Help me narrow down my options! [goal: clinical forensic psychologist, budget: <$25k]

College Search & Lists
101

Okay, using the baccaulaureate origins of doctoral recipients link that I shared above, I went on ahead and looked at the ratio of the number of doctorates earned between 2000-2018 and the current number of undergrads. I added all the schools that you either have acceptances to or outstanding apps, along with Hendrix, because I still think it’d be a great option for you.

Again, not everyone wants to go on to earn a doctorate, and many fields (like business) aren’t necessarily conducive to getting one. Additionally, not all fields are as equally respected for getting a doctorate, so if a school has a heavy number going into a less rigorous field, then that can skew things. That said, however, I think that the ratios can be indicative of something, whether it’s the availability of resources at the school to support interested students, or a certain number of peers with this type of academic ambition, etc. With that being said, here’s the chart:

School # Doctorates b/w 2000-2018 # Undergrads Ratio
Hendrix 395 1130 0.35
Furman 746 2283 0.33
Florida Tech 427 3374 0.13
Randolph Macon 183 1490 0.12
Stetson 306 2561 0.12
Southern Miss 1094 10258 0.11
U. of Miami 1273 12504 0.10
Baylor 1,430 15213 0.09
UTK 1908 27039 0.07
Clemson 1,420 22566 0.06
TCU 579 10523 0.06
Appalachian State 720 18558 0.04
UNC - Wilmington 526 14294 0.04
Western Carolina 252 9956 0.03
Wingate 55 2510 0.02
Belmont 155 7384 0.02
U. of Tampa 176 9602 0.02
UNC - Pembroke 81 5643 0.01
Nova Southeastern 98 6971 0.01

Furman & Hendrix are definitely heavy hitters in this comparison, as their ratios are 2.5-3x greater than the next batch of schools that are all scrunched together here. But Stetson is in that second batch of schools clustered together, with a higher ratio than U. of Miami or Baylor. Because the latter two schools are larger a ratio of, say, 10% of its undergrads is going to be a bigger number than 10% of the undergrads at Stetson.

I would imagine that Stetson could be a popular place for students from colder parts of the U.S. who think that going to school in Florida would be like a great extended spring break, and that those individuals may not have been the most academically well-respected in high school. But Stetson has a 68% freshman retention rate, so I suspect that a lot of the people looking for an extended spring break find that they either need to reform or get out. (It happened with a sibling of mine at U. of Miami.) But there’s a 64% grad rate there. I’m not well-versed in how they’re doing their cohort grad rates, but it looks like most of their dropouts/transfer-outs are happening after that first year, and that the vast majority of those who make it through the first year then stick around through graduation. So my suspicion is that there may be a number of party-hardy folks as freshman, and that in years 2-4 that it’s a more academically-minded bunch. This is, of couse, conjecture on my part.

All of this to say, I think that Stetson is a good option for OP. Furman could be a more academically-minded group of peers, but Furman is $16k over budget, and student loans won’t bridge that gap. Hendrix, on the other hand would probably cost no more than $14,300 for room & board and $10,363 for tuition (i.e. flagship match to Binghamton), so coming in at $24,663. That would be a really great option for OP, should she decide that Hendrix would otherwise be a good fit.

ETA: I also think that with OP being named as a Presidential Fellow that she will probably be immersed in a high-performing cohort with many special opportunities being presented to her because of that status.

6 Likes
102

Thank you so much for putting this together!
What drew me to Florida Tech after visiting, was the fact that it isn’t a party school, and the students are really focused on the academic part rather than the social aspect. I also got the feeling that Furman has more academically driven students as well, but with a good mix of social activities. I’ve only done virtual tours at Baylor because until recently, they really weren’t in the affordable range. I visited Stetson years ago in 8th grade when my older sister was looking at schools. Stetson was at the top of her list and she was torn between there and Coastal Carolina. She ultimately chose Coastal because it was so much cheaper and she was going to school for elementary education and couldn’t justify the high costs of Stetson with the starting salary of a teacher.
I am hesitant about Hendrix only because of the size…it is smaller than my high school and I’m not sure if I would like it being that small. I’ll have to take another look though because it sounds like outside of the size it would have what I am looking for!

103

Sidenote: There needs to be an “amazing” emoji ( also an “awesome-cool-hug” combination, for which I currently use the heart).
Just your posts would see a lot of use for it. :slight_smile:

I too suspect being named Presidential Scholar should “unlock” a program with studious peers but I can’t quite find it. Perhaps sth OP can also email Stetson admissions specifically about that.

5 Likes
104

This is what I got in an email about it:

The Presidential Fellows Program offers exceptionally talented students the opportunity to develop their leadership potential through unique exposure to events hosted on campus, experiential learning opportunities, and campus relationship building. As one of the top 1% of our applicant pool, you are exactly the kind of hardworking, dedicated, open-minded, and ambitious student who will add vibrancy to our community.

