College dreams often wind up close to home

Several factors - Bright Futures, low costs, even proximity to Mom and Dad - persuade most of the state's high school seniors to pick a Florida school.

[Times photo: Dirk Shadd]

Anthony Dudley, 17, a St. Petersburg High senior, bags groceries at the Publix in downtown St. Petersburg last week. He has decided to attend the University of Central Florida.

	[Times photo: Toni L. Sandys]
	Justin Semeyn, 18, a Plant High senior, was accepted at Georgia Tech and UF. He will use his Bright Futures scholarship to attend UF, where he was also accepted on the track team.
	Laura Diss Age: 17 SAT: 1,390 GPA: 3.96 Plant High School, Hillsborough County School considered: University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Annual cost: $25,436 No scholarships offered. Will attend: Florida State University Annual cost: $9,753 How she’ll pay for FSU: • Florida Bright Futures scholarship worth $2,860, plus $600 for lab fees and $600 for other expenses. • Diehl Corp. one-time scholarship worth $500 for children of Vietnam veterans. • FSU scholarship worth $2,000 annually. • FSU one-time scholarship worth $500 for high scores on Advanced Placement tests. Total: $7,060 Remaining: $2,693
	Nicolas Vilaret Age: 17 SAT: 1,290 GPA: 3.8 Seminole High School, Pinellas County School considered: University of South Carolina Annual cost: $23,935 Offered: $10,840 swimming scholarship and $2,000 for academic record. Will attend: University of Florida Annual cost: $12,140 How He’ll pay for UF: • Florida Bright Futures scholarship worth $3,560, plus $600 for lab fees and $600 for other expenses. Total: $4,760 Remaining: $7,380 (to be partly paid with a prepaid tuition plan.)

Laura Diss thought she wanted to go to the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, one of the nation's top public schools.

Then she learned what Florida State University had to offer.

The small campus atmosphere in Tallahassee. The creative writing program. The shorter drive home to Tampa.

And most important, the money.

If she went to FSU, she would receive a Florida Bright Futures scholarship worth $4,060 to cover tuition, fees and some other expenses. That covers a significant portion of the school's annual $9,753 price tag, which includes housing and food.

If she went to UNC, she would get nothing to help pay the $25,436 in annual costs.

Before UNC could decide whether to admit her, the Tampa Plant High School senior made her own decision. She will head to Tallahassee in the fall.

Every year, thousands of Florida high school students apply to colleges across the nation. But most choose to stay in state, where they can get most or all of their tuition paid through Bright Futures, the state scholarship program. About 13 percent of Florida high school seniors who go on to college leave the state.

The St. Petersburg Times tracked 10 Tampa Bay area high school seniors this year as they navigated the college admissions process. All but one student now plans to attend a public university in Florida.

"I'd like to say money wasn't a factor, but it was," said Laura, 17, who has a 3.96 grade point average, a 1,390 SAT score and several scholarships. "I could conceivably leave Florida State making money."

In an annual rite of spring, high school seniors anxiously wait at the mailbox, hoping for a thick acceptance packet and dreading a thin rejection letter.

The college admissions cycle ended May 1, when schools expected students to commit.

Some students waited until the last minute, postmarking their responses on the deadline day. Some were more certain about their choices.

Most listed cost as a key factor. But a slew of other reasons, both serious and silly, can help to seal the deal.

The ability to take a car to school. The distance from parents. The football team's record. The proximity to a girlfriend or boyfriend. The amenities in dormitories and cafeterias.

"To a large extent, it is a mystery why it happens," said John Barnhill, FSU's director of records and admissions. "More often than not, it just feels right."

Many parents stayed out of their children's way when the admissions process began in the fall. They didn't want to steer them toward a particular school, though it was obvious that the high school seniors were struggling to choose.

But when April rolled around and it was time to make a decision, many of those parents came back into the picture. It was time to talk money.

"This is really crunch time for families," said Don Munce, president of the National Research Center for College & University Admissions. "They are really dealing with the nitty-gritty of finances right now. And very quickly, the calendar works against them."

Mike and Beth Dunn didn't want their 18-year-old daughter, Katelyn, to choose a college based on their financial situation. But they wanted to be upfront about the realities.

If she stayed in Florida, her Bright Futures scholarship and prepaid tuition plan would pay much of her college costs. If she went to one of the four out-of-state schools to which she applied - each of which costs $40,000 a year - she would have to seek loans that would take years to pay back.

Katelyn, 18, a Seminole High School senior with a 3.74 GPA and a 1,380 SAT score, chose FSU.

"It's very affordable," said Laura's dad, Mark Diss. "What Florida has done real well is to keep the brightest students in the state."

