Alaska is facing an insane budget shortfall this year and next (low oil prices helps pretty much everyone except us and a couple other states), and even though the University of Alaska System was unlikely for at least my older two given their interests, given the budget cuts that happened last year, are on the table for this year, and are likely for next year, they’re simply not on their lists at all anymore.
The state has been desperately trying to keep smart kids in-state for college, since that means they’re more likely to stay around afterward, and brain drain has historically been a big problem for us up here. The smart kids, though, can see the potential for resource and support issues down the line, and so when serious budget cuts happen, well…