Looks as if Baylor has offered you 40 off 70K/yr cost of attendance, bringing you down to 30K/yr (plus travel). Can your parents manage this? Are you okay with the Baptist Christian atmosphere? I mean, this is a school that first allowed an LGBTQ student group in 2022.
Yes I applied to UF back in September
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Yes, I would have to take the federal loan and then with what my parents will pay and what I have it should be fine financially.
Iām totally ok with the religious aspect and ideology of Baylor.
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Do you qualify for a possible grandparent waiver ?
I donāt think UF can get you close otherwise.
I asked about UF because there were some undergrads involved in the clinical psych faculty research.
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No, I have one set of grandparents and they live in New York.
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I just received the Presidential Fellows scholarship of full tuition ($57,010) for all four years at Stetson! I know some people had replied it wasnāt as strong of an option as other schools and I was curious if people could elaborate! Thanks!
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Congratulations, thatās wonderful news!
Some people may have made comments about Stetson, but I just looked to see how many students who graduated from there who went on to earn a PhD. In psychology, it had 33 people go on to get a doctorate between 2000-2018 (source). Thatās the same # as U. of Minnesota - Duluth (which is much larger), more than SUNY Plattsburgh, Oneonta, New Paltz, or Potsdam, more than a number of Cal States, more than St. Bonaventure, LeMoyne, or Marist, more than Suffolk or McDaniel, all of which are classified as Masterās universities, like Stetson.
In comparison with schools in the baccaulaureate classification (which are generally closer in size to Stetston, and itās the category I originally thought it would have), it produced 1 fewer psychology PhDs than Sarah Lawrence, Lawrence, and Earlham. It produced more than Pitzer, Knox, Eckerd, Willamette, Beloit, U. of the South, Goucher, Centre, Agnes Scott, and many others.
Southern schools, especially Florida ones, are frequently less well-known outside of their regions, but I think youād get a perfectly respectable education from Stetson.
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Itās just not as strong academically - same difference as a college prep v. an honors course. It may make graduate school more difficult to access because the courses donāt have as much depth and students arenāt necessarily focused on school, itās more like they have to attend college to have a decent job.
You may want to check this out. Tables 2-4 are irrespective of university size, so that obviously a larger university will have most places. Tables 6&7 show the yield, ie.,per 100 Bachelorās recipients what % go on to EARN a PHD (top 50 out of the 3,000+ colleges in the US). Youāll note that Hendrix and Kalamazoo, mentioned in this thread, are ranked in that small group.
https://ncses.nsf.gov/pubs/nsf22321
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While it may not be as academically strong as some of your other choices, you can still be the top of the middle rather than the middle of the top, as they say. That is a fabulous scholarship! Congrats!!
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Yes, itās a fabumous scholarship and if it means itās cheaper than others, its worth considering; on a college campus you will be able to find academic enrichment - especially since the presidential scholarship identifies you as one of their stellar students whom they really want to attract.
You can ask the Psychology dept at each college that admitted you: what are professorsā current research projects? Are professors on a 3-3 or 4-4 contract (3-3 means higher research expectations, including during the year)? Can you be put in touch with current students assisting them in their research? How many current seniors (or over the past 5 years) got into REUs (competitive summer research experience for undergraduates, especially undergrads who attend LACs or regional universities, backed by NSF and R1 institutions)?
What other affordable choices do you have? Stetson could be your best betā¦ or not, in terms of ROI.
If you can give us your total (Tuition, fees, room, board) - (scholarships, grants) =
For each people here can comment on ROI.
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My list so far:
Stetson merit award $57,010 Tuition/fees $57,410 Room & board $17,728 Leaving $18,128
Baylor $40,000 in merit and grants Tuition/fees $54,844 Room & Board $15,126. Leaving $29,970 I would also be flying in and out as I am from upstate New York.
Furman $34,000 in merit Tuition/fees $59,770 Room & Board $16,504 Leaving $42,274
Florida Tech $21,000 in merit Tuition/fees $41,760 Room & Board $15,240 Leaving $36,000
University of Tampa $16,000 merit, Honors College, Tuition/Fees $33,424 Room & Board $14,176 Leaving $31,600
Clemson Receiving merit award but will not know amount until late March/early April Tuition/fees $39,498 Room & board $12,872
UNC Wilmington no merit Tuition/fees $22,890 Room & board $12,605
TCU $31,900 merit Honors College Tuition/fees $61,749 Room & board $16,700 Leaving $46,549 Obviously have to fly in and out This one is out of my price range unless I get more money.