High-achieving students still apply to out-of-state schools. Sometimes, it is just to see whether they get accepted or how much financial aid they would receive.

But most chose a Florida university, even though it wasn't their first choice, to take advantage of thousands of dollars in scholarships and grants.

"That's true for many, many of our kids," said Bill Kolb, the admissions director at the University of Florida. "They don't come here because of an everlasting love for the University of Florida."

Some students would rather save money for graduate school. Others don't want to get a job or take out loans to pay for education.

At some schools, including UF and FSU, at least 70 percent of the freshmen class is on Bright Futures.

At Chamberlain High School in Hillsborough County, college resource counselor Debra Aplin estimates that only 1 percent of the school's graduates attend out-of-state schools. She has students who were accepted at UNC and the University of Virginia, top public schools, but chose to stay in the state.

"A lot of the brightest kids, they can put money in their pocket," Aplin said. "For a lot of them, this is the deciding factor. It's too much to throw away."

Some counselors worry that students and parents overlook a school where they will truly fit just to stay in Florida and receive money. Others scoff at that notion.

"I think that finances are part of the fit," said Dewey Holleman, the admissions director at the University of South Florida. "You have to consider that."

Justin Semeyn, 18, a Plant High senior, was accepted at Georgia Tech and UF. Georgia Tech did not offer him any money to help pay the school's $25,560 annual costs. UF offered him no money, but he will use his Bright Futures scholarship. That pays $4,760 of the $12,140 annually in tuition and other expenses.

UF has added benefits for Justin, a pole vaulter with a 3.5 GPA and a 1,370 SAT score.

It accepted him on its track team. It is the alma mater of his dad and his brother. And he likes Gainesville's laid-back atmosphere.

The deal was done.

By April, senior Julia Fedor had heard from all of her 10 schools. She was accepted by six, rejected by two and put on waiting lists at two others.

That left her with plenty of options and a month to make the biggest decision of her life so far.

Every day after school, Julia, 18, would pour through college catalogs, gaze at Web sites and scan the Princeton Review to check student rankings.

Julia, a Seminole High salutatorian with a 3.9 GPA and a 1,310 SAT score, didn't apply to in-state schools. She knew she was going far away to school, but where? Her options included top public and private schools from California to Boston.

It was on a two-day visit in April to Northwestern University in Illinois that she knew. She fell in love with Evanston, the small city on the lake. She liked the size of the school and its proximity to Chicago. She also liked that companies recruit for interns at Northwestern, where annual expenses are $42,297.

"She was having a lot of trouble deciding," said Fran Fedor, Julia's mother. "Now she's just going with her choice. She's got her mind made up."

Admissions officials say they wish they knew what caused a student to accept or reject a school.

"There's often nothing you can quantify," said Judy Hingle, director of professional development for the National Association for College Admission Counseling and a former high school counselor.

The reasons range from where the school ranks in U.S. News and World Report to the size of the school to where a student's parents or siblings went.

It is often the social aspects, such as where a student's friends are going or which fraternity or sorority appeals to him or her. Sometimes, it's as simple as whether it was a rainy day during a student's campus visit or how well a university marketed itself to the student through letters and calls.

And for all the early talk among students about going far away from home, experts say most attend a university within 150 miles of home.

Anthony Dudley, 17, a St. Petersburg High senior with a 3.8 GPA and 1,060 SAT score, will travel just 120 miles from home. He applied to and was accepted at three schools, including Mercer University in Georgia. He picked the University of Central Florida, partly because of its proximity to home.

"I wish I could say they are logical, but, hey, they are adolescents," Munce said. "We expect adolescents to make these decisions, and yet we have to remember that they are kids. ... They have to find the place that fits them best."

College counselors encourage students to make a final visit to campus in the spring, after they are accepted but before making a decision.

"It's the most important thing," said Caro Massari, a guidance resource specialist at Plant High. "Students need to picture themselves there."

Nicolas Vilaret, 17, a Seminole High senior with a 3.8 GPA and a 1,290 SAT score, thought he would attend the University of South Carolina, where he would have joined the swim team. As a result, the school offered the out-of-state student in-state tuition, which shaved about $10,000 off his expenses.

But it was his April campus visit to South Carolina that made him want to go to UF, even if that meant not swimming.

For Nic Fischer, a Seminole High senior with a 3.8 GPA and a 1,300 SAT score, the decision was easier than for most. He applied only to UF, though his mother was worried that he was risking everything on one school.

His mother and two aunts went there. His family has had season tickets to Gator football games since before he was born. The family's boat is painted orange and blue.

"As far as I can remember," he said, "that's where I wanted to go."

He applied to UF in October, received an acceptance letter in December and never felt stressed.

"I definitely had it easy."

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