Why is UNL so unpopular with nm finalist?

They only have 28 scholars, but they have a decent us news ranking, a seemingly good honors program, and excellent benefits for IB students. Lincoln was ranked one of the happiest cities. Why doesn’t it attract more scholars? Am I missing something?

If you like it, go. I’m going to a college that likely has less than 10 NMF. A lot of it is marketing. OU, for instance, barrages students who have a chance of making NMF with emails, letters, and phone calls. I think UAlabama does the same thing. The place I’m going gives an excellent scholarship (full ride for the most part), but they don’t advertise it as much as some of those places do, at least not more than in a couple-states-around them radius.

@albert69

We won’t let the lack of popularity alone deter us. I get it that people might pick OU or AU over UNL because the scholarships are closer to full rides, but I don’t really understand why they would pick University of Arizona over UNL since both are both just tuition and UNL is higher ranking. It is just analysis. I like your suggestion that it is marketing. I hadn’t considered that.

Marketing is a big reason, but there are other reasons for more NM scholars at Arizona. They include weather, proximity to California, and the fact that, before this year, the NM scholarship at University of Arizona was significantly more than just tuition.

I am an alum of UNL and DS was very close to going there, but in the end, he chose Oklahoma because it is within a day’s drive of where we live now.

@STEMFamily

Since you are familiar with both OU and UNL, how do the two compare (in your opinion)?

It almost pains me to say this as a Nebraska native clothed in Cornhusker mania since birth, but I think the schools are very similar in general. They are close to the same size and rank (although I personally don’t put much stock in rankings), with a similar campus vibe.

I advise looking at the specific programs/majors that interest you. Look at the required classes and the electives available to you in junior and senior year. Look at the class sizes. In my son’s case, even these were all very similar, although OU may have had an advantage in the facilities for the EC’s he was interested in. Or maybe OU just happened to showcase that particular facility.

OU’s National Scholar’s office is something that UNL does not have. They had several social activities during the semester but DS wasn’t interested. He lives on the NM floor, but it doesn’t seem to have had any real advantages for him because the people he talks to are from his classes and EC, not from his dorm floor. However, these things might be important to you.

Thanks for the info.

OU offers benefits for 5 years and summers, which is a pretty good deal. And it is full tuition+, so ultimately many other expenses are covered. They have a great study abroad program too.

Location, Location, Location.