<p>Should I keep my reach schools as "top choice," and if things turn out not as great (which I hope won't happen >_<...), then change my "first choice" to my state university? My state university is the University of Minnesota. If I decide to go there, I'd be well into my "3rd year" into college etc.</p>
<p>Your first choice, IMO, should be the school that offers the most financial aid for being a Finalist/Semifinalist. You can change the “first choice” school up until around April, so take a look at schools that offer huge awards for Finalists/Semifinalists and see if any appeal to you. Once you decide on a school, there’s no point in having another as “first choice” unless you think you can use the increased Financial Aid award as leverage against the school you want to attend.</p>
<p>Kentucky, for example, offers a “full scholarship” to NMFinalists. My son’s top public school, Michigan State, offers generous financial aid - but not on par with Kentucky’s. If he has to decide between the two, we will ask MSU to get as close to what UK offers as they can and decide from there. Having a concrete offer from UK might give us a little more leverage with MSU. </p>
<p>@greeninohio So it doesn’t give you an edge at competitive schools? (I’m thinking it might be a good idea to do my state school also because I heard they like national merit finalists in their honors program)</p>
<p>My oldest son is a senior, so my experience is limited to what we’ve found in our college search for him and what my experience was as a NMSF almost 30 years ago. I have not found many “competitive” schools that offer much in the way of aid through NMSC, if by competitive you mean public schools like Michigan, Virginia, Ohio State, or privates like Vanderbilt, Cornell, etc. That is what we have found - and is, of course, relative to our situation. $2500 here or there when the COA is $60,000 is not enough to move the needle for us. Most of the private schools with huge endowments base their FA packages on financial need. Most of the schools that offer full COA scholarships/full tuition/etc. are closer to top 100-200 schools, a cut below the top schools in the country. </p>
<p>I also strongly suspect that NMF status might be helpful, but not decisive, in getting into “reach” schools. The threshold for NMF status varies from state to state, and the verifying SAT score is not one that would put applicants into the top quartile at what I assume your “reach” schools must be.</p>
<p>@greeninohio Sorry for being vague. I’m planning to have my “reach” schools MIT, CalTech, Harvard, etc. Again, they’re reach schools. My biggest question is whether or not I should list–say, MIT–as my top choice school for admission purposes. If schools of that “caliber” don’t really care what I list as my top choice school as a NMF, I’ll probably list my state university, since I’ve heard it gives an edge in getting admitted to their honors program. Thanks!</p>
<p>P.S.
My financial situation should qualify me for much financial aid for private schools of that “caliber.” The only problem I’d have would be getting admitted to said schools. </p>
<p>It sounds like you and my son are in similar circumstances. In our case, the admissions decisions will probably be out before he has to declare his “first choice.” I believe the first choice school can be changed up until about mid-April. I suppose you could make Harvard your first choice if you think it will help and then change it to your safety school if you don’t get in. I doubt that NMF status will mean much to MIT or Harvard, though, and it might mean more merit aid from your safety school. I don’t know what their deadlines are, so maybe it doesn’t matter.</p>
<p>Michigan State dispenses merit aid on a first come basis, so I think we will make them his first choice for now. The lower tier schools like Kentucky and Cincinnati guarantee their scholarships for NMFs, so we don’t have a deadline to declare for them.</p>
<p>OP, it will not matter to reachy schools for admission purposes that you have designated them your first choice school. I don’t even know that they would know this. Just be sure that when you choose where you are going that you meet the school’s deadline for designating that school as your first choice.</p>
<p>@greeninohio, I know that Kentucky DOES have a deadline to declare UK as your first choice for NM. That’s one of the conditions of the scholarship award. Not sure what the date is, though.</p>