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<p>Seems like only a small percentage of them would be rolling in the tide of scholarship money… what attracts OOS students who do not qualify for the well known (on these forums) scholarships?</p>
<p>@LakeWashington </p>
<p>lol about the cheese grits…the dear OP is from LI…doubt he’d be ordering grits, much less cheese grits, anytime soon (but FYI…grits are good…try it!)</p>
<p>As for BBQ…BBQ is fab everywhere…whether it’s a dry rub found in Memphis, beef-style found in Texas, a vinegary sauce at Dreamland or a sweeter sauce at Full Moon. 
In Tuscaloosa, you can go a couple of blocks and find a BBQ restaurant and each has their own sauce or rub traditions. </p>
<p>No one starves in Ttown. ;)</p>
<p>@ucbalumnus From what I’ve seen in the UA Facebook groups. It’s a mix of OOS students wanting a big SEC school experience, getting away from home, football (did I mention FOOTBALL???), and the rich tradition of being a member of Tide Nation. Where else can you, at anytime (I’ve had it happen to me at the Atlanta airport, and at a stop light here in Northern VA), for a perfect stranger to let out a loud “Roll Tide” at you in greeting?</p>
<p>Case Western Reserve - with no application fee and using the common app, why not.</p>
<p>RPI and Case are both good schools, but more importantly, they recognize each other as peers when looking comparing financial aid. So, let’s say you get $15k from RPI and $25k from Case, you can ask RPI to match. FWIW, your merit won’t rise above $15k at RPI unless you make an official campus visit. The put a lot of emphasis on demonstrated interest.</p>
<p>@eyemgh Very interesting…your merit can rise ABOVE 15k? I thought there wasn’t a range…thought it was just a flat 15k for all RPI medalists…where did you get this information that campus visits increase the likelihood of obtaining more than 15k in aid?</p>
<p>U Alabama is a “safety” for DS. He’s admitted already with free tuition, $2500/year, Honors College, and great new STEM facilities. DD is already there and loves it. All of her roomies are OOS and one is from LINY. We are from Northern VA and never felt out of place on campus or in T-town. But keep your options open with a wide-ranging list. DS is also applying to others – Stanford (high reach), Rice, Vanderbilt (reach), U Texas Austin (target - loves the city), UVA (target - great school - instate), Rose Hulman (target - great small STEM school), and VA Tech (target/safety - instate - great engineering). Good luck! PS - my DD now loves grits. </p>
<p>@lb43823, my son was a Rensselaer Medalist. The letter will tell you that the award amount is a minimum of $15k.</p>
<p>As for visiting, I learned about that over in the RPI CC forum and confirmed it in their Common Data Set. They rank “Level of Applicant’s Interest” in the Important category along with recommendations and their essay. Only GPA, test scores, course work rigor and class rank are higher in the Very Important category.</p>
<p>This holds true for many schools. They don’t fling money randomly. They reserve it for those most likely to attend. If you’ve made an effort to visit, it shows you’re very interested in their institution.</p>
<p>BTW, don’t overlook some of these “less prestegous” schools as your first choice. This is a dark secret that many don’t understand, but even schools that meet "100%"of need count loans in those totals. It is not free. Be wary of owing lots of money at graduation. There are LOTS of very good engineering programs out there. One of them might be a better fit.</p>
<p>Good luck.</p>
<p>Texas A & M has a strong engineering program and amazing scholarships for NMF.</p>
<p>Stevens gives pretty generous merit money to top students and would not be far away for you. Small campus but strong programs, and I have heard kids tend to graduate with job offers already in hand.</p>
<p>Wichita State University is easy to get into and has full rides for NMFs. Hope it’s good for engineering - I’m going into engineering and I likely will be going there.</p>