Congratulations on building such a strong profile in high school! Others have already talked about the financial aspects of the schools you’ve chosen, but I’m curious about why those schools made your list in the first place, as that can help us to match you to other possibilities.
Some questions you may want to reflect on include:
What size classes do you prefer to have?
What size school do you prefer?
How do you feel about Greek life (fraternities/sororities)?
How do you feel about significant enthusiasm for intercollegiate sports?
Is climate, or religion, or politics a factor in your college selection? If so, how?
Are there area(s) of the country you prefer or prefer to avoid?
What vibe of people are you hoping to find on campus?
Are there particular interests you want to pursue outside of bio?
Do you want to continue cheerleading in college?
The more information you can give us about what you’re seeking in a college, the more helpful we can be.
Hello! You’re right, and I can include more information. Please see below:
I do want to continue cheering in college. I’m competitively skilled.
In terms of class size and overall college size, I really thrive in a smaller learning environment and have close relationships with my teachers. I would say up to medium size is good (or honors college at a state university).
Open to sorority life but not a requirement.
I love watching sports but not a make-or-break.
I honestly want to be around collaborative, interesting people who are smarter than I am. I want an open and friendly vibe. But I also like competition.
I have three medical certifications and plan to find a part-time job utilizing these after I get settled in college.
I think in terms of location, it would be a stretch to go to the West Coast.
You have some very good in-state options…ie UF, FSU, UCF specifically, but some other publics with honors will be fine.
Medical school will be upwards of 100k/year soon. Imo the wisest path is to go to a FL public, kill it, and use that money saved on medical school. UF is really cheap for smart students in-state. Take advantage of it.
Below are my guesses as to your chances for admission to the universities below. I included the schools on your original list that would have the possibility of meeting a $30k budget via merit aid but excluded the others. In suggesting other schools, I focused on schools with more intimate environments, as it would be extraordinarily difficult for bigger public schools with honors programs to compete with your Florida publics and Bright Futures. According to the College Board’s website, all of these schools offer cheerleading.
Extremely Likely (80-99+%)
Hendrix (AR): About 1100 undergrads and you would qualify for the flagship match, which means tuition would be the same as at UF
Hope (MI): About 3300 undergrads
Kalamazoo (MI): About 1200 undergrads
SUNY Geneseo (NY): About 4100 undergrads
Truman State (MO): About 3600 undergrads
Wheaton (IL): About 2200 undergrads and the campus has stronger religious practices than many schools with religious affiliations.
Likely (60-79%)
Centre (KY): About 1400 undergrads and I think you’d be a good candidate for one of its premier scholarships which offers a full ride, based on the types of activities you’ve done in high school.
College of Wooster (OH): About 2k undergrads
DePauw (IN): About 1800 undergrads
Furman (SC): About 2300 undergrads
Rhodes (TN): About 2k undergrads
Southwestern (TX): About 1500 undergrads
St. Olaf (MN): About 3k undergrads
U. of the South (TN): About 1600 undergrads
U. of Tulsa (OK): About 2600 undergrads, and I believe more than 25% of the last two entering classes have been made up of National Merit Finalists
Truman State seems like it should be assured (not just extremely likely) if a net price of $27k is within budget, since the OP qualifies for automatic admission with a $9k TruMerit scholarship described at TruMerit Scholarship-Automatic Admission | Truman State University . Out-of-state list price is $36k, leaving a net price of $27k after the $9k scholarship.
Keep in mind that to meet your budget, the more selective schools in @AustenNut’s list will require competitive merit awards. Take note of the early deadlines and additional requirements (essays, interviews).