Hey guys. I’m in a bit of a predicament and I just wanted some more opinions on the matter.
This past weekend I was denied acceptance to UF which on one hand, really sucks, but on the other, is maybe an opportunity for me. I don’t know.
But right now I have three options:
Go to Santa Fe and get my AA in two years (or a year if IB and AP exams go well) and transfer to UF
Go to USF and then do the same thing
Go to USF and attend my 4 years of college there in their honors program.
I’m really leaning towards option 1 mainly because I want to get out of Tampa and away from my family for a bit (sorry if that sounds a little heartless)
I plan on majoring in computer science and I’ve heard that UF’s comp sci program is great so that’s where I’m hoping to transfer to. Any advice would be greatly appreciated. Thank you!
If I was in your position, I would choose Option 3. I would then apply to UF (or another Graduate Program outside of Florida that is ranked much higher than UF for Computer Science) for a Graduate Degree in Computer Science.
If money is no object, I would go with Option 1 IF I can guarantee that I would be accepted into UF after 1-2 years at Santa Fe College. BTW, are you saying that ALL applicants get accepted to UF from Santa Fe as transfer Students? I have seem many times were this fallacy fails and the student ends up returning home to attend a local 4-year Florida University or finishing the AA at a local Community College because the Student/Parent couldn’t afford the Tuition/Fees/Room & Board and/or the student did not perform well academically at the Community College of the Feeder School to merit a transfer spot at the 4-year Institution.
How much would you estimate it will cost you for Room and Board (and other Living Expenses) for say 2-years if you attend Santa Fe College? $20K?
Would you live at home if you attend USF (is that even an option given the distance from home to USF Campus?) or would you live on Campus for the 4-years?
Are you getting any type of Financial Aid/Merit Scholarship if you attend USF? The same for Santa Fe College?
What about a fourth Option?; Attending a Local Florida College for 1-2-years, while still living at home and then transferring to UF after 1-2 years?
Frankly, I don’t think ranking of a Schools Computer Science Program makes that much difference as far as your long term career success in your chosen profession. That I think is totally up to YOU! Computer Science at USF in my opinion is not appreciably different than that of UF.
According to their website, Santa Fe has the highest transfer rate to UF and boasts as the college that is the “gateway to the gators”.
Tuition at Santa fe is ~$2k to 2.5k and after rooming/boarding etc, it’s around $6k per year.
If I go to USF, I plan on either living on campus or renting and apartment. Maybe live with a friend.
As far as I know, I’m eligible for the directors award at USF which is $2k/semester for all 4 years and I was accepted to their honors program. I also will probably get the highest level of bright futures (which is the governmental scholarship in florida) because I’m in IB, and I also applied for fafsa. I’ve applied to financial aid at Santa fe but they haven’t gotten back to me because I still need to send my high school transcript.
Bear in mine that UF has started their PaCE Program, which was offered to 3,118 students. These students would technically be UF students, but would have to spend anywhere from 1-2 years doing their their courses Online. This will eventually impact the number of Transfer Students going on to UF in the future:
I’d pick USF Honors and live on campus (you should be able to afford it since you got a scholarship on top of Bright Futures). You’d need to keep your grades high and find internships to be well-positioned for either a job after college or a grad program - and grad programs in CS are funded if they’re worth it for you (meaning you don’t pay tuition and sometimes you get a stipend :p), but ultimately this Master’s degree from a CS program that’s higher-ranked than UF would trump solutions 1° and 2°.