Which school and major?
What was few important deciding factors?
One take away?
Was NMF a big, some, no benefit?
Background, my DD is a junior and good chance she will be NMSQ in October and if God willing, class of 2019 NMF for next March. I know it’s year and half away and that’s why I want to hear from parents and/or students already experienced and their takeaways.
Thanks,
Congrats to your DD, @texaggie!
My D was accepted to Engineering at A&M, and we were very impressed with the campus and the friendliness of everyone we met when we visited there. I love the Howdy spirit. Here’s our info:
Which school and major? USC, Viterbi School of Engineering, BME
What was few important deciding factors? Academic excellence, proximity to home, class/major flexibility, big college atmosphere, residential honors college
One take away? Try to chill out until September, this is a loooong process!
Was NMF a big, some, no benefit? It was a big financial benefit, though even at 1/2 tuition USC is still expensive. There are certainly lots of full tuition and full COA opportunities for NMF kids, and I have some small regrets we didn’t chase that a little harder.
Good luck to all the 2019 NMF kids!
@kcheves , Congrats to your D, We visited SC and other CA colleges during the spring break. We loved everything except too far from Texas. BME is preferred major for our D too and yes, proximity to home is a big factor to us. Chill out? maybe, TAMU and Rice U. engineer camp and biennial trip to Canada will help. thanks,
My DS18 chose Louisville over Kentucky, Alabama and Centre. He plans to major in biology and will be pre-med.
He wanted to stay close to home. He also wanted to conserve funds for med school. Even beyond the NMF award, Louisville offered him so many perks he couldn’t say no. He received a competitive scholarship (Brown Fellows) that stacks on top of the automatic NMF award to fund study abroad all three summers. He also was chosen for their Guaranteed Entrance to Med School (GEMS) program. As long as he keeps a 3.4 GPA and scores at or above national mean on the MCAT he is automatically admitted to U of L’s School of Medicine. There is also the potential for a half tuition scholarship to med school through their GEMS program.
NMF was huge for us. DS decided he wanted attend a large research U that was close to home, and we are fortunate to be in a state where both of our in-state options have generous automatic awards for NMFs. Being an NMF allowed him to go through the process knowing there would be a safe and guaranteed outcome as he reached for these additional programs U of L. He was guaranteed to have good choices, and that made the process a lot less stressful. And in the end, technically he is still on U of L’s NMF scholarship, the competitive award (Brown Fellows) augmenting and filling in what the NMF doesn’t cover (primarily study abroad). He just accepted the U of L college sponsored NMF award through NMSC this week.
If he hadn’t have won Brown Fellows and GEMS, I am pretty sure he would have attended UK. He was admitted to honors at UK and had the Patterson scholarship for NMF. UK was a slight favorite over U of L throughout the process but again these additional programs changed the outcome.
My daughter chose University of Southern California, biochemistry. She really wanted to attend a school in a large city and not be that close to home. We live in the Midwest, so I’d say she met her goals.
One takeaway: pay attention to all that college mail. Some of it is targeted for NMSFs and includes up-to-date information about NM scholarships and other benefits, such as waived application fees. Also, pay attention to merit scholarship deadlines, which are often earlier than regular college deadlines. For instance, at USC, it’s Dec. 1.
Being a NMSF and then finalist got us looking on CC about the benefits and reading about schools that offer NM scholarships. My d wasn’t interested in most of the schools with the full tuition or full rides. USC appealed to her greatly and offers 1/2 tuition scholarships to NMFs who are admitted (not all are) and who list USC as first-choice school. It pays to investigate options and see what appeals to your son or daughter.
USC is one of the few top schools that give a significant amount of money to NMF, that is why they only accept about 50% of them. The best deals are at the lesser known universities that are trying to attract NMF with full tuition scholarships.
@CU123 the lesser known universities are usually not known as a Top selective school. It really all depends what the NM kid/families are looking for in the college search.
Which school and major? Florida State, College of Music. His major will be BM in Vocal Performance
What was few important deciding factors? We were looking for competitive music schools with a great voice/opera program, in a university setting (not conservatory), with good merit scholarships. He applied to a range of schools but 60% of them had significant (half tuition or more) NMF scholarships.
One take away? Take lots of practice tests in the 8 weeks prior to the PSAT. Educate yourself about the new extension of the Benacquisto NMF scholarship to Florida colleges.
