<p>i have not heard from my top school yet, but if it boils down between these two schools i'm not sure which to pick. i live in miami already and my goal was to get out of miami as well as florida but if that doesn't work out then i have to choose between UM and UF. i would go to UF basically for free because i got 100% bright futures, however although i do love college towns gainsville just does not appeal to me at all. i have never visited UF so i don't know exactly what it looks or feels like but it just doesn't seem like something i may like. </p>
<p>UM was pretty generous with their money. they offered me just about $30,000 including scholarship, work-study, and $5000 in loans. so basically i'd have to get another loan for the last $10,000 or so. also, i'm majoring in communications studies (which UF doesn't have, i had to put public relations) and it just seems like the city of miami as well as UM may just be better for that type of major but i'm not entirely sure. </p>
<p>sorry to make this post so long, but i just wanted to know if anyone had any opinions. thanksss</p>
<p>i was basically in your boat. university scholarship to UM or full bright futures at UF. Chose UM. Miami beats Gainesville, you get a private school education for not much more than a public school, and it has the major you want.
the main issue for me was whether i wanted to stay this close to home or gain independence. my parents agreed to let me live on campus, so everyone won.</p>
<p>lol see the thing about going to UM is I would still be living at home. but I would also get to keep my car haha. idk though. do you think its better to live on campus at UM or no?</p>
<p>1) You must go visit UF to make an informed decision. Many students love it there. It is a large school but has the benefits of such.
2) I just checked the website at UF for you. They absolutely have a communications dept (and possibly majors of interest outside that department. You need to check the academics website and check out "departments" for the link and the "majors" link. I never heard of a school, especially a large university not have communication major. Speech and Audiology is a separate major.
This is what I found- College of Communication and Journalism
Majors are * Advertising
* Journalism
* Public Relations
* Telecommunication
* Mass Communications Minor
I don't know that "Communication" is a major in itself. You have to pick an area that you want to focus in.
By the way, it helps to be in a school with numerous majors as you have options of switching (and many do just that.)
3) Weigh the pros and cons of each school. The UM facilities are beautiful. Advisors seem to be accessible. Classes can be small. They treat the students well. Dorms need a boost but are adequate (it's really who you live with and your floormates that count more than the dorm itself.) Make a list (must see each school though.)
Sports- great at both and lots of school spirit either way.
4) Cost- a definite consideration, not to be taken lightly. Think of your major or specialization. What is your expected salary at such a job. How easy will it be for you to pay off loans while supporting yourself?
5)Education- both excellent reputations and you will do fine at either.
6)Housing- UF- dorm
UM- home- is it possible to convince your parents that you will live at home. If it works out, then fine. If not, you want the option of moving on campus second semester?
Benefits of home- comfort.
Negatives may (or may not be) distance form campus and dealing with traffic, option of going home during the day and driving back and forth for classes, clubs, wellness center, ball games, etc. The kids on campus are there all day, and will be in their dorm room between all of these things. Also, the ease of meeting others.
