University of Florida

Erika: Hey, wow, I'm impressed that you're wondering about college tuition already. I've got to tell you that there are an awful lot of high school juniors (and in fact, far too many high school seniors) who haven't bothered to start worrying about that yet. They're in for some unpleasant surprises, so good for you! I wish I could tell you that you should anticipate paying "x dollars" for a college degree, but it's a lot more complicated than that. Think about colleges like cars - I'm sure you realize that car prices are all over the place, from maybe $3000 or $4000 for a halfway decent used car, up to maybe $250,000 for an incredibly luxurious sports car. College costs are just like that. The cheapest option is always a local community college. These are two year schools with very low tuition. Some of the students who go there just want 2 years of education, and they're not planning on continuing beyond that, but many others just take advantage of the low cost of a community college in order to get their first 2 years of college out of the way as cheaply as possible. One of the things that you'll discover is that you'll be taking the same courses in your first 2 years of college no matter where you go to school - so it's often sensible to take those first 2 years at a low-cost school and then transfer somewhere else to finish off your degree. Next in expense comes the state university system. Your state has at least one, and probably several state schools - like in Florida, for example, they have the University of Florida, Florida State, the University of South Florida, the University of Central Florida, Florida International University, Florida Atlantic University, and several more. All of these schools are part of the state university system for the state of Florida. State universities charge low rates for state residents, because the schools are funded with state tax money. It usually doesn't make a lot of financial sense to attend a state university in another state, because you'll have to pay quite a bit more than the residents do - so for example, if you live in Florida, you can go to a Florida state school for much much less than it would cost you to go the University of Texas or UCLA in California. At the high end of the price scale comes the private colleges. These are not state schools, so they don't get tax money from the residents of the state. These are the fancy luxury cars of the education world - you can pay $50,000 a year or more to attend some of the more expensive private colleges in the United States. Something else to keep in mind - tuition is often the least of your concerns when you are planning your college expenses. - that's just what you pay for the classes themselves. You'll also pay quite a bit more in school "fees" every year, plus you'll need to buy outrageously expensive textbooks (which can cost $500 to $1000 each year), and you'll need a place to live and food to eat. What's more important than tuition is what schools call the "Cost of Attendance", which is an estimate of what it will cost an average student to go to school there for a year. So how much will you pay? If you go to a community college, you might pay something like $4000 a year for college, but most of these schools don't have dormitories or meal plans - most of their students live at home and eat at home. If you go to a state school, and you live away from home, you're probably looking at more like $18,000-25,000 a year, and if you go to a private school you'll be in the neighborhood of $25,000 and much, much higher. One of the other things you'll learn along the way is that very few families can afford the cost of a college education on their own. Fortunately, there is a whole "financial aid system" that helps students with the cost. Keep in mind, though, that a lot of financial aid is nothing more than loans, so it will always be an expensive proposition to attend college - only you can decide how much you're willing to spend, and how much debt you are willing to take on in order to earn the college degree that will help you get a good job. I know this all sounds very complicated, and it is - and that's part of the reason why so many students try to make believe it's not important to worry about until it's too late. Look around at some of the other questions, and you'll see just how many students are saying things like "I'm a senior and I need $40,000 for school next year, but I can't get a loan. What do I do now?" The only answer to their question is "pray you win the lottery". It's good that you're starting your planning now. Best of luck to you - and if there's one thing you can do now - it's focus on doing well in school and getting involved in community activities. The better your grades, the more likely you are to earn scholarships - and those scholarships make ALL the difference in the world about where you'll be able to afford to go to school.

It's very difficult to say what will weigh the most on your application. I was an admissions advisor for a very long time, and while test scores and GPA definitely factored in (there are minimum requirements for each school, set by the Admissions Board), I would frequently approve borderline students if I felt they would do well at the University. A well written essay can be a deciding factor. Most major universities look for balanced students. Extracurricular activites, community service, or even a part time job can show that you are well rounded. Your essay will give the admissions office a bit of insight into who you are as a person. We know that standardized tests are only one way to judge a person's potential. That said, you need to approach college applications systematically. Never apply to just one or two schools. Pick your favorites and try to blow them away with your essay, but also apply to some other schools as backups. Florida International University, Florida Atlantic University, or one of the County Community Colleges can be great alternatives. Always include a two year college near where you live as an option. If you do not get into your #1 or #2 choice schools, you can complete a few semesters at a community college (30 credit hours is a good target) and then reapply as a transfer student. As a transfer student your test scores will generally no longer be a factor, and the school will instead focus on your performance at the two-year college or community college. Whether or not you need to submit high school transcripts/test scores depends on how many credits you have completed, and varies between universities. You can generally find this information on the University website under "Transfer Students."

Jacob. Here are the best graduate schools for sports, I have found for you on Yahoo.com University of North Florida, University of Georgia, University of New Haven, New York University, Florida State University, Teachers College Columbia University, Northern University, Arcadia University, Lesley University, PMS Professional Science Master's, University of Denver Daniels College of Business, The Catholic University of America, Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine and Texas Tech University. You can try contacting or e-mail these colleges/universities as soon as possible. Jacob I wish you the very best of everything. Stay encourage. Be strong-willed. Keep making the right choices in your life. Don't let anyone turn you away from your dreams/goals. Jacob DSW

Generally, the best film schools in the US are considered: OSU, Boston University, California Institute of the Arts, Columbia University, Florida State University, New York University, San Francisco State University, Temple University, the University of Texas, the University of Southern California and the University of California, Los Angeles. I omitted AFI because you are not a graduate student yet.

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