@Thumper is very kind, but my guesses are just guesses. There’s actually someone who has kept very well updated on the Florida publics @k something, but I can’t find any of the posts right now. (ETA: It’s @kevi2900 who has already posted on this thread.) The Florida publics have become quite competitive, significantly moreso even in just the last couple of years.
Be that as it may, below are my guesses as to what your chances for acceptance may be. Additionally, please do not interpret low probability as impossibility. These schools are extremely popular with extremely strong candidates. They get far more amazing candidates than they can accept, which leads to low odds of acceptance. But every year there will be kids accepted, and one of them could be you.
Extremely Likely (80-99+%)
Likely (60-79%)
- Florida State
Toss-Up (40-59%)
-
U. of Florida
-
Wake Forest (on the low end of this category)
Lower Probability (20-39%)
Low Probability (less than 20%)
-
Columbia
-
Cornell
-
Duke
-
Georgetown
-
Harvard
-
MIT
-
Princeton
-
Stanford
-
UC Berkeley
-
UCLA
-
UNC
-
UPenn
-
UT
Most colleges prefer a recommendation from a teacher you had in 11th or 12th grade. Will there be a teacher that you’ve had before that you’ll have again in 11th or 12th?
$65k is what Stanford would expect your family to pay. That does not necessarily mean that is what your family is willing and able to pay. Additionally, Stanford is one of the most financially generous schools in the country in determining need. Not all schools will define need the same way, so you will need to make sure you run the Net Price Calculator at each school on the list. Additionally, apart from UNC and UVA, public schools generally do not give any need-based aid to out-of-state students (outside of Pell grants and federal loans).
What you need to do, as @tsbna44 mentioned, is have a discussion with your family about how much they are willing and able to pay per year for you to go to college. That amount will then be your budget.
If you only feel “eh” about a school, it shouldn’t be on your list. Any school you apply to you should be happy to enroll in and attend for at least four years.