<p>My S received a postcard from Oklahoma yesterday detailing their NMF scholarship.</p>
<p>It says they have 311 NMF freshmen this year, from 39 states. If true, that is a huge increase. The NMSC annual report lists them at 173 NMF for 2013. Way to go there Sooners!</p>
<p>That is a huge increase!</p>
<p>Of all the NM Schools, Oklahoma has shown the most interest in my son…by far! </p>
<p>The personal phone calls really caught his attention.</p>
<p>My daughter received daily letters, emails or phone calls from OU. Even a dinner invitation at a fancy country club. They’ve done everything to be her number one choice except having the major she wants 
So, they are a distant 3rd.</p>
<p>On another note, it saddens me that a lot of the prestigious schools (U Chicago, Stanford, Yale, etc.) that are sending her beautiful brochures are off of the potential list because of cost. Those schools definitely know how to get my attention with their literature.</p>
<p>@frugaldoctor care to share her number 1?</p>
<p>You are correct, the U Chicago mailings are pretty awesome!</p>
<p>Ole Miss because of their Chinese Flagship program, the director of the program, and scholarships. The sad thing is that she learned about the Flagship programs after watching a YouTube video about OU’s Arabic Flagship program. I have a friend in that program who is now fluent in Arabic. </p>
<p>S received a scholarship offer from Oklahoma State. The letter strongly recommended that he accept the scholarship in the next 30 days. What? He won’t decide where he is attending until long after that. Seems very strange that they want scholarship acceptance this early. It didn’t say anything about negating the scholarship offer if he doesn’t accept in that time frame but I for one didn’t appreciate the implication. This was an offer for OOS tuition waiver, not the NMF package.</p>
<p>Sorry, last post was meant for a different thread and now I can’t edit.</p>
<p>I hate the fact that you can’t erase a post. You are stuck with your mistake 
But as for your post, that does seem strange about OSU’s scholarship offer. Very few students have concluded their college visits at this point.</p>
<p>Just learned today that about the resignation of the very unpopular marching band director who started in Aug. 2013. Now DS will definitely be applying! :))</p>
<p>So I took a look at the scholarship on line (since we just discarded their mailing earlier this week) and it is a significantly better offer than the class of 2013. </p>
<p>My son is in his second year at OU. They had a big increase in NMF because they increased the scholarship fairly significantly. The package for NMF at OU this year is quite a bit better than the one my son received…and we thought his was outstanding. </p>
<p>FTR, he is very happy there. I asked him over the weekend if he regrets not going to a more “prestigious” school and he said absolutely not. He feels like OU offers many great opportunities. </p>
<p>That is so great to hear @soonermom95 . What is your son taking?</p>
<p>@joe2015…He is getting degrees in Psychology and Computer Science. He is in his second year and has had some great research opportunities this year. He is in second round interviews for summer internships for next summer, which I think speaks highly of the programs at OU, as summer internships are really competitive, and it’s difficult to get one after sophomore year. </p>
<p>The Honors College is fantastic. President Boren places a high priority on making it one of the best in the country and pours all kinds of money into it. </p>
<p>Has your son visited yet? The visit is impressive and they pull out all the stops. You should know that even once a student accepts their offer, they continue to support them and do everything they can to ensure a great, successful college experience. They have events for NMS, special speakers, etc. They’re treated very well. </p>
<p>Good luck to your son. </p>
<p>Thank you for the details @soonermom95 I think we will definitely visit. He was looking into Kentucky, but just couldn’t find anything close to his major. He is interested in cognitive science. I will have to take a look at OK majors, he says he has looked and thought there may be a match.</p>
<p>@Soonermom95 Thanks for the comments on the continuing support and programming throughout the college years. My daughter and I visited a couple years ago and the visit went very well but she ultimately decided to go somewhere else. We do know a couple of NMF that are attending though and we hear good things about the National Scholars staff and the faculty in general. DH and I think OU could be a great fit for our son but I don’t think we will be able to visit until February.</p>
<p>^STEMFamily–last year I was offered the same OOS scholarship at OSU and a counselor said to accept it—though I did not decide to go there in the end. I think it is an indication of your/their interests.</p>
<p>@STEMFamily - OSU actually offers a bit more (I believe) than OU, but the campus and the opportunities are not quite as good. </p>
<p>The experience S1 has had at OU has been outstanding. The programs give these kids a chance to work with other kids with similar interests and feel like they are part of a smaller college within a big university. Really the best of both worlds.</p>
<p>@Torveaux The 2 scholarships are very close and either one might be more than the other depending on what pieces you take advantage of (ie fifth year, study abroad/research, on campus housing for a year etc). </p>
<p>Glad you hear your S is having a good experience. I know the National Programs Office at OU is great but it is nice to know that the good experience extends beyond recruiting.</p>
<p>Yep, @Torveaux …OSU’s package is better in terms of money. For my son, it would have been a true full ride (not including books). However, like you, we felt like the opportunities at OSU weren’t at the same level as those at OU. I’m glad your son is liking OU, too. :-)</p>
<p>@Soonermom95 - My tw2 has applied to OU as NMSF so I’m so happy to hear your positive impressions of the Honors Program. How is the housing situation? We’re really looking for on-campus for the full 4yrs. The NMF merit package only mentions a housing allowance for the 1st year. Is there Honors housing for upperclassmen? Thanks.</p>
<p>@twinsmom15 …My son lived in Boren Hall (honors dorm) his first year. He liked it a lot. He really enjoyed the sense of community they have. The downside for some is the community bathroom but he didn’t mind that at all. (The towers are suites with two rooms sharing one bath.) Most kids move out of the dorm after the first year, but there are a good number of students who live in the honors housing who choose to stay there all four years. I believe the upper floor of Boren Hall is for upper classmen. My son chose to move to campus apartments after his first year. They are part of OU housing. He really likes living there. </p>