Was NMF a big, some, no benefit? Huge. His final 3 choices all had significant scholarships due to his NMF status. His top 2 two choices (FSU and Miami-FL) were complete full rides.
-Stanford (Engineering)
-NM played no role in the college search. S had no interest in any of the schools that offer scholarships except USC, and they awarded him higher merit than NMF half tuition so even that was irrelevant.
-Although it is an incredible opportunity for those that want/need the large scholarships offered at select universities, a large percentage of the 15k NMF walk away empty handed, without even the token $2500
-No benefit (Didn’t even get acknowledged at school, lol)
UCF (Nursing)
-Gorgeous Campus, NM program was fairly small but established with reputation for supporting students. Great Nursing program and honors program. Met with us for extended period of time. Took time to get to know my DD and her needs and goals. Full COA was definitely a factor. It seemed like a great experience for someone being right in Orlando. Incredibly supportive staff and great access to top honors programs.
-NMF was a HUGE factor and benefit. Our family went into the process thinking we would see what opportunities it brought for us. We are in an income range where we will get zero financial aid, but can afford to help our kids out. The fact that she found a school that she liked that was fully paid for really has changed our families future. I understand that there are some who are totally focused on Ivy league/Duke/Stanford type of schools. For our DD future she has chosen a career that really doesn’t benefit from going to one of those schools. Good luck to the Class of 2019 NM participants !
Phlipper- congratulations sounds like a perfect outcome!!
Which school and major? UCF, Health Sciences Major
What was few important deciding factors? First and for most was that this is a full cost of attendance scholarship. This scholarship has truly saved me from the middle class donut hole of debt; I can now exit undergrad debt free and with more options for graduate school. Fit was also very important; I love the campus culture at UCF and can see myself thriving there. I also factored in the wonderful lack of snow, the quality of their honors program, and the NM program support.
One take away? Tour the campus. Spend at least a full day on campus, if possible 2. It is so important to feel comfortable and happy with the campus culture because this is where you will be living for the next 4 years of your life. This is not something you can really feel through pictures and websites.
Was NMF a big, some, no benefit? NMF has given me the gift of no undergrad student debt. I don’t have to worry about student loans pilling up, I don’t have to burden my family, and I don’t have to worry about having to get a job while in school (although I will likely get one for healthcare experience). I am so utterly thankful for this opportunity. It still makes my head spin when I think about how a single test gave me so much. Good luck to future students!
DS1 - NMF
Which school and major? Notre Dame, pre-admit to Mendoza. Business/accounting
What was few important deciding factors? Great ‘fit’ for my DS. He wanted a school that had a major sports program so he could be in the marching band. He also wanted a top business school. They are more challenging to find in undergrad than you might think. Most big name B-schools focus on MBAs. It was also nice that the FA package is very generous.
One take away? Admitted student visits are important. If possible tour campuses as a junior to help decide where to apply. Also, a sit down with your child to talk about schools is critical. Discuss size, distance from home, majors and budget.
Was NMF a big, some, no benefit? Some benefit I think.
DS2 - NMF - now Scholar
Which school and major? Arizona State University, Barrett, The Honors College. Computer Science
What was few important deciding factors? This son shot for the stars - applied to 3 highly selectives, rejected by all 3. Also rejected by some state schools.
One take away? Essays are extremely important at this level. I feel his were good, but obviously not enough “hook” for the schools he applied to. Elites look for different things - strong academics and ECs are assumed. What makes your S/D different or special?
Was NMF a big, some, no benefit? For admission, no benefit. For financial aid, 100% tuition at ASU.
NMF got D scholarship offers from several schools, but she ended up at Wellesley, which offers no merit money. I don’t think being NMF helped in the admissions process because all of the top schools get many applications from NMFs.
Good luck. Hope it happens for her. Both my DS’s were NMF’s. One school gave $750/yr and the other gave $2000/year. Nice, but not a big deal. Be sure, when it’s time to put in her first choice, to put in “undecided” until she has decided.
My DD looked at ASU, Univ of Arizona, A&M, UT (no NM $), Case Western and choose UT Dallas. Her major was CS and she wanted to take fine arts courses as well. The reasons she choose UTD was flexibility in majors and courses, medium size university in a large metro area, had no desire for large sports or greek system and a full ride. The NM scholarship made a large difference in both her and our lives. There is no debt, she has more opportunities - travel to Italy to study art and completing a masters in 4 years, and she will graduate with money in her pocket. As parents, it is also money in our pocket and we can do other things for her. Win, win!
