That’s fair - W&L Johnson and SMU Presidential too.
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If a specific college offers you a full ride (someone above mentioned UT Dallas for NMF), then it would not be more expensive.
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Hence my urging OP to consider UTD!
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I would keep it on your list, though. It’s a relatively easy application.
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I’m considering this 4th category but only for reaches or hard targets. I have GT on my current list.
On second though, I figure I might as well send my entire current list as it stands, for the sake of completeness:
- Reaches
- MIT (can afford)
- Princeton (can afford)
- NYU (can afford)
- Carnegie Mellon (CANNOT afford without private scholarship, on hold until campus visit)
- Georgia Tech (can afford W/ STAMPS)
- Targets
- None currently (just moved all of them to safeties)
- Safeties
- UF (free w/ Bright Futures)
- UCF (free w/ Bright Futures)
- FIU (free w/ Bright Futures)
- Fordham (possibly affordable with Cunniffe?)
The list has been moved around a lot recently, so it’s very imbalanced. I’m also considering different reaches, and as @fiftyfifty1 prophesized:
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Noted!
Also noted. I still cannot stop thinking of the Videla quote when I hear about W&L, though. 
I prophesy that W&L will change its name within the next few years. (I also prophesy that you will get into a couple of your reaches–but even if you don’t that you will thrive.)
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There’s been some people at my school who were incredibly talented-- possibly some of the best-- and ended up enrolling in UF, so I really have nothing but respect for that school.
I definitely do think the rose-tinted glasses of reach admissions are starting to wear off, but I can’t say that I still don’t get a little giddy when I read about MIT’s CPW or the language technologies minor at CMU.
Also, didn’t W&L have a board meeting and decided they would be sticking by the name? Then again, they also do a really good job of hiding the school’s name in all the pamphlets they send me…
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Yes, but they will have another board meeting at some point.
Absolutely. UF is an outstanding school, and can launch you into any grad school you choose including MIT and CMU.
There’s nothing wrong with this approach. Three safeties and a bunch of reaches.
UCF and UF are strong for CS. So is UTD. Those are fantastic safeties.
When you start looking at match/target type schools would they be better than your safeties? Probably not. I did this with my kids. Would you pick school xyz over safety 1, 2 or 3? A lot of times it was no after they thought about the school, the major and the travel. They basically applied to our state flagships and then a bunch of reaches.
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I’ll ask my counselor, just in case. Thanks!
The amazing thing is that you live in Florida and Florida takes care of its best and brightest.
Since your cost situation is so restrictive, for you, it’s a home run.
That and the NMF opportunities - also awesome.
So the approach as you have it works great.
The big thing is - you need at least one affordable assurance.
Then any others are great as long as there is a possibility. But if there were no possibility of affordability, then it should be punted.
U Miami meets need - you might run their NPC.
Best of luck.
If chasing merit you may want to consider University Of Tulsa. Their President who interacts directly on CC informs us that his incoming class will approach 25% NM winners.
Often on CC we hear about Alabama having the “most” NM. For context that translates to about 1,100 UA NM students amongst 32,000 undergrads or approx 3.4%.
So proportionality at 25% you have roughly 7Xs the density which I think can shape a campus atmosphere. Certainly suggest smart kids in need of merit seeking to be surrounded by similar peers should take a close look at Tulsa.
Please keep in mind low single digit acceptance schools don’t track the number of NM but based on published test scores it is likely that the majority of students at these schools would have qualified for NM. A school like Tulsa at 25% gives you the opportunity to immerse yourself in a community of similarly strong students.
I would strongly suggest you consider what type of community and surroundings you think will constitute a good fit.
Good luck.
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NPC for UM comes out to $39k. I know they take Benacquisto, but iirc it’s a very small fraction of the cost. Affordable assurance I would say is covered by FIU and UCF with UF being a bit more reach-y. All three of these schools don’t cost me a penny, and I think both FIU and UF also offer honors programs where you can get a stipend to go there. Not sure, though.
Thanks for the stats! I’ll definitely keep U of Tulsa in mind. In terms of environment, I think my #1 priority in a college is somewhere that offers me resources, with #2 probably being a tie between “does it snow there?” and “will I meet interesting people there?”
(I’m really just not a big fan of commuter colleges, either, which is why FIU scares me a little)
FIU’s common data sets indicate that about 1/5 to 1/4 of frosh live on campus, suggesting that most students are local commuters. This might be less socially interesting to a student who attends residentially, although a resident student who is not expecting the campus to be the main source of social opportunities may find that acceptable. Conversely, a commuter student at a predominantly residential college may feel less able to participate in campus-based social stuff.
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Yeah. I think I am looking for the campus to be a social hub (if not in terms of like events and stuff then at least clubs or something) mostly because I get the feeling that I wouldn’t really be staying at home too much wherever it is that I end up going.
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So if the NPC for a full meets need school is that high then that’s telling for most meets needs. You said Princeton and NYU but most won’t (I’m surprised NYU does.
In some ways you’re lucky. Some students have to look all over. Every school. It becomes a challenge. There’s likely 30-50 or fewer schools you can even consider so it makes school selection easier.
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UCF, FSU, UF and their Honors Colleges, UTD (full ride+AES Honors college guaranteed with NMSF, possibly Computing Scholars and/or McDermott) are full rides and academically safe for you. In terms of TX v. FL, heat&politics are similar, with less LGBT discourse and more mass shootings in TX, but at least they provide an option. Not sure I’d pick Tulsa over any of those 4. UNM and UMaine provide a different type of weather and different politics but the first 4 options ae strong IMHO. Just complete the apps as soon as they open - they’re relatively short and easy to do.
That is settled and all 4 are safeties most CS majors would love to have.
Next, Fordham, which is going to be an academic safety but uncertain financially. Worth trying though.
You can add a couple from the following: UCincinnati for the co-op programs and the competitive scholarships, UMass Lowell, Temple, Pitt, NJIT if you want to try for (relatively accessible to you) competitive scholarships, colder weather and non-Floridian politics. Complete those as soon as the apps open. They’d be as close to “targets” as you could, thinking of the combination admission/likelihood of scholarship.
And then… have fun with the rest of the list. All affordable universities should stay. (I’d keep CMU for last though.)
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Amazing and very comprehensive list! Thank you so much.