<p>USF gives very generous NMF scholarships if they are named as their first choice.</p>
<p>For in-state:
For National Merit Scholars ($40,000) -
Florida resident students designated as National Merit Scholars by the National Merit Corporation will receive $40,000 ($10,000 a year for four years) if USF is designated as their first-choice school, according to National Merit Corporation guidelines. This award includes any stipend or awards made directly to the students by the National Merit Corporation and/or USF. Recipients may receive this award in addition to Florida Bright Futures.</p>
<p>USF Tradition of Excellence Scholarships for National Merit Scholars will also receive the following:</p>
<pre><code>* A laptop computer to use during their tenure at USF. Students who maintain the terms and conditions of their scholarship will be allowed to keep their laptop upon graduation.
* First priority when choosing on-campus housing. Students may choose from a variety of residence halls including: traditional-style, suite-style or an on-campus apartment. Students accepting the invitation to join the Honors College may also choose to live in the Honors Residence Hall.
* A Passport Scholarship in their junior or senior year to support a study abroad trip. This award may be used in conjunction with the funds received by financial aid, academic scholarships or through the Research Scholars program within the Honors College.
* Priority registration. Students in the Honors College receive priority for course registration.
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<p>For OOS NMF:
For National Merit Scholars (100% tuition and on campus room and board, current value=$96,644.80) -
Non-Florida resident students designated as National Merit Scholars by the National Merit Corporation, will receive 100% of tuition and on campus room and board if USF is designated as their first-choice school, according to National Merit Corporation guidelines. This award includes any stipend or awards made directly to the students by the National Merit Corporation and/or USF.</p>
<p>USF National Tradition of Excellence Scholarships for National Merit Scholars will also receive the following:</p>
<pre><code>* A laptop computer to use during their tenure at USF. Students who maintain the terms and conditions of their scholarship will be allowed to keep their laptop upon graduation.
* First priority when choosing on-campus housing. Students may choose from a variety of residence halls including: traditional-style, suite-style or an on-campus apartment. Students accepting the invitation to join the Honors College may also choose to live in the Honors Residence Hall.
* A Passport Scholarship in their junior or senior year to support a study abroad trip. This award may be used in conjunction with the funds received by financial aid, academic scholarships or through the Research Scholars program within the Honors College.
* Priority registration. Students in the Honors College receive priority for course registration.
</code></pre>
<p>FSU used to "buy" national merit students and decided that it was not worth it. For years before UF started this FSU had the most NM kids in FL. The Provost of FSU wrote a piece on this explaining why FSU no longer does this some time ago.</p>
<p>Now it appears USF and UCF are trying to lure NM kids.</p>
<p>NMF Semifinalists get:
Guaranteed admission to Burnett Honors with application.
Guaranteed admission to LEAD scholars with application.
Priority registration.
Special Orientation Program.
Guaranteed on-campus housing with application.
SEMIFINALIST : In-state $18,000 scholarship, OOS $36,000 scholarship
FINALISTS who designated UCF as 1st choice by April deadline get
In-state $44,000, OOS $94,000
Each college also gives extra benefits like laptops, paid internships, faculty mentoring and research projects</p>
<p>Here is what the Provost of FSU wrote about national merit scholars some time ago:</p>
<p>***"Merit scholar students are highly recruited by many universities and receive many offers of scholarships. Our admissions/enrollment group has debated the value of recruiting these students. The question is: do we commit scholarship funds to Merit scholars on a non-need basis or do we recruit some very good students who have need? (Only a very small percentage of Merit scholars have need.) On average, it is about the same cost to recruit two very good students for each Merit scholar. You should also know that not all Merit scholars are "equal" since the criteria are state specific.</p>
<p>In the late 1990s we recruited Merit scholars and we ranked first in the state and very high nationally. Did this make us a better university? Not really, as the difference between a very good student and a Merit scholar is not that great. After considerable discussion we decided to focus on recruiting a very good class with both strong high school performance and standardized test scores and to commit funds on more of a need basis.</p>
<p>Our goal is to provide our students with a rich educational experience that includes academics as well as extracurricular activities such as service learning, leadership skills and many cultural experiences. The evidence is that we are successful and always working to improve. To cite just two examples, this past year we established a leadership center for our students and an office of National Fellowships and Awards to assist our students in their applications for such national awards as Fulbrights and Goldwater scholarships.</p>
<p>A university is far more than a single statistic and I am proud of the commitment of everyone here to creating an environment of success for our students."***</p>
<p>Tomatoking at the end of the day it's really as simple as who cares. In todays world people are motivated to say many things, and what is really driving them (ego, jealousy, greed, power ect) can give you comments and opinions all over the map. I think the excellent info you get here from posters like ParentNoles is pretty good factual stuff that you can trust and sink your teeth into. Whats important in my assessment is what's important to you, the facts that you gather, and the calculus you use to make your decisions. I've seen this back and forth argument between UF and FSU, I've also taken some shots on D going to UCF and it's Academic position compared to the big 2 or three Florida schools. You get get a great education at either school and a student I think is well served by attending either.</p>
<p>Echoing Ray, what you get out of a university depends on what you put into it. You could attend a Tier 4 university and work hard and achieve a better education than if you attended Harvard and goofed off. It's all about having opportunity and then acting on the opportunities...the work world is much the same. Passion counts.</p>
<p>I have to say - this is an anonymous message board and you should verify EVERYTHING. Many of us are who we say we are, but some are not. </p>
<p>Keep your hand on your wallet, so to speak. ;)</p>
<p>Hey SSobick, what I meant is that FSU is catching up to UF faster than UF is steering away from FSU. For years there was a considerable gap in average SAT/GPA/etc. between the two schools but in the past two years, FSU's freshman profiles have become more and more competitive while UF's has generally remained around the same or marginally better each year. In no way am I denigrating your college, just making an observation.</p>
<p>Florida State is better... atleast you don't have to worry about getting lost in a jungle like campus where nobody has common sense and just live for football.</p>