If there are any National Scholars out there, current or former, I would really appreciate your input on what you love about the National Scholars Program. I was lucky enough to be invited to the NSP Weekend, but that unfortunately falls on the same date as the finalist’s weekend for UT-Dallas’s Mcdermott Scholarship. (They’re both full-ride programs that emphasize a community of scholars.) This is a really tough decision for me. I am leaning toward NSP right now, but I was hoping that National Scholars would elaborate as to why they love the program. (I am in touch with a current student, but she hasn’t replied to me yet, and I need to choose by the 29th…)
Specifically, can somebody please talk about what organized experiences you have had after the freshman year study abroad. Have you done a group Maymester, received EETGs, etc? I was a bit confused as to what the website means when it talks about how any extra experiences outside of the financial award/study abroad are “evolve[d] based on student feedback.” I like the idea of a strong “program” experience for the whole 4 years as opposed to some help freshman year and then you’re on your own.
To clarify the title, I know that interviewing for the NSP is an amazing opportunity. I just want to understand the nuances of the program before I make my final decision.
Not a National Scholar but the mom of a Clemson grad whose roommate was in NSP. What I observed was that NSP offered a number of travel experiences - Maymester trips after the sophomore and junior year that were linked to classes he took during the spring semester. The NSP kids seemed like a close community but not exclusively so. My son, in honors but not NSP, had friends in NSP and all had non-honors friends. Everyone followed their own interests. My son thought NSP looked like a great experience but felt he had an equally great experience in honors. I hope this helps you.
Clemson’s NSP is an awesome opportunity. My D attended the scholarship weekend in 2014, and was wowed, but was not offered the scholarship in the end. Even more disappointing for her was that Clemson only offered her an additional $1500 in addition to the the $15k already offered with admission. Being OOS, Clemson ended up being too expensive for our family, especially since my D had several other full tuition scholarship awards from other colleges. In 2014, approx. 40 finalists competed for approx 10 NSP spots, so you may end up missing out on a better financial offer, if you do not get offered the full ride from Clemson.
Perhaps they have given larger awards in recent years to finalists not offered NSP, but I recommend trying to get more info before you decide whether to attend.
I don’t know the details for the UT competition and whether the finalists not getting the full ride at UT offer will still end up with a decent merit scholarship. I think it is important to assess your odds and try to find out what the default merit offers will be.
My students have not competed for these programs but, as someone very familiar with both schools, there are huge differences between Clemson and UTD. Just to clarify for other readers, UT is NOT the same school as UTD. UTD is an evolving commuter school that is currently building additional student housing to move away from the commuter feel. If you are looking for a STEM degree and want to work in the Dallas Metroplex, UTD can take you there. Several Dallas companies partner with UTD and recruit from there. You may also have an easier time getting the McDermott award than Clemson’s NSP, IMO. If getting scholarship money is your primary decision factor, consider choosing UTD.
That said, Clemson has companies that recruit there from across the nation. My son has interviewed with companies on Clemson campus from NJ, OR, TX and GA. -just off the top of my head. However, with a 33 ACT and top 10% high school rank, he did not get an honors invitation and only received 10K a year. Our 2021 son, did not even get invited to compete for NSP with a 35 ACT, top 2% and national/international awards, along with extensive leadership and focused community service. My point is that Clemson is likely to be more competitive for their top scholarship.
Clemson is the stronger school, but you can still make a name for yourself at UTD. If you have to get the scholarship, UTD is the smarter choice.
Thanks to everyone who responded! I ended up choosing the NSP weekend; I thought I would and went with my gut. Part of my decision was that UTD had a NM scholarship that already approximates cost of attendance; McDermott would have been icing on the cake (for the program, not money).
I do have several pending merit offers, so I thought I’d try for NSP, although it’s clearly very competitive. If anyone reading this finds themself in a similar situation, I want to say that both schools and programs are exceptional. I love the student culture at UTD-- they are funny tech types and its great (Enarc has returned). I see UTD grads doing amazing things, and the school is definitely working to move away from its commuter reputation. Seriously it’s a wonderful school. After that plug, I will say that I liked how NSP is smaller than McDermott, and other small things just added up. (A lot of it is just school culture, I guess.) I realized that if I were lucky enough to have the choice, I’d prefer the more typical college experience. So I decided to try for that. Any decision (at any time) comes down to a balance between pragmatism and emotional connection.