I also have acceptances at App State, Wingate, Randolph Macon, Belmont and Nova Southeastern, but I really am not interested in them. Iām still waiting on UTK as I got deferred as well as U Miami but know that will be way too expensive.
Florida Tech is the only school on my list with a forensic psychology major but Iām not sure if just a general psychology undergrad degree would be better for applying to grad schools and psy.d programs.
You do not need a forensic psych majorā¦ and in fact, a broader degree program is likely to serve you better for grad school and beyond. Take a look at the course offerings-- forget the nomenclature- as you evaluate your affordable options. And then consider the cultural/social differences between the campuses as well. I know you want out of the Northeast, but āNot Northeastā is a really big range and some of these colleges really might not work for you socially.
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Iāve been going through the course offeringsā¦Florida Tech (even outside of Forensic Psych) sound interesting, surprisingly Clemson, who Iāve read to be a top undergrad in psychology, has classes that seem least appealing. Baylorās course selection sounds fantastic as well as Furman because they tie in more neuroscience type classes as well. Stetsonās seems well rounded with a lot of choices that would interest me. UTampa I am sort of indifferent toward the class offerings. Tampa is probably also the least compatible sociallyā¦Iām not a huge party girl and more academic focused, I also prefer to not be in a city location.
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Thank you for all the details 
Look at the required courses too, not just the choices. All will have Introductory Psych and Stats/Quantitative skills for social sciences, but the other requirements could vary. How many courses can you freely choose from the psych dept?
If some courses (beyond introductory) look especially interesting, in your email to the Dept (about research) you can also ask whether the course is offered every year or every other year.
Furman is probably your best fit based on what you wrote in your OP but not sure 42k is within budget.
If you can avoid the federal loans itās better long term if you want professional grad school.
Looks like Stetson, Baylor, Florida Tech would have the best ROI. Theyāre all very different so you should be able to figure out if you like one better.
For instance, if youāre Baptist or evangelical Christian, Baylor is a must. If youāre an atheist, best pick another one. If you love football, again, Baylor. Stetson is more regional so it could be your chance to shine, unless you only do your best work if stimulated by students who are generally academically stronger than you.
I donāt know enough about Florida Tech 
all Iāve heard about it is that itās brand new and has/had a mosquito problem (which I hope has been solved!)
(Stetson is a bit better than UTampa academically and is cheaper so at least thatās one -UT- you can cross out.)
Fingers crossed for Clemson and UTK (honors?).
Surprised you didnāt get any merit from UNC-W; is there still time for you to apply to the Honors College as this may āunlockā merit aid?
Again, thank you for the reply, it helps knowing the full costs when evaluating all choices.
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In the most recent discussion about finances, I think that OPās budget is now about $26k/year, not including any student loans. Also, OP is planning on grad school.
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Stetson: $18,128
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Baylor: $29,970
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U. of Tampa: $31,600
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UNC Wilmington: $35,495
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Florida Tech: $36,000
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Furman: $42,274
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TCU: $46,549
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Clemson: $52,370 minus a TBD amount of merit aid
Of the schools above, Iād only consider Stetson or Baylor (Clemson would need to give at least $20k/year in aid to enter the discussion). And since youāre going to need money for flights home, or possibly having low or unpaid internships, or maybe wanting to study abroad or do other things, Iād really be tempted by the financial flexibility that would be available at Stetson, whereas youād need loans for Baylor and Iād have concerns about how quickly costs would rise over the course of 4-years and whether itād be more than can be covered by loans.
As mentioned upthread, however, there are schools that ended up increasing their merit aid offers as May 1 approached (like Furman), so if any other schools fall below the $31k mark, then I think theyād be open for consideration again.
Are there any other apps that are still awaiting decisions? If so, which ones?
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I donāt dispute your financial analysisā¦ but ājust in caseā itās relevant, I think of this group, Baylor and Furman are the most āacademicā of the pile. Whether it matters, whether the other social and cultural issues are a fit or problematic, weather, etc. I leave to the OP to suss out.
Lots of smart kids in lots of placesā¦ but cohort matters to some.
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Waiting on Western Carolina and Southern Missā¦I did get in to UNC Pembroke which has an OOS tuition of only $5,000 for the year and $9382 for room and board. However, Iām leery based on what Iāve read on line that it is not really a safe campus or area. I donāt want to go someplace just because it is cheap, but I feel uneasy both on and off campus! Itās hard to judge because itās just like reading hotel reviews- some people blow things completely out of proportion and are totally negative and the place is actually really nice and totally fine!
Clemsonās top aid has been $12,000 for a few years now.
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From what Iāve seen, the average for oos has been about $6500 which wonāt be enough.
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