the Ivy leagues don't? Are there any non-Ivy leagues that don't accept transfers?</p>
<p>I'm not aware of any schools that don't accept any transfers, but they are able to set the criteria and number of transfer they accept, as well as which credits/courses transfer. They are also able to set how many credits & courses you must obtain from their school & major to get a degree from their school. It's best to contact the schools you're interested in directly to get their transfer information.</p>