Op - know which states are particularly problematic. It's a reach because of policy - to admit only a small % or out-of-staters. Same as UTexas. Same as UNC. Learn your facts. Stop touring and do some research first.

I went to UF and loved it (and went through the college of ed there). It is a fun environment, got a great education, met great people, loved the athletics, and fully enjoyed the weather. I don't know why people are being so rude about the school on here!

There is nothing wrong with applying and seeing what happens. The option of community college for a year is a good one if she does not get in. They also admit many additional students for off semesters such as summer and Spring, so those are options.

I'm glad she loved the school and campus- as that is how I felt when I first visited!

Anonymous wrote:OP here. Thanks for all the great advice. We are in MD so not a lot of great in-state options for us. We have visited UMD-CP and she was not too thrilled with the campus. We all agreed UMBC was even worse. Towson was fine but nothing great. All the other MD state schools are too small for her liking.
This is why we are looking at OOS schools. We have no connection UF other than we visited the campus and she fill in love with it.
Undecided on major but leaning toward something in education.

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You need to help us understand why she was so enchanted by U. Florida. We might be able to find a school with similar characteristics, if you could help us. FIT or Florida International are pretty nice. but I don't know if it is nice in the way that your DD would appreciate.

UF is s great school. And so are other Southern schools like Georgia, Texas, Georgia Tech. God people here suck. So snobby.

OP here. Money is not the issue. We have saved enough to fully pay for OOS tuition.

Anonymous wrote:OP here. Thanks for all the great advice. We are in MD so not a lot of great in-state options for us. We have visited UMD-CP and she was not too thrilled with the campus. We all agreed UMBC was even worse. Towson was fine but nothing great. All the other MD state schools are too small for her liking.
This is why we are looking at OOS schools. We have no connection UF other than we visited the campus and she fill in love with it.
Undecided on major but leaning toward something in education.

Then look at a small teaching college, if you really want to blow a wad of money. Will she have big inheritance? Is she likely to marry rich? What exactly is your plan for her?

Otherwise, Towson is a good option.

If you don’t have much money, I’m from Florida and a lot of mid-academic kids went to Air Force or Coast guard — and in a few years land a Fed job with vet preference and helps pay for college.

OP here. Thanks for all the great advice. We are in MD so not a lot of great in-state options for us. We have visited UMD-CP and she was not too thrilled with the campus. We all agreed UMBC was even worse. Towson was fine but nothing great. All the other MD state schools are too small for her liking.
This is why we are looking at OOS schools. We have no connection UF other than we visited the campus and she fill in love with it.
Undecided on major but leaning toward something in education.

James Madison might be a good fit for her

OP, my only concern would be the size of a state university. If your daughter struggles academically, a more nurturing environment may be a good fit.

That being said, look for EC that may set her apart. My DS got into reach schools and apparently what set him apart was he had HOBY, Boys State, nominated to Boys Nation, and 4 years of foreign language. Look for EC that are nominated and schools can see thru the boondoggle foreign trips and starting a nonprofit.

[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]Wow. So much hate for UF. I graduated from there about 15 years ago and had a great experience. Like most big schools there are so many different scenes that you can really find anything you’re looking for. My friends have really run the spectrum on where they end up. I just made partner in big law and my best friend is a lobbyist. Another friend is an advertising exec and another is a doctor. We have all done very well and didn’t spend a fortune on undergrad. Good luck to OP’s daughter. [/quote]

The good outcomes you describe are probably more about family of origin socioeconomic status than anything about UF

As a state school UF is great and offers a true college experience, and has a diverse academic and social options

But it is pretty southern, albeit liberal, [b]and alligators are everywhere (Im the Floridian from above). [/b]

But paying out of state tuition? That is what I consider is a bad deal unless there is something truly special about UF for her (which OP has not identified, and maybe be even more nebulous than gator wrestling curriculum.)

What are your in-state options?

