Hello everyone,
I am undecided if I should go to UNF or UF. I’ve been told that UF should be a definite, but I am unsure because I can save money if I go to UNF. For instance, I would not have to pay room and board at UNF but would at UF. My tuition is payed for so it mainly comes down to room and board costs which range from $2,500 to $3,000 a semester at UF. Overall, if I could get some sort of discount on my room and board I would choose UF. Lastly, I want to do medicine and if I go to UNF for my prerequisites and undergrad I feel like my application for med school won’t be as strong.
The school name is not important for Med School apps. Go to UNF and save the money for med school.
Over the last two years, I’ve had four nephews and nieces graduate from UNF, and four more are currently enrolled. Both of my two children are currently enrolled at UF.
By FAR the main advantage to UNF, is that my nephews and nieces have (in most cases) avoided room and board cost. At the end of the day, you have to do want makes financial sense for you and your family.
On the other hand, the UF degree has much more value, especially in Florida. Not every student that plans on being pre-med, ends up going to medical school It’s very competitive. Going to UF will give you a far larger range of degree programs to choose from, one of which may be a much better career fit, in case you don’t go to medical school.
While UF is more competitive than UNF, it does give you far more options for EC’s (required for a competitive med school application) and undergraduate research. UF is far better funding and spends almost 4X the amount of $ per student. You’ll get a lot more bang for your $ at UF.
Try to make it to one of the Florida days (accepted student days), and talk with other current students.
UF is worth a small amount of debt, but you can be successful at UNF, and make it to med school or grad school.
Good Luck!
$2,500-3,000 per semester to attend a top 10 public university is a bargain. UF will give you a lot more choices and carries weight throughout Florida (everyone knows how insanely difficult it is to get in).