Hi there, my DD just saw she was accepted for 2023 on their portal. She is interested in animal science and a future at vet school. 4.0, attends a magnet HS, higher SAT stats, was the nominee by her school for 2 prestigious/science programs and got in the top NJ 5 week summer scholarship program (nomination only, our state only, 38 only chosen from our state to attend for free, summer research- she loved it). Not sharing to brag, sharing to preface and get help determining merit, honors college fit/rigor and will she find her ppl type of fit? She is happiest at a coffee shop or vintage record store with friends, on a hike, with animals, and outdoors, or reading a great book with tea. would play rec soccer in college.
Please share your parent and student thoughts on fit and merit, honors, etc. thank you!
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My S21 received an extremely generous merit offer from University of Maine. Did have a few Bs so not 4.0 but rigorous course load and strong SAT. He was engineering applicant and I think one of the scholarship was for that department, so don’t know if that effects anything. But was offered $30K in merit bringing total COA to about $12,000. I’m sure daughter would be accepted to Honors. She should definitely visit. My son found it a bit remote for his liking. It does seem to have a strong outdoorsy vibe. Good luck to her.
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Nm read too fast and misunderstood your question.
My daughter is a freshman Nursing student at UMaine. Loves it!
Received generous merit award, making annual COA about the same as SUNY in-state.
She declined the Honors College offer based on the anticipated rigor of her program, and the not-so-subtle suggestion by one of the dept directors (to the whole incoming class).
She basically said most Nursing students find it very difficult to manage the demands of the Nursing program with the time commitments required of the Honors College.
That said, the Honors College seems AMAZING.
My daughter’s roommate is in the HC, business major- and really likes it.
The campus is pretty- very traditional NE styling, lots of brick, lots of trails. Orono itself is a small place. BUT Bangor is just down the road- literally like 10 minutes away. So it’s very convenient and makes Orono’s location a sweet spot just a short distance away from a small city. My daughter plays rec lax and vol ambulance corps. All very welcoming.
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I look forward to hearing updates throughout your D’s first year. One of my main reservations about Maine is how my active D23 will fare during the winter months.
Another reservation is the cost of the U Maine student health insurance which we would need because our medical insurance can’t be used in Maine.
D23 is fixated on Maine so I would love to hear any and all information. 
For anyone who likes the outdoors, Maine is a great option. As for winter, there are a lot of ways to enjoy it. Ski passes are cheap for students. There are places to xc ski, snow shoe, ice climb, etc. My kid went to another Maine school and loved these options as much as the warmer weather ones. I think the hardest part of winter were the short days.
UMO is a terrific choice for a student looking for a more intimate public flagship experience. Most students I know who considered it and rejected it did so because it felt too small. Glad to see it getting some love here on CC!
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I’ll certainly keep you posted about her first Maine winter.
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I’m also interested in hearing about UMaine for NMSF interested in genetics. We have not had a chance to visit and cannot seem to find any online info sessions. Am I missing something in that regard? My husband is concerned about Maine winters and the weather, mainly related to flight cancellations. I feel like he is overreacting. Any opinions?
My kid is a NMSF as well, and just received an acceptance today. Anxiously awaiting word on a merit package now.
We also have not had a chance to visit but hopefully will do so soon. We have only researched online and spoken to a local family who has a freshman there. It sounds like it would be a lovely match for my son, fingers crossed. We are from Minnesota, so the weather won’t be too different…I wouldn’t worry too much about flight cancellations, they are just a fact of life in northern states.
They made a mistake on my daughter’s acceptance and are telling us we have to pay $26k+ per year. She is NMSF and will be NMF. Unfortunately we are forced to keep looking.
Oh no! Have you contacted them to make sure they saw her NMSF status? My son included it on his application, not sure where though.
My kid just received word on the merit aid and it appears to be tuition and fees plus room and board.
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I called. They said it must have been missed and they would review it and call me back. They didn’t call back. It was listed on the application. A couple days later they mailed the financial breakdown saying we needed to pay $100k+ in total for all four years.
I guess their website is misleading and they don’t give the full ride to all NMSFs. We were planning to visit but cannot afford to visit based on this outcome.
Their website says it $17,302-100% for NMSF out of state students. It looks like they consider other factors as well. Could it also be impacted by major ?
But it also says NMSF are eligible for the top award and when I called the confirmed it…that it should be the full ride. Either way, it was a huge disappointment but we’ll keep moving. Congratulations to your son though. That’s amazing.
I guess this doesn’t mean they get the top award just because they are eligible for it.
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I’m sorry it didn’t work out for you – and thanks for sharing your experience here. Always helpful to others who are trying to figure out if eligible means guaranteed.
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It’s okay. Thanks for the kind words. 
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Has anyone heard about honors yet? I got an email about an honors info session, but I’m not sure if this means anything.
Nothing about honors in S23’s acceptance. Anyone else?
