Anyone staying in the dorms next week?
@g8torlaw My son will be staying in the dorms for orientation. Unfortunately we booked a later flight from Illinois for next Wed before realizing the dorms have check in on Wed the night before orientation. Consequently he won’t be checking in for the dorms until about 9:00 pm Wed. Should be a fun time for the kids in the dorm to socialze those 2 nights.
@dbhawk We are driving down after work on Wednesday and probably won’t be there until later also (we are about 2 hours away). I suspect our kids won’t be the only ones! It’s a great opportunity for them to start meeting people and scout out potential roommates.
Graduation - Check
Flights scheduled - Check
Less than 2 weeks to go. Will not be accompanying DD, wife and D#1 will fly with her. Lucky ducks. Hope you all have a great orientation !
Aaaaaaaand that’s a wrap ! honors orientation all done for DD. She got all of the classes with the exception of a Nursing profession survey course which conflicted with some other classes. She had a great weekend and made some new friends . Can’t wait til the fall !
My daughter informed me the laptop offer for NMS students just came out. Any of you tech experts who might be able to give a guide as to which is the best option?
Can anyone share what the laptop offered to National Merit students was? Good luck to all that are starting school soon and please report back with your first impressions once settled!
@FrozenMaineMom They offered a MAcBookl Pro 13" with i5 processor, MacBook Air 13 , Dell G3 Gaming 15" with i7 processor and a Dell XPS 13" with i5 processor. My daughter took the MacBook Pro. She’s at band camp this week and a little homesick since no one is in her suite till Friday but very excited about the upcoming year.
We are at a hotel near UCF this morning, ready to shop for all dorm needs. Move-in and computer pick-up happen tomorrow. Exciting!
BTW, we are also from California, as is another of D’s roommates, so that is at least 5 by my count. D and her roommate are both San Diego county.
@Phlipper do they get to keep the laptop all 4 years (summers too) or do they hand it back at the end of the year?
@GertrudeMcFuzz we just returned yesterday from our UCF trip. We are from Riverside County and we know another female from our same area.
@FrozenMaineMom yes, they keep it all four years. They take it with them at graduation.
@GertrudeMcFuzz My DD’s roommate is from cali.
@Philipper and anyone else - so far so good and happy with the first week at UCF?? towers?
So far, so good here. D had a little trouble with the shuttle bus but I think she’s got it now. The thing she is going to have to get used to is that when they say rain in Florida, they mean RAIN, not the sprinkles we get here in San Diego. She’s been soaked through a couple times now.
@FrozenMaineMom Yes so far so good. She LOVES UCF. She is in marching band so she went out a week early which led to one very sad and lonely night but she quickly got over that and is having a great year. She is actually roommates with @sewin2music I think and says that she loves every minute of it. Other than wanting us to buy her a car she is very happy !
Oh my goodness that is so funny that she is roommates with her!! We have asked her so so many questions over the past 6 months and have learned so much from her! I have felt like a stalker asking her so many questions that I am trying to hold back some now. My daughter went and toured USF and UCF last Thursday and Friday and absolutely loved UCF so I am really thinking that is where she will end up. She met with Luke for a bit, toured, met with Honors College for a long time and was so impressed. She really thought that the Towers looked awesome (does your daughter like the setup? does she get along with the other roommates? did your daughter get a meal plan or does she cook?) You probably think I am crazy obsessing over this stuff so much so early since my daughter just started Senior year but I cannot help myself! Is there anything that You or your daughter does NOT like or anything that was not as you expected?? Sorry, I will try not to flood you with questions now too 
@FrozenMaineMom She loves the Towers. She did not get a meal plan and the roommates share cooking duties. It save a ton. I absolutely applaud you for obsessing early, her roommates seem like a match made in heaven. They all get along well and are fairly active in various organizations. So far so good and haven’t heard any complaints other than Mom and Dad don’t want to buy her car till Sophomore year but other than that she is dazzled.
Can anyone fill me in on how the financing works for the NMFs at UCF? Do you have to pay things in advance and then get reimbursed or how does that work? Do they give you a set amount for books, etc? If not getting a meal plan, how much do they give them for food and how often do they give the money? Just wondering how all that works now that the application has finally been sent @Phlipper ?