There are a good number of students living at home so I'm sure it can work out too. I'm sure you can work out a plan. (Eat on campus, study on campus between classes or activities, get a job in on campus to fill gaps)...</p>
<p>I don't think anyone can or should talk you out of one or another (except for the money issue which is huge). Two great choices you have. You sound familiar with UM. Visit UF and do it soon. Keep an open mind about it. You may be pleasantly surprised. Wouldn't it be great to love a school and go for free? No loans is a biggie. (Just ask those of us who have had to pay them off!!! Although, you need to be happy and that may cost some $$$$ inyour case) Have you always had your mind set on UM as it is what you are familiar with? That may be a hurdle you have to encounter. Go see UF and make an informed decision. Try to keep an open mind (if you love what you see- go for it, if not, then send in your deposit to Miami).</p>
<p>Just reread your post. What is your top choice? Just curious.</p>
<p>Good luck. You have 2 great schools (maybe 3) to pick from.</p>
<p>well thanks for your help but i never said UF didn't have a communications school or that i was majoring in just "communications". i have already chosen my area of study which is Communications Studies, also known as Mass Communications. CS is basically the rhetoric of communications, not only through the media, but also through cultural settings, corporation settings, politics, etc. like i said before, UF doesn't offer this as a major, only as a minor. they do offer a major similar to it called the Communication Sciences and Disorders major, but that focuses more on the anatomy of speech disorders and the like and you have to pick a specific track depending on what you want to do for your career in the future. i want to pick a general but good major that i can take in any direction depending on where i want to go because i'm still not entirely sure. maybe some time in the future i will want to specialize in speech disorders, because i can't say it's not interesting, but at the moment i would rather not pick a specialization since i may end up changing my mind later on. you know after doing all of this research over again i think i may have just made up my mind on which college i would choose if it came down to these two loll. </p>
<p>BU may be a good choice for you since you want to get out of FL. You did mention finances taking a part in this, so I hope they offer you a good financial aid package. Make sure to do the math and look at loans vs non-loans when figuring it out. Work study is just a job which you can get on your own on or off campus anyway. Should not play into either category.</p>
<p>School-wise, although US News and World Report is not the know all-be all, you can see that your schools all rank pretty similarly:
44. Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute(NY)</p>
<ol>
<li><pre><code>University of Texas—Austin *
</code></pre></li>
<li><pre><code>University of California—Santa Barbara *
</code></pre></li>
<li><pre><code>University of California—Irvine *
</code></pre></li>
<li><pre><code>Pennsylvania State University—University Park *
</code></pre></li>
<li><pre><code>University of Florida *
</code></pre></li>
<li><pre><code>Syracuse University(NY)
</code></pre></li>
<li><pre><code>Tulane University(LA)
</code></pre></li>
<li><pre><code>Yeshiva University(NY)
</code></pre></li>
<li><pre><code>University of Miami(FL)
</code></pre></li>
<li><pre><code>Pepperdine University(CA)
</code></pre></li>
<li><pre><code>George Washington University(DC)
</code></pre></li>
<li><pre><code>University of Maryland—College Park *
</code></pre></li>
<li><pre><code>Ohio State University—Columbus *
</code></pre></li>
<li><pre><code>Boston University
</code></pre></li>
</ol>
<p>loll yeahh, money matters a bit but i'm trying not to let it rule my decision. idk mannn, i'm getting tired of waiting for BU, it's driving me crazy.</p>
<p>Not to jynx the decision, but I think that you will most likeely be accepted to BU. </p>
<p>The same kind of applicants at Miami are the ones at BU, Northeastern and GW. Usually carry a cumulative GPA of 3.5-4.0+ like Miami and SAT score of 1260-1430 (CR/M). One of my friends is in the same boat. She has been accepted to UF, Miami, Tulane and Case Western but is waiting on BU because it is her ultimate top choice school. </p>
<p>And if I may say something, LOL. You remind me of my self. I was so fixated on leaving Florida (grew up in Boca Raton) and had no intention of going to any Florida school (FSU, UCF, UF or miami). So I applied to UMass Amherst, UMD College Park and UVA. I was going to apply to BU and NY U too, but after visiting NYU, I knew that a city campus was not what I wanted out of college. Anyways, I was accepted to all buy UVA charlottesville. I chose to go to Maryland and was in love with it, but then came mid october, LOL. It was so coold! After building up such strong friendships, I decided that I could no longer take the freezing cold and on a whim applied to Miami in Nov. for Freshmen spring transfer, LOL. Was accepted am glad to be a CANE. So, definitely consider the weather factor. Many people tend to underestimate that factor and its effects.</p>
<p>lmao yeah i'm a little concerned about the weather considering the fact that i've never seen snow so i've never ever ever been in those conditions. i mean there are such a thing as clothes lolol butttt whatever i mean i really want to go to boston and even though the weather is going to be NOTHING like miami weather, which i mostly hate because of the humidity, i'm not going to let it stop me.</p>
