Hopefully, this thread gave good info to current and future NMF!
Good luck in your college visits :-*
If your child’s only dream is to go to a certain college, then your child is dreaming too small. College is a means to an end, not an end in itself. That’s an important message for us as parents to pass on to our children. It’s especially important if a child does not end up attending their top choice school, either because they were rejected or because the school is too expensive.
@SlithyTove Thank goodness that my son does not have a dream to ONLY go to a certain college.
In fact, what happened is he kept performing top in his class in STEM, and he showed interest in CS.
So, when app time came around, we applied to state schools, NMF colleges, and several that happen
to be very HIGH up in STEM. So, we may have more to choose from! We will be in unique spot, IF he
gets into CM or similar. In other words, we did not want to limit his opportunities.
So, right now our dream is not focused on 1 school, in particular.
Last year there was a student who got into all 8 Ivy League schools, but made the news because he picked Alabama. His parents were professionals (a doctor and a ?) and there was no way he was getting any need based aid. What could the reason be for applying to all 8 Ivies when he ended up at the merit aid school? How could the perfect DREAM school be Dartmouth, no wait Princeton, no wait Columbia? Those schools are all so different. He wanted to claim he got into all 8 Ivies.
Will your son really pick UT-Dallas over 10 of the schools on your application list? Then why apply? Most applying to 20+ schools admit it is because they need the merit aid, and most also admit that it isn’t worth the effort in the end. You do not, so why do it?
^^^ Good news: we made sure to apply to a variety of colleges, not just 1 specific type of school ! :-*
@twoinanddone I would think UTD would be great choice for STEM! If me, I might pick UTD, but my son is not me.
Please clarify your question about U of TX Dallas…
@twoinanddone This is our 1st time doing all of this…We learned that we are NMF in Feb. So, back in Dec.1
priority, it would be impossible to know that we would become NMF. We could have not applied
to OH State and others back on Dec 1, but then if we were not nominated, then what? we would have missed
out on many choices.
@twoinanddone we applied to many schools, because we have never done this… we are
busy with 4 AP, sports/music events, so we did not get the chance to visit some choices.
many in our state require Dec. 1 deadline. some are Jan. 1 deadline. It would be impossible to get in,
if I waited til Feb. to see if we might be NMF… so we applied thinking we would NOT become the NMF
@twoinanddone we think it’s well worth the effort
I might tweak a few things the 2nd time, around.
I know UTD offers the McDermott scholarship which is over and above their NM scholarship. Do other NM schools offer scholarships over and above their National Merit scholarships (UK, UCF…)? What reasons would NM kids have to not apply to these competitive scholarships? Are they just too busy, don’t they think they are worth the effort?
@GTAustin has mentioned that her D regrets not trying for the McDermott but is happy with the comp sci honors program.
What are others thoughts about NM kids applying or not for selective scholarships and big NM schools?
I’m writing a story:
The boy wanted to a be a Scientist.
The teacher says then you need 2 SAT subject (Math and Physics) Boy says I’m too lazy to do that.
Well, says the teacher, then you can’t get in. (Certain schools require this)
Boy says I will only apply to 1 or 2 specific colleges.
Good Luck, says the Teacher, with a smile! You may miss out on that dream!
Oh, says they boy… Should I stretch my wings? How will I know if get into Cornell?
You won’t, says the Teacher. You need to apply, and you need 2 letters of recommendation…
Oh, so now that I have those 2 Letters handy, maybe I should expand and apply to more choices!
Yes, says the teacher! Don’t limit yourself…you don’t want regrets…
And make sure you don’t miss that deadline, she says!
Boy feels proud that he tried… he tried… and chased the dream!
Oh, wait, he got into Cornell! Oh, my, it was LESS than his state school!
And he’s 1st kid in his family to go there! Thanks, dear Teacher, for encouraging me all along.
Now, his sibling gets Full Ride to state school! Oh, I love that state school !
Well, then go… says Teacher, but dear student, the school is proud of you for chasing possible dreams all along
in what YOU wanted to do!
:))
@GTAustin You’ve been very helpful to those who search for a college.
Please see my post 150 about a boy & his dream! 
@2sunny Unless your son had Cs or below on his transcript, you did not need to wait until Feb to find out if he made NMF. Most students do advance, so if scholarships are important, waiting until after you are confirmed finalist is not necessary. You should have known in Sept about NMSF. Applying early to a few NMF guaranteed scholarships means they are done when they are most likely NMF.
@3scoutsmom This is how we approach college applications for our kids seeking merit:
1-We research options starting junior yr of high school. First we look at majors they are interested in and then how they fit our budget.
