Thanks!
There is no guarantee I attend law school currently. I don’t want to lock myself into a profession, especially with today’s volatile job market. As such, I want to make my undergrad meaningful in case I decide to work directly with my bachelors and end my schooling there, or if I pursue a STEM masters instead of a juris doctor. Due to this, I am fixated on the best education I can receive within our family’s budget. My peers originally had high quotes as well, but were able to negotiate it significantly down. They applied regular decision as well. Their financial situation was quite similar to mine, except some slight differences. I don’t know how common that is, but I am looking at top colleges with this in mind. Thanks again for responding.
UF doesn’t admit by major.
You are confusing US News rank with best. That is to sell magazines. UF is likely your best ROI or if NMSF, Tulsa. NMF - Bama, UTD or others that buy in nm students it’s why UF and Bama have amongst the most and a quarter plus of Tulsa’s class is. Brilliance abounds
My kid, for example, chose Bama over Purdue with merit. I thought nuts. He told me I was wrong. Well works with Michigan, Purdue, UWASH but also W Michigan, Akron, etc.
All hired together. Nothing wrong with chasing pedigree but don’t do it at the expense of your family.
you started with I plan to go to UF but then pivoted to ‘better’. They are not better per se. They are higher ranked. I’m guessing the best education in your case might be FAU Wilkes. Grad school has costs too - don’t forget . Don’t strangle your family or self financially for a name Too many do and regret later.
Good luck
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This is definitely something that you can figure out in the future. I happen to know quite a few lawyers, all of whom originally got their bachelor’s degree in computer science, some form of engineering, or math. One worked as a software engineer for two or three years before going back to law school. Instead getting a bachelor’s degree in computer science, engineering, or math, and then working for a couple of years, and then getting a master’s degree is also very reasonable (and is what I did, with a bachelor’s in mathematics). Furthermore, you do not need to decide between “law school versus master’s versus continue a career with a bachelor’s degree” until you actually get to apply to graduate programs, which could be four or five or six years from now (or even longer).
UF is a very good university. You can do very well, and pursue any of these potential career options, with a degree from UF. In high tech people really do not care about “prestige” (thus all the t-shirts and blue jeans) and you can do very well with a bachelor’s from any school on your list.
Given your family’s financial situation, and the continued likely financial and economic uncertainty in the near future, I would be very cautious about how much you spend for your education. It is also at least possible that more of your AP credits will be accepted at an in-state public university compared to some of the private schools that you are considering.
I am not a fan of applying to a long list of reach schools, which are unlikely for both admissions and affordability. I would try to pick our 2 or 3 or maybe 5 reach schools that you think might be the best fit for you, and drop the rest from you list. At a minimum, I would make sure that you do a solid job and get your applications in to safeties, and to your in-state public universities. Then I would work on applications to the 2 or 3 reach schools that you think are the best fit. Then when all of this is completed you can think about whether you want to continue putting together additional applications.
Check NPCs and don’t waste time. Who to eliminate (imho)
Columbia - Three to four years of one world language (ancient or modern) taken during high school
Dartmouth - Foreign language: 3 years of a single language (ancient or modern) with 4 preferred
Cornell- 3 years of a foreign language
Run NPCs but replace with schools like Yale, U Miami, Lafayette, and Case Western - big names where two years will not eliminate you. All these meet need.