UF over USF - worth it?

State Forums
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1

Next year when I’m a senior I’m applying to USF and UF. I told my mom that if I get into UF, I’m going there, but she desperately wants me to go to USF. We keep having this argument again and again. Am I wrong in preferring UF?

USF is honestly my safety school and I really don’t want to go to the same college as 40% of the people from my high school, 20 minutes away from where I’ve lived my entire boring life, living with my family in a Tampa suburb…that is not the college experience I want. It would definitely be cheaper for me (scholarship + living at home) but I still think UF would give me a better quality education, more valuable degree, and more wholesome college experience. She keeps telling me that the only reason I don’t like USF is because we live right nearby and I’ve become disenchanted with it simply because everyone around here goes there…

Quick rundown of my stats:
2100 SAT (working to bring this up)
7 AP classes after this year (junior yr)
4.5 - 4.6 GPA (top 5% of class)
150 volunteer hours (aiming for at least 200 by the end of this summer)
EC’s (my weakest area): NHS, editor + writer for school newspaper, Mu Alpha Theta member + tutor, soon to be in National English Honor Society. The clubs at my school suck and I was lazy the first 2 years of high school. I’m struggling to gain leadership positions so I’m hoping that my GPA + SAT will slightly make up for this.

2

Lets compare the Delta in cost.

The $ is from College Navigator.

USF: Total Expenses living off campus with Family: $11,510
Assume $3,000 for Bright Futures and $4,000 year/merit scholarships.
Total yearly expenses: $4,510

UF: Total Expenses living on campus: $19,103
Assume $3,000 for Bright Futures and Zero for Merit
Total Yearly expenses: $16,103

The delta is $11,593 a year.

Is UF worth $11.5K more a year? That’s up to you and your family. Do you have Florida Prepaid? College Savings? Are you willing to take out loans? How about your parents?

A lot of folks get into UF but choose USF based on price (merit scholarships). Others have to go the CC route for two years and then transfer.If you don’t have an answer for the delta in cost, you’ll have to go USF.

If you and your parents are able to pay it, will it be worth the loans, savings, etc? You’ll need to work with your parents on this, as it’s a shared sacrifice/decision. Telling them you’re bored isn’t going to be a winning argument. Same goes with complaining about a school with 31,000 undergraduates, being too much like High School, since “everyone” is going there…

You may want to seek out other options. Perhaps New College of Florida (or UCF, or UNF, etc), where you would also earn a merit scholarships. Perhaps the University of Alabama, where you could get a scholarship that pays for your tuition (and if you’re in engineering, an additional $2,500 a year). You have lots of options to research with your parents.

Good Luck!

3

Is cost a factor? UF is definitely the highest ranked school in the state and will give you the college experience you desire. What are you interested in? With your stats I would go to UF.

4

Cost is a factor, unfortunately. I’m quite disappointed. I think I have a shot at getting accepted to UF, my first choice school, which so many of my friends would kill for! I would be thrilled! But long story short I am going to be paying for my own education with zero help from my family. So cost is important. I just really, really want to go to UF…

How is UF considered “cheap” then? Time and time again I’ve heard people say it is cheap for what it is, affordable, worth the cost, and so on. But UF doesn’t give (much) merit aid and most students have to live on campus/nearby because they come from all over the place, so the cost for them = what I’d have to pay. And most of these students could have gone to USF, UCF, etc. for a considerably lower cost…

Forgot to say: I’m a very indecisive person so I keep changing my mind but my main interests are English and Biology so I’ll probably major in one of those (would love to major in both but tbh I don’t want to worry about that right now). My mom wants me to go to medical school and I am somewhat interested in the medical field (lately pathology has caught my eye) but I’m really not sure so I don’t want the whole pre-med thing to be a big deciding factor.

5

Any schools is fine for pre-med, and since medical school is expensive, it’s a good idea to keep your cost down when getting your BS.

Any college, when you include room and board can be expensive. UF (for in-state students), is less expensive than most, even without a scholarship. Tuition at UF (and USF) is $6,000 a year; while at Penn State it’s $16K a year, at the University of Miami (a private school) it’s $40,000 a year.

Still for a student who’s paying his own way, $6000 in tuition + $10,000 in room and board is a lot. :frowning:

I’ve had friends pull it off by going to a CC first for two years (while working and saving money) and then transferring to UF for the final two years. They then worked part time jobs, took out student loans and lived with 2 or 3 roommates in an inexpensive apartment. They would have killed for a merit scholarship. :slight_smile:

You can make this work, but you’ll need to do some research and keep your grades up. Several out of state schools will give you full tuition merit scholarships. Go to the Financial Aid & Scholarships forum and check out the sticky threads up top.

You’ll find that you have a bunch of options, just keep up the good work in school.

Good Luck!

6

I was in the same boat as the OP many years ago. Parents wanted me to go to USF for cost savings/nearer to home. I wanted UF as a better school and further away from home. I picked UF and it was easily the right decision. Looking back at the kids from my High School, the ones that went away, whether UF or an out of state school, generally did better career wise and were more successful than the ones that stayed local.

7

In your cost analysis factor that you’ll probably have enough AP credits to make up one year. Opportunity-wise I’d go for UF. I really do believe your degree will be more valuable in the long run. Especially since you don’t know if you want to pursue medicine. Do more research as to what living expenses will be.at UF.
Dorms run 5K per year.
You’re going to eat no matter where you live so that’s a wash. UF does not require food plans (very expensive)–cook on your own. At USF you have to eat out or pack a lunch/dinner (yeah, right).
Get a job and save.
You don’t need a car at UF so you save on gas and commute.
Look for local scholarships that you can apply for–businesses, local organizations.

When living at home you have no where to go in between classes, it’s harder to make friends (everyone lives in the dorms), studying at home is harder in my opinion. And depending on your parents–you don’t get a chance to spread your wings.