If I had an academically challenged child, and was paying full freight at UF, I would look hard for a small private colllege that would nurture and help them succeed for about the same price. UF is pretty immense and they can get lost in a lot of ways... [/quote]

Do you mean this, literally? Like, actual alligators are everywhere in Gainesville? This is an odd comment from a Floridian. Gators are found in various Florida lakes. It's not specific to Gainesville, and it's not like gators are just walking down the street everywhere. Unless you plan to spend lots of time in or near freshwater lakes, this should not factor in your choice of college.

And while Gainesville, the town, is southern, most of the big state schools in Florida are not particularly southern in culture. Florida itself isn't really all that southern anymore, unless you way out in a rural area.[/quote]

My wife is from the west, and she was kind of freaked out by how often she saw them (there are several lakes and rivers in town[/quote]

Unless you live immediately adjacent to a freshwater lake, you are unlikely to encounter a gator in the wild. I've lived in Florida for over 30 years and have never had an encounter with a gator, unless I was specifically looking for one.

[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]Wow. So much hate for UF. I graduated from there about 15 years ago and had a great experience. Like most big schools there are so many different scenes that you can really find anything you’re looking for. My friends have really run the spectrum on where they end up. I just made partner in big law and my best friend is a lobbyist. Another friend is an advertising exec and another is a doctor. We have all done very well and didn’t spend a fortune on undergrad. Good luck to OP’s daughter. [/quote]

The good outcomes you describe are probably more about family of origin socioeconomic status than anything about UF

As a state school UF is great and offers a true college experience, and has a diverse academic and social options

But it is pretty southern, albeit liberal, [b]and alligators are everywhere (Im the Floridian from above). [/b]

But paying out of state tuition? That is what I consider is a bad deal unless there is something truly special about UF for her (which OP has not identified, and maybe be even more nebulous than gator wrestling curriculum.)

What are your in-state options?

If I had an academically challenged child, and was paying full freight at UF, I would look hard for a small private colllege that would nurture and help them succeed for about the same price. UF is pretty immense and they can get lost in a lot of ways... [/quote]

Do you mean this, literally? Like, actual alligators are everywhere in Gainesville? This is an odd comment from a Floridian. Gators are found in various Florida lakes. It's not specific to Gainesville, and it's not like gators are just walking down the street everywhere. Unless you plan to spend lots of time in or near freshwater lakes, this should not factor in your choice of college.

And while Gainesville, the town, is southern, most of the big state schools in Florida are not particularly southern in culture. Florida itself isn't really all that southern anymore, unless you way out in a rural area.[/quote]

My wife is from the west, and she was kind of freaked out by how often she saw them (there are several lakes and rivers in town

Anonymous wrote:I graduated from UF. It's a fine school and I had a great time there. What I did was I went to Sante Fe community college, got my AA and transferred in. I never even took the SATs. Also, I worked while down there, established residency and paid 1/3 of what I would have paid coming in from out of state.

I did this too! Santa Fe is bigger than most universities (15,000+) so it’s a good place to start. You do NOT want to pay out of state tuition though!

Visit U Miami. She’ll fall in love. Pay full price. At least that worked out great for us.

Your daughter may also like University of Richmond. Have you visited LSU. It may be a good safety for her. Also, check out U Pitt and Arizona State.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Take English in the Summer, graduate from HS in August, go to MC her "senior year" and apply as a transfer student.

Apply for the Spring.'

UF is immensely better academically than any other big southern Division 1 school except UNC.

It's a great school.

It's a perfectly good school, but don't overdo it with the hyperbole.

Yawn.

It's a great school for kids that have parents that don't have a pole up thrir ass.

Yes. But it's not "immensely better academically than any other big southern Division 1 school except UNC."

I am a UF alum. UF is a good school, but UF supporters are notorious for getting carried away with how prestigious UF actually is.

Nobody said "prestigious" #gag, it is a top southern academic school, the best in the SEC.