Son just got accepted. Would love to hear from anyone who went in the past. Is it like summer school with course material? Or Italian culture and lots of sightseeing trips? Was it an experience you recommend (as the trip is expensive)?
@EventHorizon32 Congratulations, that’s a big deal! My NMF son did not get invited (weak extracurriculars and “leadership”). You can drool over these photos: https://www.■■■■■■■■■■/photos/msc-tamu/sets/72157626136707434/
@Beaudreau thanks for the link. Just sent it to my son. Seems like an amazing opportunity. Maybe I can tag along (sigh - guess not).
(They had to write 3 essays this year and my son excels at writing. Could have been a reason he was selected).
We know someone that went in the past.He had a great time! The extra bonus now is that all the students are in the honors dorms when they start school, so he liked getting know people who would be in his dorm or close by (the two honors dorms are side by side on campus). I don’t recall him saying there was any real ‘work’, more like informative sightseeing & getting to know each other. Here’s another link http://champe.tamu.edu Congrats to your son 
Does anyone know criteria for being accepted?
Congrats! It is an amazing trip! I’ll send you a PM, @EventHorizon32!
@adustyrose, the criteria for being invited to apply are National Merit Finalist, National Hispanic or National Achievement. Leadership and great essays seem to be the criteria for being selected. There is always a waiting list. Acceptance into the University Honors program may be required, but I’m not sure. But all the kids I know who were accepted were also in University Honors.
My S is in University Honors, has amazing leadership (Eagle Scout at 13, leading a national leadership training course after staffing multiple times, and starting his own nonprofit foundation at 16, among other things), but is not NMF…I guess he missed out because he is not a super-strong test taker. Bummer! Sounds like an incredible way to kick off college.
I take it you have to be invited to apply?
Thank you @barfly ! I was a a NMF with pretty strong leadership (VP of an academic club, Social Events coord for Debate, won 4th in competition a well known organization competition nationally) and applied but was rejected. Maybe essays weren’t strong enough… Oh well, maybe I’ll get off of the waitlist and get to go.
(Also university honors if anyone is curious)
@adustyrose, you may get pulled off the wait list. We know kids who got pulled from the wait list. Seems like some kids drop out at the first deadline (when they have to confirm they are going in 2 weeks) then some drop out when the first payment is due in early May. Good luck!
@Loganator, yes you must be invited to apply, and only National Scholars are invited.
My daughter went and it was fantastic. There wasn’t “course material” but there were leadership types of exercises and activities. It seemed to be more culture and various day trips for sight seeing. While it was not inexpensive, it was about 1/3 the actual cost of the trip. It was great for my daughter to make some friends in the Honors program before school began.
@logantor, don’t fret too much there are many opportunities to travel along the way - my oldest went on 7 trips during her 4 years (all expenses paid!) and we also paid for her to study abroad. Just get involved with organizations for more opportunities 
She really took advantage of any chance to travel - not NMF, not 4.0, not honors, just a leader & very good at her major. I believe this is the only time that NMF status is used to determine eligibility, so don’t worry your kiddo will get their chance to shine.
So true @AGmomx2. Also, sophomores and juniors can apply to go on the Champe Fitzhugh trip as leaders, even if they did not go as freshmen.
As an Aggie mom, one thing I truly love about A&M is not just the number of opportunities, but the fact that the students who want to get involved just get after it! One of my Aggies just applied for and was selected for an awesome opportunity! Turns out this is the third time he’s applied and he finally got selected! How cool is that? I would have claimed those grapes were sour after my first attempt, but it’s not like that at A&M. There is no stigma in trying - seems like all the kids we know just keep applying until they get selected for an organization they love. Great life lesson there!
His major (Visualization) has a required semester abroad in Munich (alternative is an internship, but we’re definitely pushing the travel!), so he’ll have that for sure. I would have had a hard time sending him to Italy anyway – Venice is our honeymoon destination, and we haven’t managed to get there yet. It has only been 23 years…there’s still time, right? 
I can tell there are loads of opportunities ahead…everything I see on the website and various A&M FB pages confirms that he made an outstanding choice! So excited for him!
@Beaudreau, @AGmomx2, @Barfly, @Debbie7452 thanks for replying. It does sound like a great way to start out at A&M.
I’m curious to know how much the Fitzhugh program ends up costing the student. Any ideas? My daughter is potential NMS.
@crazy4info According to a Reddit post, it was $3,600 last year. What an incredible deal and opport
*opportunity