@Phlipper Did you D not like the nursing prerequisites? Would she recommend UCF’s nursing program to others?
Unfortunately, one of my daughters likes UCF specifically because she will know a lot of people there already. 
I’d guess at least half of the seniors on their programming team last year are going there now. The UCF team is so much better than any of the other state schools that it would be silly for them to go elsewhere. If UF were stronger, I would send them there in a heart beat. I’ve told them to apply everywhere and then see what options they have but I wouldn’t be completely surprised if they both end up at UCF next year. If they do, I’ll make a conscious effort not to hover and not let them come back all the time so they learn to be a little independent.
I forgot to ask earlier, how did you kids do with the Dorian scare? I know classes were cancelled for several days. Those living in dorms were told they might have to evacuate to safer housing but I don’t know if they actually had to do that since the worst of Dorian missed us. Hurricanes are scary for us too and we’ve lived here for 15 years. I can only imagine how it is if you are new to all of this. I told the girls that if they are at UCF next year, we’d invite a bunch of their OOS friends to hunker down at our house instead of staying in the dorms.
@PPuggle , I really appreciate your input of the UCF’s CS program. Do you happen to know anything about their EE and Comp E program. D will end up in either CS, EE or Comp E. Thank you!
My daughter found out she did not like the sight of blood. Good to know. Otherwise I think she thought the program was fine.
i only know she loves UCF and is having the time of her life. I know some kids want to get away, but I think UCF does offer the full college experience, just close to home lucky for you !
@BingeWatcher I’m not sure about the EE or Comp E programs at UCF. In general, UF is stronger than UCF in engineering but there are some pretty amazing things going on at UCF as well. For example, Limbitless is at UCF and they 3D print inexpensive prosthetics for kids.
Does UCF waive the application fee for semifinalists?
I will tell you what my non-STEM, NMF full pay kid found out about Honors merit money colleges.
If engineering, ASU.
If business, Univ of South Carolina
If pre-med, UCF.
If hotel management, UNLV.
If Foreign Diplomacy, Univ of Kentucky.
I had him apply to 2nd and 4th as safeties. All came to naught when he was offered a great gap year opportunity because public colleges don’t hold spots and merit scholarships for you.
IMO all NMFs who will not receive a lot of financial aid should apply to Honors.
Also, I thought it was ridiculous to offer free colleges based on one dinky PSAT test exam, but hey, not many kids become NMFs even if they try. For me, PSAT test result is way more important than SAT result due to Honors Colleges offering free education based on NMF status.
I agree for us PSAT for NMF is way more important than her 1590 SAT. NMF schools give the biggest money for NMF not SAT/ACT scores.
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Yes, you need to contact Luke van Blaricom
My daughter said you have to apply via UCF application not the Common App to get reimbursed. We decided to just use the Common App because they each had different optional essay prompts.
Okay, new user, glad I found this site and this thread.
DD20 is NMSF at the moment, we are fairly certain she will make NMF
GPA weighted 3.69, unweighted 3.875 (found out HS coursed she took in MS are on her transcript!) has taken 12 AP exams thus far, and has received 5s on all
35 ACT
1560 SAT
ECs are average
I am not going to survive this whole college selection thing:
Daughter has dream schools we cannot afford (UChicago, Brown, Dartmouth)
Husband thinks we should go in debt to have her go wherever she wants. Has even mentioned selling the house.
We make just enough that we won’t qualify for need based aid … and not enough to write a check … AND I am taking care of my elderly mother’s financial issues as well.
So her list is currently 14 schools long … she does have
UTDallas
Fordham
Temple
St John’s
U KY
Northeastern
American
Boston U
She desperately wants a northeast private liberal arts … at least in her dream world.
And for all these $80K universities she is thinking she wants to be a teacher or social worker
I seem to be the only pragmatic one in the household. I am also the primary earner … I think this is all ridiculous.
I keep being told that pushing her to the schools that are “free” is a form of stifling her dreams … both from her and from my husband.
Yeah, not going to survive this.
@CrackintoPieces Has your daughter looked at any of the Florida schools? I know it isn’t northeast but University of Florida is a great school that she could get a free ride with the Benaquisto scholarship. We are in the same boat as you and daughter has applied to a few schools where we would be full pay to the tune of 70,000 a year but thankfully daughter has decided that some of the national merit scholarship schools are very appealing. Good luck with this and hang in there!
She is 100% disinterested in the FL schools …
I too am glad that she is really looking at the schools that cater to NMFs … and somehow I will get my husband on board with this all.
I noticed I put a typo in my op, her weighted GPA is 4.69 not 3.69!
If she really wants to be a teacher have her check into Texas Tech. I am an administrator in a middle school near Dallas and we LOVE Tech grads. Tech has a very generous scholarship, full COA and computer, I think they also fund a semester abroad. Not sure but my daughter went through Tech Teach and it really prepared her well. Message me if you have any questions.
@CrackintoPieces , totally understand and I can tell you your fears and frustrations are not uncommon. Only you and your husband and daughter can decide what you can afford. The advice I can offer is look hard now at the financials of attending a school like Brown. Not the end result or the opportunity cost. Look at what you would pay each semester and where the money would come from. I agree it is crazy to sink into excessive debt or sell your house to finance undergrad when she wants to teach or go into social work; and where she is the type of motivated student who will do well anywhere. But many do make that type of choice. Explain the financial reality to her and what a rare gift to herself her hard work has purchased: the opportunity to go to any number of fine schools and not incur the type of crushing debt that would foreclose graduate school or limit her post-grad opportunities.
Oddly, she comprehends the financial reality more keenly than my husband.
And perhaps I am looking at this in a most clinical way … if you are interested in going into a high-powered career then having a high-powered name school may be important … but if you are looking at teaching or SW then that benefit is somewhat nullified, and the financial sacrifice would not be worth it.
Like most parents I want my daughter to thrive wherever she goes and to go somewhere she is both happy with and proud.
@PPuggle My friend lives in a flagship city and did all kinds of searching and juggling to find that ‘sleep away’ experience for her son. It finally came down to the flagship being the best choice, 20 minutes from home.
It was perfect. He lived in a dorm/near campus for his time there, and he came home on Sunday nights for dinner, to do laundry, and watch the Packers with his dad. He usually brought his cousin with him too. If his parents wanted to visit, they had to call him because it is not like you can find a kid on a campus with 40k other kids. No worries about getting home for holidays, booking flights, snowstorms in Chicago. His sister had gone to college about an hour away and that was easy too.
I think your kids will get the college experience. My nephew went about 45 minutes away and it was perfect. My kids were 2.5 hours (a hassle) and 2000 miles (a 4 hour flight) and it was no more of a college experience than my nephew’s.
@CrackintoPieces: Did you happen to look at this story? Was an eye-opener for me.
@tnknes that article sums up my way of thinking exactly … smart kid … probably close to graduating right about now or already has …