  1. The student engages fully in the Presidential Fellow Program and will meet all program requirements to continue to receive the Presidential Fellows Scholarship.
  2. A minimum cumulative college grade point average of 3.00 (on a 4-point scale) is required for renewal of the award and participation in the program. In addition, a student must be enrolled in at least 3 units or more each semester to remain eligible for the scholarship. Scholarships may not be available after four years unless otherwise noted.
  3. The student understands that this premier program comes with responsibility, and understands they are a representation of the President’s Office and of Stetson University.
  4. Fellows are required to attend monthly meetings.
  5. Each Fellow must volunteer a minimum of at least 12 hours to the Presidential Fellow Program each fall, and spring semester. These events could include but are not limited to; staffing Stetson Open Houses, attending events on Stetson’s campus or the President’s House, staffing the President’s box during football games and taking part in Board of Trustee events and meetings.
  6. Each Fellow agrees to allow the use of biographical and academic information in publications of the University.
  7. The Presidential Fellow Program does reserve the right to add or remove requirements to maintain good standing within the program.
  8. Take the required Presidential Fellow course in the fall semester of their freshman year.
105

I do think that Hendrix would have a lot that you’re looking for.

I’m not as familiar with some of the schools, but you may want to visit Russell Sage and Bennington.

Russell Sage is probably very close to where you live, as Albany and Siena are within commuting distance for you. Russell Sage has a similar number of undergrads as Hendrix and 67% of first-year students live on-campus. Of course, it seems that nearly 1/3 of the students are nursing majors which will frequently take students off-campus, so that might make the school feel smaller than its undergrad population reflects. But if you have a teacher development day or something off when the school is in session, it might give you a sense of size and be a lot less expensive than a trip to Arkansas.

Bennington was mentioned because it has about 712 undergrads, but 100% of first-year students live on-campus (so, comparable to the 99% at Hendrix). But having a strongly residential campus might give a better sense of what Hendrix’s is like, but Hendrix still has a population 50% higher than Bennington’s. And it’s less than an hour from Albany, so another possibility to get a sense of scale.

If possible, I’d suggest another visit before committing.

106

I plan to visit Stetson within the next month! I’ve been to Russell Sage many times- it’s about 15 minutes or so from my house. The campus isn’t really a campus it’s kind of like on a block or two in downtown Troy. It’s a great nursing school though! I have lots of friends who go there. I’ve been to Bennington so that gives me a good sense of the Hendrix area! That could work…I just didn’t want a super small campus and a tiny village/town, like really desolate!

1 Like
107

I don’t know how large your HS campus is but Hendrix has about 30 (?) Buildings and about 200 acres. I know they offer about 400 courses each semester. And to help you get away from their campus, you design a solid off campus project - internship, study abroad, volunteering/service, art, research, business project… if it’s sound they fund it within reason, 3 are assured.
It’s located in a town with about 75,000 people (so, fairly large town, definitely not a village but not a city) and another university which has about 10,000 students. It’s about 30 miles from Little Rock.

1 Like
108

I got accepted to the Baylor Honors Program and the BIC program :grinning: Both of these come with more money. I spoke with my admissions counselor and she said people in these programs generally get $5,000 each for the 4 years. I find out towards the end of March/beginning of April. $10,000 more would put the total cost at about $18,000.

10 Likes
109

Congratulations ! That’s terrific :tada:
So, for now, is it Baylor v.Stetson?
Or are you considering other choices?
If Stetson v.Baylor, I suppose it’d hinge on whether you want enthusiastically religious+enthusiastically football… or not, since both points are markedly different at both colleges.
Are you waiting for more decisions? Any decision not in that you’d like better than where you’ve been admitted already ?

1 Like
110

Congrats! Nice options!

1 Like
111

Right now, it is between Baylor v. Stetson but I am still waiting for my merit award from Clemson (but I highly doubt it will be enough to put it in the running with these two) I’m also waiting on Western Carolina and Southern Miss.
I really like the opportunities available with the Honors program and BIC program at Baylor- I get to do a thesis paper based on an original research project that I work on with a professor in my major. From what I’ve read, this has given people an edge when applying to graduate programs. I also like that you take your first two years of general ed classes with a large group for lecture and then small group of 20 for discussions and projects. I’m okay with the religious aspect and I enjoy a football game though I wasn’t looking at schools based on the athletics even though I love sports so it is a plus!
It is definitely going to be a hard choice…I love the beach and Stetson is close to Daytona, it is easier to fly into Orlando on a direct flight compared to Dallas then driving an hour and a half to Waco…it’s a lot to think about!

3 Likes
112

I think American has connecting flights to the regional airport in Waco.

2 Likes
113

There are options for sure - but how often do you go home? You should factor that into budget.

If you decided to fly and shuttle, that’s an additional cost.

You do have the advantage of three major airports, two of which Southwest flies too - Love Field and DFW in Dallas and Austin - which has non stop flights on Southwest from more and more cities - but again, there is expense to shuttle to Waco - or you can fly to Waco but it’s likely more expensive.

It’s great to have options - I do think the schools are different and I personally don’t see Stetson in a light like others. Ultimately, find out where their grads go - especially those in the program you’d be in - as well as those kids at Baylor as well.

I do think that W Carolina and Southern Miss won’t be in the running - although you can find out.

Best of luck - which at this point, you no longer need - you’re in good shape!!!

