Hey all! First post here, but my mom’s been on these forums forever and raves about them, lol.
I am a junior in high school, but even though I began my college search in sophomore year, I can’t make up my mind on schools I should even be considering. It fluctuates from one week to another. I’m hoping someone can at least point me in the right direction?
- Want to major in something involving artificial intelligence but am open to more
- Unweighted GPA: 3.7~ (4 AP courses so far, everything else in honors, I plan to graduate with a certification from the NCS and my courses are very STEM-oriented this year and projected to be for next year also)
- I haven't taken the SAT yet. My first PSAT score was 1270. I just retook the PSAT a couple weeks ago and I'm optimistic. A HUGE factor in my score last year was not having the proper accommodations, which I've now applied for. Need to take ACT and planning to do that soon, once I've studied.
- ECs: historian of school's GSA, member of NSHS, started own dogsitting business, I work/volunteer at a local dog training facility 4-6hrs/week, I have probably 50 community service hours right now and I'm working to get that to 100 by the end of junior year.
As for preferences, I have 3 main concerns. (Besides “I like cities.”)
- I was diagnosed with autism when I was 14, and have also been diagnosed with a major depression and generalized anxiety disorder. All three heavily impact my ability to concentrate/manage time/get work done/etc, and I am trying my best, but I do have a service dog and would prefer a college with great accessibility/disability office.
- I’m transgender and since my parents’ insurance may or may not support me once I’m 18, I would love to attend a college that includes trans-related expenses, like hormones or surgery. It’s not a dealbreaker for me, once again because parents’ insurance may end up covering hormones, but at least a trans-friendly atmosphere is necessary.
- I’m a FL resident and we have FL Prepaid, which with our plan basically covers the vast majority of the cost of any FL college. I HATE almost everything about Florida and would love to get out of here ASAP, but the huge out-of-state costs of other colleges are scary. So, if a FL college, I want an established study abroad program, but if not a FL college, something below $30,000ish a year.
TIA for any insight you can provide!
You seriously excpect to find an OOS college with a COA of less than $30K where the college will pay for your gender reasignment needs? Now that would be a true unicorn!
This is a whole new level of entitlement…nobody is going to pay you for your gender reassignment surgery.
Also, if you can’t afford OOS(including private) colleges without financial aids/merit scohlarship, suck it up and go to FL colleges. Some people here can’t even afford to go to their instate colleges.
For FL colleges, look at Eckerd College very dog friendly and inclusive. I believe they accept FL prepaid too.
Wait, there are colleges that pay for gender reassignment surgery? How does that even work?
I think the question is whether the student is on the college health plan and whether it covers transgender services.
OP didn’t ask about college health plans, they asked for the colleges to pay gender services. If they just wanted to know about what college heath plans cover that sort of thing google is their friend…
https://www.campuspride.org/tpc/student-health-insurance/
But OP would have to pay for that level of insurance and the associated deductibles, the college will not pay that for them.
Actually, there are 86 colleges in the US that cover hormones AND surgery, and I was hoping someone would have experience with one of those colleges. The majority of y’all’s comments are unnecessary in that regard…
Since posting, I’ve done some research on costs and I realize $30k is unrealistic, so scratch that. I’ll look at anything.
Please explain how the
when you can’t be bothered to do a simple Google search before you post?
Like I said, there are 86 colleges in the US that will pay for hormones and surgery. I do not have the time or energy to comb through every college on that list. I have researched the policies of quite a few colleges, but was hoping someone here would be able to add some personal experience. If you can’t, that’s fine: I listed it under “Preferences” for good reason.
Where you should apply to college depends how long you can be on your parents’ insurance and whether or not their plan covers OOS counselors. You need to be someplace where you have access to the health professionals you need for your depression and anxiety.
Do you know your EFC or how much your parents can afford to pay for college? If you have a prepaid plan that will cover the cost of a FL college, I’d find one or two that could work as safeties while you explore other options. If your parents can’t pay much, you need to look for merit or take advantage of the FL prepaid plan.
Mm, true. I’ve heard that most colleges cover counseling, but just in case I checked and I’m supposed to be covered until I’m 24 - shouldn’t matter whether I’m OOS, but after that it would.
I used this site’s calculator and it came up with an EFC of $17k/year, HOWEVER my parents are also trying to send my two brothers to college as well so it’ll be significantly less than that, I presume. Definitely applying to a few FL schools as safeties, but I know there’s more out there I can reach for. As for merit aid, I think it depends on the college but like I said, 86+ is too big of a list to comb through.
I still think the OP means that the college health plan would cover it (but as a teenager, maybe isn’t familiar with how health care works). OP, I’d like you to find us a college where the SCHOOL is paying transition expenses. I haven’t heard of one. Yes, colleges usually do offer counseling to a point within their health services (which are mostly for stuff like colds, flu, STDs, birth control, etc – major health care items, and they will send you off to a local provider and your insurance has to pay). Colleges usually have a limit on the number of counseling visits, too – and after a certain point, they will refer you to providers in the community near the college, and again – you and/or your health insurance have to pay.
New College of Florida offers a CS major, is a public college in Florida, and is probably as liberal an environment as you might find there (my impression, I have not visited, but others could comment either way). Odds are decent that your parent’s healthcare coverage may cover that area, since you will be in the same state, but that depends on their coverage.
Yes, I’ve been lumping the health plan in with tuition. Sorry for the miscommunication there, lol, I need to learn how this adult stuff works.
New College is on the top of my list; thank you for suggesting! You’re right, it covers a lot of my needs and I have a good chance of getting in. I’ll definitely apply. (It’s like 900 students though, which is barely half the size of my current high school and I don’t know how I feel about that.)