@JBStillFlying Because of this discussion I am also now thinking about putting in an app to UCF , I have some relatives about an hour away and that might be a nice choice … the scorecard you posted is from 2009 … that is a long time ago! Also shows that PoliSci is one of their top majors at least at that time.
I think your point about the necessity of most humanities majors to consider saving their $ for grad school is a good one.
@screennamessuck It’s probably too late at this point, but back in the day, the Rutgers Honors Program was modeled after the Chicago core curriculum. Not sure if this is still the case. Also, the deadline for Honors consideration and merit money may have passed already.
Of the other options currently before you, I’d say that Fordham is probably your top pick academically.
Did you apply to any other Florida schools? UF-Gainesville is an excellent university.
Congratulations on NMSF!
The way to use the Scorecard is to note how an institution’s particular major “pays off” relative to other majors at the institution and, as well, compare one institution’s salary with another’s for a particular major (and normalized for cost). Salaries by major are a new feature this year and it’s very possible that the data is “dated”; however, that’s true for all institutions so you should still be able to compare. Another thing to realize, of course, is that salaries are particular to job opportunities by locale, so an English or Poli-Sci major might earn more in NYC than Orlando. It’s not a perfect comparison, but it’s more information than, say, what was available only a short while ago.
You can also compare overall grad rates between institutions, while keeping in mind that Honors College will have a higher 4-year grad rate than the general population.
Fordham, which was one of OP’s choices, shows median earnings that are nearly 60% higher for an English major and about 40% higher for a poli-sci major than UCF. Now, again, locale might have something to do with that, but selectivity is a factor as well. It’s just harder to get into Fordham than UCF, the average test scores are higher, more well-known faculty will be employed there, etc. However, if UCF’s honors college has similar selectivity stats and a solid liberal arts program, then it’s probably going to be an unequivocal choice given the lower cost.
In order to determine current popularity of an institution’s major, you should check out the NCES data on College Navigator (I believe this is a DOE website as well). Here is the link for UCF, current through 2017/18:
https://nces.ed.gov/collegenavigator/?q=university+of+central+Florida&s=all&id=132903#programs
One thing about poli-sci in particular is that it might all be offered online. UCF is one of the better-known “online” education universities. It’s how they are able to have so many undergraduates. One would need to understand how much of the poli-sci major is offered on campus in a small seminar format (ie an environment consistent with the liberal arts). Here is the link to help one determine that:
https://www.ucf.edu/degree/political-science-ba/
Of course, there may be some professional degree programs related to poli-sci with a larger presence on campus. And for psych/counseling and social work (which is what you are interested in, right?) it might be a different story altogether.
New College may be a great choice - it is the state of Florida’s Honors College. I believe the deadline is February 1st.
This post really exploded in the few days I didn’t log on. Thank you for the replies (and the arguments, but ah well)! For me, $160,000 in debt (already including parental contributions) isn’t really worth it for any level of education, so I likely couldn’t consider UChicago even if I were to get in during the RD round.
As for UCF honors college, there’s a 10% acceptance rate of those accepted to the school in the first place, so I’m honestly not too worried about the honors college providing challenges of its own. The issue lies more in opportunities outside of the honors college (internships, professors, etc).
In terms of my own plans, I would love to either be involved in politics a bit more directly (working for a nonprofit, campaigns, activism groups, and the like) or go on to be a professor, neither of which are particularly lucrative routes and both of which likely involve some grad school. @JBStillFlying I am interested in psychology and social work, but I can’t see myself making a living out of it. I’ll probably end up taking a couple classes on it to really solidify this view, but as it is that’s not my focus.
One brief clarification: people keep recommending Florida schools, but I have to remind you all that I am NOT from Florida and I have no real preference for it. I’m from Nevada, which offers very very few academic options and I love the environment (and proximity to museums) of the Northeast.
On Fordham, there are still a couple little hiccups, namely the designation as a catholic school and the price.While I understand that Jesuit is a little subgroup that isn’t particularly diehard, diversity is certainly lower and personally, I don’t want to be affiliated with the Catholic Church on any level. That being said, I’m touring Fordham in a few weeks and I’ll see how I feel about it. Fordham would end up being about $30,000 in total student loans, which isn’t ideal, but I could handle it. The issue is that after those $30,000, there’s a serious chance at more loans when grad school rolls around.
Again, thank you all for your insights!
^@screennamesuck - you shouldn’t worry - many Jesuits have the same enthusiasm for the Catholic Church that you do. 
On the subject of diversity, for those following this tread here’s some College Navigator data
Geographic:
UCF - IS 92%, OOS 7%, Foreign <1%,
Fordham - IS 36%, OOS 53%, Foreign 9%, Unknown 2%
Ethnic:
UCF - White 47%, Black 11%, Asian 6%, Hispanic/Latino 27%, Int’l 3%
Fordham - White 56%, Black 4%, Asian 11%, Hispanic/Laninto 15%, Int’l 9%
Undergraduate Student Age:
UCF - 82% 24 and under, 18% 25 and over
Fordham - 94% 24 and under, 6% 25 and over
Good luck to you, OP!
As an update to everyone, I got into Northeastern! Aid isn’t where it needs to be right now (would still end up being 170k in debt) but I’m going to do what I can to change that (finding out about their nmf scholarship, showing more interest, and if all else fails, eloquently groveling). No matter what, I’m really proud. If things don’t work out, I’m still happy with some of my other options and I’ll be happy to go to college, wherever it may be.