1 Like
114

Just an update:

I got my merit amount from Clemson $6500 so unfortunately they are way too costly.

I just got an additional $14,000 from Furman bringing them to between $26,000-$29,000 depending on the dorm.

Final financial package from Florida Tech is still the originally $21,000 merit leaving them in the mid 30s so they are definitely out unless something changes in the next few weeks lol

Stetson is still cheapest at $16,000 but I don’t know if it affords the same opportunities as Furman or Baylor.

7 Likes
115

Talk to all three. You are in a wonderful program at Stetson and I personally think it’s a fine school and the concerns of folks on here are overblown. Of course, they think it’s lesser and that’s their opinion and that should be taken into account too.

Furman is a wonderful school.

Baylor is religious for one - if that’s ok.

Given your financial struggles and the enrichment Stetson offers, I think it’s compelling. If I remember, you got into a wonderful program there. Furman is excellent too. What was the Baylor cost?

Don’t forget, you have cost getting to these schools too.

You were going to visit Stetson - did you? If so, what did you think?

Did you visit Waco? or Greenville? Steston is in Deland - so you have a town nearby whereas the others, are in cities but not adjacent. Does that matter?

2 Likes
116

I was thinking about you the other day, so thanks so much for the update! Getting an extra $14k from Furman is awesome!

These are some great questions. If you haven’t visited, do these schools have a May 1 deadline or have they extended their deadline to a later date because of FAFSA? Although it’s usually done by schools with bigger endowments than these schools, many colleges are offering to help finance visits to the campus. So they may pay for airfare, or a portion of airfare, or arrange for you to stay with a student in the dorms, etc. I certainly think it would be worth asking because you’re obviously an applicant that they would love to have enroll.

Regardless of what happens with a visit, I would also make sure to do a 4-year plan for each school. Insert the various distribution requirements you would need to fulfill (including options of classes that sound interesting), the requirements you’d need for your major (again, including options of specific classes that sound interesting), etc. You will definitely want to use the course catalog to do this, but then also go back and look at the schedule of classes for the last several semesters to see…how often are the classes you’re interested in offered? It could be every semester, every year, every other year, or it might not have been offered for the last 4 years!

Additionally, take a gander at the schedule of classes, because often times the course catalog will list “Topics in X.” But the schedule of classes will list what the topics are for that semester. See how interesting you find the different courses.

Moreover, in doing this exercise you’ll see what four years might look like. Which school(s) had way more interesting classes than you’d ever have room for? Were there schools where you were scrounging around trying to find classes that would fulfill requirements that you’d want to take? Do you enjoy the breadth of classes with a more extensive core or do you prefer the freedom of a very limited core? Are there particular options that you love or hate (like having a year of chapel or mandatory fitness classes)?

I always found this activity particularly enlightening when trying to figure out what an experience at a school was going to be like.

5 Likes
117

Furman sounds like the best value for you, congratulations on the new scholarship !
Wrt fit, I hope you did manage to visit Stetson and will be visiting Furman.
Between these 2 I don’t think there’s a wrong choice. :slight_smile: (I set Baylor aside because it doesn’t seem competitive financially anymore).

2 Likes
118

I got offered the Presidential Fellows program at Stetson which is the full tuition for all four years.
I was able to go visit and I really liked the campus overall. The dorms are older and there isn’t as many food options on campus as other schools I’ve looked at. It is only 30 min from the beach which I like. And Orlando airport is 45 min to an hour depending on traffic. That’s easy for flying in and out for me and it’s relatively cheap.

Furman is a beautiful campus and I really liked the Greenville area. Tons of things for outside activities, lakes, trails, and lakes. It’s drivable and I could also fly. The program is really strong with a high percentage going on to grad school.

Baylor I haven’t visited but have watched everything I can find on YouTube, TikTok and Instagram. The religious part is fine for me. The program is strong and they also have a high percentage going on to grad school. I’ve been accepted to the honors program and the BIC program. The travel part is more difficult because there isnt any direct flights from Albany to Waco, I would most likely have to use Dallas at some point and then find a ride share or something to get to campus. The cost right now is $29,000 but I’m still waiting on the official financial package where I might still get more money from the two honors programs.

2 Likes
119

I’m definitely going to do this! I already started looking at the different class offerings but need to put it on a spreadsheet to compare! I reached out to an advisor at Baylor the other day to see what a 4 year course outline plan looks like. I’m just waiting to hear back. I’m not totally keen on the requirements for the BS degree there for Psychology. They require Calc I & II, Chem with lab, and Physics plus 6 credits of a foreign lang in residence.i already have 6 dual enrollment Spanish credits.

1 Like
120

Update:
I’ve enrolled at Stetson University :smiley:
After creating a bunch of charts and spreadsheets, talking to some professors, and really looking at all that Furman, Baylor, and Stetson offer for the undergrad level, they are all very, very comparable. I talked with financial aid and my admissions counselor and I will complete my BS in Psychology for $48,584 total! I won’t have to take any loans at all! They also have a direct admit into the MS Clinical Psych if I choose to stay there to continue.
I really loved Furman and Baylor but financially this can’t be beat!
Thank you all for your input and help!!

25 Likes