Head of Duke when it comes to Computer Engineering. Do any of these other schools have a good CE program by any chance?
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By the way, thanks to all of you who I recognize from the old thread (and to everyone new, as well)! I appreciate the patience and I still remember all the help you all gave me a few months ago.
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Thanks for coming back and giving us an update!
Why did you designate your first choice school already? It can still be changed, but I would have selected undecided. Other schools will offer you money for you to designate them as their first choice, such as UCF: https://www.ucf.edu/admissions/undergraduate/national-merit/. Additionally, it appears as though UCF gives a longer window to switch if you were previously āundecided.ā As the College Board wonāt start releasing studentsā first choices until around March, Iād strongly consider switching it to undecided.
As a NMSF, UCF will expedite its application decision for you, so that can provide some nice peace of mind to have an acceptance in hand. If you get NMF then it will give you sufficient scholarships to cover the full cost of attendanceā¦thatās the college āpayingā students for their books, transportation costs, modest monthly amounts for misc. expenses, etc. Youād get guaranteed access (after applying) to the honors program (with priority registration), the LEAD Scholars Academy, and a laptop.
In looking at UF and UCFās pages on College Navigator (the fedās website), it appears that UF estimates $810 for books and $3670 for āother expenses.ā UCF indicates $1200 for books and $4970 for other expenses. So, $4480 at UF vs. $6170 at UCF. Perhaps that might sway you to one school as compared to the other, none of which you would need to decide on until sometime in the spring (potentially as late as May 31st!).
I agree with the others that Iād probably remove Brown from the application list, as the odds would be very long to get sufficient scholarship money to pay that difference. If youāre looking for a northeastern option to substitute in its place, have you considered University of Maryland and its Banneker/Key scholarship? Itās not a sure thing, but I suspect the odds of getting a B/K would be greater than getting Stamps at Georgia Tech. Iām not sure how many āfullā B/K scholarships there are as compared to āpartialā ones, but there are 150 B/K scholars each year. In comparison, there are only 40 Stamps scholarships/year at Georgia Tech (source). Your odds appear to be at least 3x greater with UMD, and it would be cheaper than any of your meet-need schools, particularly those that would require you to take out loans. Its computer programs are very well-respected.
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So if I choose undecided, I can report that to the schools Iām applying to that offer NMF packages and then change my choice after admissions have come through? I havenāt submitted the NMF application yet, but just to confirm.
Yes, you can indicate undecided and then once youāve made your decision, select your āfirst choiceā by the schoolās required deadline. UCFās is May 31st, but different schools have different deadlines. Just research the deadlines for each school on your list. And definitely list National Merit Semi-Finalist now on your applications, and then National Merit Finalist once it becomes official (I canāt see you not moving on). Colleges are not expecting people to have clear first choices in the fall.
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Yeah honestly this makes a lot more sense. Thank you!
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Back to - what if you are not NMF ? Then what ?
I mean, it is a scenario Iām considering, but 95% of semifinalists become finalists and of those not accepted Iām assuming some portion just didnāt submit the application. Itās not too crazy to plan for it, I believe.
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I might drop Brown and replace it with another school at the same level whose NPC indicates it would be more in line with your budget. I know that some of the Ivies will match other Ivies when it comes to financial aid (Brown certainly seems like the outlier here) but that requires being admitted to more than one . . . .
Of the approximately 16,000 students who become NMSF, about 15k become NMF.
Generally students need a GPA of 3.5 or above, an SAT score of 1400 or above, and decent extracurriculars. OPās head and shoulders above that.
But should things not pan out for OP, then he can submit an app to Tulsa in February and get the full ride package there.
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You know how they say the safety is THE MOST important school on the list ?
If it were me, Iād research Tulsa and figure out the deadline so you donāt miss it.
You are likely right but someone is going to get shut out. Always prepare for the worst case.
25% of their entrants were NMS last year so youād be in good company.
I donāt believe thereās an app fee.
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How about something like Duke? NPC says $23k. Itās worth noting for some of the schools on the list above I forgot to include student employment, etc. so the cost might be slightly lower.
NMSF to NMF is just a filling out the application at this point. No way he doesnāt get it. 15,000 of 16,000 Semifinalists become finalists.
Maybe but thereās always that kid - no rhyme or reason.
I believe in covering bases.
But maybe itās just me.
Do you like Duke - I donāt know a lot about them (other than the obvious) as S24 wasnāt interested. Cornell came to mind for you given your interests - it is strong in computer engineering and likely to be generous with FA (though youād need to run the NPC).
FIU says full ride for NMF: FIU National MeritĀ® Scholarship | Admissions | Florida International University
UCF says that Benacquisto for NMF can be used there and top up other scholarships to a full ride: https://www.ucf.edu/financial-aid/types/scholarships/benacquisto/
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Perfect!!! I guess undecided really works in my favor here.
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Cornell has been visiting my school quite a bit for presentations. Honestly gave me a really good impression. Iāll look into them!
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Besides paying for colleges and NMF, how do my stats fare for the schools Iām applying to? I know thatās a really subjective question but I wanna see if I can identify any weak points.
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Your stats are excellent. You have good rigor, an excellent gpa and a fantastic SAT score. There are no weak spots in terms of stats. Your ECs are also strong. Of course, that is no guarantee of admission to reach schools since they have so many ultra qualified applicants.
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