UCF with 30k scholarship vs UF no scholarship

[ML-Scalpel]

Question per my mother…

Dear Members,

My daughter is a high school senior and was accepted to UCF with the Pegasus Scholarship ($30K total) and to UF with no scholarship. She is interested in pursuing dentistry.

As you know, Florida has only three dental schools, with UF being the only public option offering the lowest tuition. We encourage our kids to aim for state graduate programs to minimize student debt—especially after seeing how much a relative who attended Nova owes in loans.

My question is: Would attending UF for undergrad significantly improve her chances of getting into UF’s dental school? Or would it be wiser to stay at UCF (we live in Orlando), take the $30K scholarship, and save for future graduate school expenses?

I appreciate any insights you can share.

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[Bigjt1420]

Going to UF would not significantly improve her chances. Maybe a little, but not enough to make or break her. And keep in mind, she is in high school -- a lot of kids change their minds on what they want to do in college. Not saying she wont want to still be a dentist in 4 years, but there is certainly a chance she decides on pursuing a different career.

All that said, 100% take the scholarship and attend UCF

 

[macsak]

Question per my mother…

Dear Members,

My daughter is a high school senior and was accepted to UCF with the Pegasus Scholarship ($30K total) and to UF with no scholarship. She is interested in pursuing dentistry.

As you know, Florida has only three dental schools, with UF being the only public option offering the lowest tuition. We encourage our kids to aim for state graduate programs to minimize student debt—especially after seeing how much a relative who attended Nova owes in loans.

My question is: Would attending UF for undergrad significantly improve her chances of getting into UF’s dental school? Or would it be wiser to stay at UCF (we live in Orlando), take the $30K scholarship, and save for future graduate school expenses?

I appreciate any insights you can share.

what is the difference in total cost of attendance?
30k scholarship doesn't tell us much...

 

[ML-Scalpel]

what is the difference in total cost of attendance?
30k scholarship doesn't tell us much...

UCF she lives at home with parents
UF housing and living expenses
Tuition for both paid with brights future

 

[Middle Age DDS]

All kinds of variables. For some parents (this would include my parents), 30k is an astronomical amount of money. For others, nbd for princess to go to the school she wants to go to.
UF looks better on paper and congrats to her getting in. That said, A 3.8 at UCF is a big deal and a 3.0 at UF may make it hard to get into any dental school today. Again, for some kids and cultures, living at home is standard. It certainly is fiscally prudent. For most American kids, getting out of the house after high school is a rite of passage.

I have a child in Med School and they went to a top University in the Country. IF they had a 3.0 it would not matter compared to having a 3.8 from UCF. I certainly paid a ton of attention to admissions a few years ago.

The only thing I do not know is with some of these proprietary dental schools, that may change the game with admissions. For all I know they will let anyone in along with a healthy tuition bill. Sort of sad for a noble profession but I could go on about a whole bunch of things besides bull**** dental schools.

UFCOD has plenty of kids that went to both UF and UCF btw. My dental school advice is always go to the cheapest one.

 

[ML-Scalpel]

All kinds of variables. For some parents (this would include my parents), 30k is an astronomical amount of money. For others, nbd for princess to go to the school she wants to go to.
UF looks better on paper and congrats to her getting in. That said, A 3.8 at UCF is a big deal and a 3.0 at UF may make it hard to get into any dental school today. Again, for some kids and cultures, living at home is standard. It certainly is fiscally prudent. For most American kids, getting out of the house after high school is a rite of passage.

I have a child in Med School and they went to a top University in the Country. IF they had a 3.0 it would not matter compared to having a 3.8 from UCF. I certainly paid a ton of attention to admissions a few years ago.

The only thing I do not know is with some of these proprietary dental schools, that may change the game with admissions. For all I know they will let anyone in along with a healthy tuition bill. Sort of sad for a noble profession but I could go on about a whole bunch of things besides bull**** dental schools.

UFCOD has plenty of kids that went to both UF and UCF btw. My dental school advice is always go to the cheapest one.

Thank you very much.
Very insightful