<p>and another problem i have with UF is that most of my friends are going there and a lot of us picked the same dorm tower as our first pick so it's like, ugh high school again? i know UF is a big school and blah blah blah but i would just like to finally get away.</p>
<p>My S faced the same decision, UF or UM as an OOS. After discounting my niece's opinion of UF (she left after 1 semester in G'ville) we got to see up close many of the reason's she left UF. After the visit, my son went with his original first choice of UM. You MUST visit UF before making a decision. The tour sucks, so you need to figure a way to see the dorms, classes, etc. Yes, the campus dwarfs UM's but just think about what will happen when you oversleep and have an 8 a.m. class! G'ville is NOT Miami, Oaks Mall is not Aventura and the beach is not within easy reach. It's your decision, you may get up there and find you love it, but you must visit. Suggest you do it within one day like we did. Yeah, it's tiring, but comparing back to back is the best way to have everything fresh in your mind as you tour.</p>
<p>I'm trying to decide between Miami or the UCF Burnett Honors College. UF would be on my list, but I was rejected. :( At least my scholarship to Miami makes it much more affordable. I'm going to the Cane For a Day program, so I'll probably make my decision after that.</p>
<p>A lot of people think I would be crazy for choosing UCF over Miami, but.....</p>
<ol>
<li><p>It's cheaper</p></li>
<li><p>Better Dorms (UCF Honors Towers even have a kitchen!)</p></li>
<li><p>Honors Program Opportunities (I need to learn more about Miami's.....)</p></li>
<li><p>More of an "away from home" experience.</p></li>
</ol>
<p>No its not crazy, the niece I mentioned in my earlier post went on to UCF and did terrific. Its all a matter of fit. Yes, UCF has a newer dorm than UM and as a Florida resident, its cheaper. UM has honors, it is dependent on your grades/test scores when you first get accepted (although if you do excellent that 1st semester, you can get in after that) dont get too hung up on honors, this isnt HS. Yes, you may get scheduling beanies and a special dorm, but remember other factors such as class size, T/As/Recitation vs. profs teaching and the fact there is no mass-transit in Central Florida also need to be weighed. Its your decision. As a Prof said to my son as we were leaving UM You will do great wherever you go, This, after we told him we were leaving to look at UF. </p>
<p>Just keep your mind open to everything. Have fun at Cane for Day I think you will like what UM has to offer</p>
<p>well i made this thread to decide between these two schools if i didn't get into BU, but i got in! so now i have to make a decision between BU and UM but i'd basically have the same debt coming out of either school so right now i'm leaning towards BU and hopefully i will be able to go there!
thanks for all of your opinions though :]]</p>
<p>Personally, I would take Miami anyday over BU, assuming the same amout of net cost. Yes, BU is in Boston. Big deal. Miami is a fabulous place to attend school. You will pinch yourself that you are actually going to school there. They also have a lot of top notch programs and give their undergrads an edge in admission for their grad and professional programs.</p>
<p>My other reason for preferring Miami is that BU is known for its grade deflation. Thus, if you plan on applying to graduate or professional schools, you will be at a competitive disadvantage with BU over that of Miami. Again, I would take Miami over BU without even giving it a second thought.</p>
<p>lol well i live in miami, in case you didn't notice, so part of the reason i don't want to go to UM is why would i spend the same amount of money as BU if i won't even be leaving my hometown? believe me i've had enough of miami although i do like some parts of it and boston is definitely a place that i want to be.
i was told by my brother's girlfriend who also grew up in miami and just graduated from tufts a year or so ago that BU's campus is kind of like downtown miami, which i do like. i don't know if that's accurate or not, but i do know it's an extremely urban campus which is what i'm looking for and i'm completely excited for it.
i have not been able to visit it because i don't have the money to pay for airfare and all of that but i've done my research and i know that it's where i want to go.</p>
<p>Bitesizeemma, yes, I do understand that you want to get out of Miami if you live there. I didn't pick up that you lived there. However, if you don't have the money to visit each school, where are you going to find the money to come home each year from breaks and holidays? This is an added cost that you have to filter in.</p>
<p>Also, the cost isn't the same. Miami's tuition and fees ( per their web site) is $34,874 per year. Boston University tuition alone is $36,540. I estimate that there is an additional $1,000 in fees,which makes BU about $3,000 more per year. In addition, room and board is also about $1,000 more at BU. If you factor in the travel home during holidays and breaks, it will easily cost you $5,000 MORE per year plus cost of living increases!</p>
<p>Also, I REALLY don't like ( and neither will you) the grade deflation policy of Boston University. It really is a bad deal for you if you want to further your education beyond undergraduate studies. However, I guess "each his own." I wish you well.</p>