UF (no scholarship) or USF (with a scholarship) for undergrad

State Forums
,
1

Hello everyone,
I have to make the decision between going to UF or USF. I am not sure about my major, I want to go into either engineering or medicine. I have no scholarship money from UF, but USF is offering me 14k over 4 years. My mother will help me pay for my dorm and meal. I have Florida prepaid and bright futures, so my tuition and books will be covered wherever I go. However, I do have to pay for my car, so I will be working about 20hrs per week at a minimum wage job if I live in Gainesville. I live in Tampa and I already have a stable, well established job that is very flexible and I would only have to work 10-15 hours per week to cover my bills and I will also be able to take time off whenever I need to study for tests.

I am very torn between the schools. I have visited the Gainesville area and I love the school. USF is not as appealing to me, since I have lived in the area all of my life. However, I will be able to join the Honors college at USF, and I do have a few connections from professors at USF already. On top of all this, the difference between wages as well as the scholarship money that I was offered nets me an opportunity cost of about 42k if I attend UF. I am very lost, since I have heard that many large companies hire out of UF and that it is great for networking. I have also heard that the quality of education is not the greatest at USF. I just need some guidance with this process, and I want to know if UF is really worth it.

2

I post this in another thread, but USF generates a large number of med school applicants:

Number of applicants to U.S. Med schools(2014)

  1. UCLA = 919
  2. Michigan = 825
  3. UC-Berkeley =769
  4. UF =760
  5. UT-Austin = 733
    …
    UGA = 481
    UNC-CH = 394
    USF = 316
    UCF=286
    FSU = 265
    GT= 191
    UA = 150
    FAU=107

For med school, USF will work just fine and keep your cost down (important to limit debt before you go to med school). It sends more applicants to med schools than FSU, UCF, University of Alabama, or Georgia Tech.

For Engineering, UF is better recruited, but USF is also fairly well recruited. If you get an internship/co-op while at USF, you’ll do fine when searching for a job after graduation.

In other words, both choices are great. Choose the one you’re most comfortable with…

Good Luck!

3

@Gator88NE If I were to do engineering, is there a significant difference between the schools for opportunities to find a job that would pay for my master’s degree?

4

An USF grad can be hired at the same companies as a UF grad. I wouldn’t worry about that.

It may be easier to find that first job at UF, since UF has a better career resource center and it’s better recruited for engineering in general. However, USF engineers are also fairly well recruited, but it tends to be a bit more local than national.

If the cost was the same, UF is the easy choice. However, you’ve list several great reasons for picking USF. I can’t help you with your choice, other than to say that you don’t have any wrong choices. Either school will work out great for you.

Some other things to keep in mind, by the end of your second year, you will be applying for summer internships and/or co-ops. If you go the co-op route you may not need the part time job. Internships and co-ops are competitive, but you’ll want to complete at least one before graduating (unless you’re off to Med school!). You also have the option of transferring from USF to UF after two years.

Good Luck!

5

If you have fewer money stresses you have more energy for studies and other activities. Keeping debt as low as possible will reduce financial barriers if you do end up trying for medical school.

6

@Gator88NE @NorthernMom61 thank you for your help! I ended up choosing UF!