Intended major: statistics. Potential double major or minor in microbiology (UF) or human health (Emory). Interested in a business minor.
Career goals: I want to work in public health or biostatistics. Also open to being a professor/faculty member. Will need graduate school. Not pre-med, no engineering/cs interest
Family situation: ~200k income. Relative willing to cover tuition, parents will cover living expenses. Sibling in elementary school and parents have little retirement funds so far. Family told me money isn’t a concern at all, but it’s hard to ignore.
Both schools are similar in prestige. To get into graduate school, I will need stellar grades and I’m worried that will be harder in an online environment (I can transition to campus after 2 semesters of UF Online). I know both schools have rigorous courses, but I’m worried about the higher education exodus, larger classes, more crowded opportunities, and lack of professor-student relationship at UF.
I prefer a mid-sized school with minimal party/greek life, but I can “find my people” either way. I heard Emory students can get research positions at Rollins SPH or CDC even. UF would make me compete more for pre-professional opportunities.
How much is a Bachelor’s Degree worth? College is what I make of it, so I lean towards the chepaer option but Emory does have significant pre-professional and grad school admission advantages.
Other offers for curiosity:
University of Virginia OOS EA (Arts and Sciences)
UW Seattle RD OOS (School of Public Health)
Case Western Reserve EA
Florida State University EA In-state, Benacquisto Scholar
University of South Florida EA in-state, Director’s Award + NMF Award
University of Maryland College Park EA OOS (Agriculture and Natural Resources, FIRE program)
WashU Waitlist RD
University of Miami Deferred EA - Waitlisted RD - Withdrawn
Yes, I was attracted initially but there is little flexibility of changing majors. Tuition + cost of living significantly higher than Emory or UF. If I pay, I want a resourceful location and mid-sized school.
2 semesters fully online would be really tough- as covid has shown- despite the lower price.
Did you discard Case Westen because of price? Why PaCE and not FSU or USF?
Both will be fine - obviously very different environments - and the costs are very different. That’s $180K over four years.
But you have to decide if that money (save) is worth this - because this is not a four year experience no matter what they telll you. In other words, UF really didn’t admit you - they’re using you for their enrollment benefit - but doing so at a great price relative to the others - so I’m surprised with the offers you have, it’s on the table.
You should replace PACE with FSU - and that would be a better comparator - and depending on what your family would want to spend, the answer could be different. But PACE amonst all your acceptances - I’d ask why?
“The PaCE program offers an excellent academic experience, combining online and campus-based learning. Students selected for PaCE will complete a minimum 15 credit hours and two semesters through UF Online. After completing a total of 60 credit hours and all major requirements for the major, students are eligible to transition to campus to complete their degree.”
No UNC, rejected Duke ED1 and Johns Hopkins ED2. Undergrad prestige is less important, but I’m worried UF’s environment and higher education exodus will be a barrier to getting into a good graduate program.
UF should not be barrier to getting into a good grad school, but you can do graduate level work during your undergraduate years at Emory & at U Wash-Seattle.
Can you elaborate? Do you mean graduate level coursework, graduate school research? Or some other opportunities? Better rec letters from professors? I’m trying to think as far ahead as possible.
UF in itself will not be a barrier but a full year online is going to make it really tough to do well and participate in research. It’s NOT the same as being on campus taking classes, joining study groups, atrending office hours, especially since you won’t be able to network with professors.
If your parents say any of these are affordable, I’d take them at their word. I understand your desire to save the family money, but I don’t think UF is the answer. It’s one thing to start with a low-cost online year because finances truly make it the only option, but that’s not the situation with you. Solely because of the 1st year online experience, UF would be completely off my list.
If you’re seriously considering Emory at $65K, UMd-CP at $45K should definitely be in consideration. Unless you have reasons other than price that make UMd undesirable to you. UMd’s FIRE program sounds like a great asset to your college years.
I see. I would be able to live near campus and participate in clubs during the first year, but I’ve seen first hand that one bad year can have a long lasting impact even if I fight hard the last three years. I transferred schools between 9th and 10th and I’ve seen this first hand. I’m concerned since networking with professors is one of the main components of the grad school application.
I think you narrowed them down well. The posters telling you to consider UW, I think you ahould take their advise with a dose of salt. UW is 69k oos, and it not as good, nor as prestigious as Emory so it doesnt make any sense what so ever. I also dont think UF is a great choice either as its online, also not as good nor as prestigious. It should come down to Emory or the full tuition you have with FSU.