2- We are very pragmatic. We know our EFC based on NPCs and know that need-based aid schools are unrealistic b/c they cannot meet our real need, so we start researching merit scholarships. They are dependent on scholarship $$, so this is a key part of how their application list is generated. Schools that allow stacking of scholarships or offer large $$ NMF scholarships are heavily researched.
3-We research common data sets to understand how our kids fit into the various schools’ profiles. For schools that offer competitive merit, we want to make sure that they are in the upper quartile of applicants. We spend time researching the various merit scholarships available and how our student will in general compare to previous scholarship winners’ profiles.
4-My kids email depts at the schools they are interested in and ask questions that they cannot find answers to on the website. If possible, they appts to meet with depts and to sit in on classes. This is key to helping them decide how they will fit into various depts and on different types of campuses.
5-They make sure they are aware of deadlines. Many merit deadlines are early. Some very early. (GA Tech’s deadline for their big $$ is Oct 15. Nov 1 and Nov 15 are 2 common deadlines for merit or honors college applications.
6-They put a huge amt of time into their applications for competitive merit. (Seriously, earlier this yr my dd told me she incorporated internal rhyme into her essay. What can I say? She is a word lover.)
7-They apply to schools with automatic merit awards that they know they can afford and then they apply to schools with competitive merit that they are realistically competitive for.
My dd’s current top 2 choices are UOk due to it NMF scholarship and the perks they offer NMFstudents and another school which offers in-state tuition plus a small scholarship for NMF and will allow their competitive merit to stack on top. The latter school also offers special mentoring, access to special events, etc which are pretty phenomenal.
My ds at Bama is also in a specialized honors program: CBH which is their honors research program. These types of specialized honors programs offer top students unique opportunities. They also have early deadlines.
(Our kids that are not competitive for top merit have to live at home and commute. Such is life.)
@Mom2aphysicsgeek That seems like a reasonable plan, we are even a bit more proactive than that. We start making a list of possible schools 2nd semester sophomore year and strat thoroughly researching them, keeping in mind NMF Scholarships but also other merit scholarships in case NM doesn’t work out. We do visits to the schools that are on the top of the list before senior year. No sense applying to a school they crossed of the list after they visit.
We also look at the ‘perks’. DD is at OU and they offer an incredible support and extra perks for their NM students.
DS toured OU and UTD in 10th grade and has met with the UTD rep for our area twice this year.
I just don’t get why some of the kids that apply to utra reach schools don’t bother to apply to competitive scholarships at their safeties? Do they miss the deadlines or just don’t care because their parents have told them they’d pay their “dream” schools anyway? Are they so burnt out with the applications process, especially if they are applying to an excessive amount of schools, that they just can manager another application? Do they really not want to go to the safety with extra competitive merit? Do just not realize the extra perks like the McDermott offers until it’s too late?
I’m really mystified that some people don’t even start looking into merit schools until their kid’s senior year but maybe I’ve hanging out on CC for too long 
To NMF: Good luck as you visit your choices! Hope you got valuable info on where to go, and
best way to navigate.
:-*
@twoinanddone I read the true story about guy who went to AL (upon getting into top choices and ivies).
That makes sense, for his situation, since he wants to go medical school. Plus, he got Fellows experience at AL, and has NM scholarship.
also read separate article about another guy who got into all Ivy, and picked Yale. He picked Yale
because of strength in “biomedical engineering program.”
have a great day!
@mom2collegekids Appreciate all the tips you’ve given to us, as we find the right choice!
It makes it fun and exciting! Finding the right college should be a journey filled with delight and wonder,
as the kid visits a new city, or explores a new college town. :-*
Exactly. They are need blind admissions and they have enough amazing applicants that they don’t negotiate to get students unless there is something beyond exceptional about the teen.They give great need based aid, not merit. Being a NMF means nothing to a school where almost has perfect SATs and amazing ECs.
We also have not done the apply to 20 plus schools.
With one exception we visited before applying and it made a huge difference. Narrowed down to 6 schools that were applied to. Son and daughter both did the same thing. Alabama and Oklahoma have amazing aid for NMF but kid not interested. Schools we thought we would love -we HATED. One school that I was dreading turned out to be amazing.
Even with narrowing our list down to a handful we have been afforded amazing opportunities thus far and are waiting on one more.
Happy decision making, all.
They have a great offer for daughter for NMF but she’s not interested into the second-largest University in the US. Also, housing not guaranteed in the honors dorm .
I liked that it is close to Disney
@muzzahlady what I like about your feedback is you describe the twists & turns, and how
you thought you would luv, but then not so much.
<:-P