Which school and major? The University of Texas at Dallas (UTD) - Neuroscience
What were a few important deciding factors?
Major - she interviewed faculty at each university and found UTD to have a strong program with great profs.
Research Opportunities - She wanted strong research opportunities and funding. UTD was outstanding in this area
Honors College - She wanted a strong honors college and community. The honors lounge is awesome, they can live together in the dorms, and the support from the honors college is strong.
Campus Fit - UTD theme is Keep UTD Nerdy, has no football team, and a very diverse multicultural community. All of these were positives for my child.
Outside Campus Opportunities - Richardson is a suburb of Dallas - provides a safe and comfortable feel but easy access to Dallas and all the opportunities the city has to offer
Scholarship - She has financial freedom in her future. This is a nice article about the scholarship and why it draws so many NMF (170 in her year).
One take away?
My daughter did NOT want to look at Texas because of the weather. We encouraged her to apply and visit when she knew what the financials would look like. We spent several days there and she spent the days on the campus, in the student union, talking to faculty and random students. The NMF office gave us an awesome tour and she felt wanted and like she could add to and gain alot from the university. Organize your visits through the NMF offices at the school, we received a personal tour in a golf cart, gave a completely different feel.
Was NMF a big, some, no benefit?
It was a huge benefit. She is there on the NMF scholarship package - which is basically a full ride. NMF allowed her to open up her search nationwide (we live in MN) and in the end our state flagship school was one of her MOST expensive options and eliminated pretty quickly.
Even the schools that were not offering NMF packages I believe being a NMF gave her a leg up in the competitive scholarships she applied for. She applied to 8 university and received at least full tuition at all but 2. She received invitations to the highest scholarship competitions at all but one. She withdrew from everything else and accepted UTD after our visit. The visit made it that clear for her.
Good luck in your search! We used the full ride NMF as the “safety school” for our kids and told them in the end they could go wherever they wanted if it was financially feasible. Here the safety school became the clear 1st choice. Keep an open mind through the process.
We developed a list of schools where we thought S might get enough merit aid to make attendance financially feasible. S was allowed to add any school he wanted as long as he knew there might be a financial veto if the aid didn’t work out.
If I recall correctly, the list looked about like this:
UT Dallas (NMF full ride)
OU (NMF near full ride - since reduced)
Texas Tech (NMF full ride)
U of New Mexico (NMF full ride)
Bama (NMF Full ride)
Michigan State
UA Birmingham (NMF full ride)
Tulane
UC Riverside
We visited the four westernmost (OU, UNM, TT, UTD) over spring break during S’s junior year.
UTD turned him off. OU was OK (I loved it; he was just meh), and he was wowed by TT and UNM. Both had good pre-med programs, good medical schools, and good drama departments. He liked UNM and TT so much that he opted not to tour the others, not even UCR about an hour away.
Tech was in first place for awhile, mostly on the strength of its Honors College. S realized he hadn’t visited the HC at UNM, so we scheduled a re-visit.
In the end, S felt more at home at UNM. He liked the climate and landscape, he liked the majority-Hispanic student body, he liked the friendly, laid-back vibe, and he liked ABQ better than he liked Lubbock. At UNM, S felt like students wanted to be there. At Tech, he kept hearing how someone was going to Tech because they hadn’t gotten in somewhere else. Even though it’s 700 miles away, UNM is also a lot closer to home than TT.
I think both would have been great options for him, but we’re very happy with his choice.
DD16
OU Meteorology
Access to the National Weather Center, compatible harp teacher, study abroad options
Pay attention to “fees” At OU the fee are crazy and not covered by the tuition wavier
Huge for us but sadly the NM scholarship program has been cut significantly
DS20
UT Dallas Comp Sci
great Comp Sci program, supportive environment, great internship opportunities, modern buildings, no football
Apply early! It’s much easier to get in special programs like Clark summer research, Honors and CS2 Comp Sci honors if you apply early.
Huge! Their National Merit Scholarship covers 8 semesters which can also be used for grad school. DS has a ton of AP and DE classes and UTD has a “Fast Track” programs which double counts certain classes for grad and undergrad so he’s can (if he wants to) graduate with his BS and MS in comp sci and take a summer abroad, all cover by his scholarship.
DD16 - Bates College, European Studies
It was nice to have the options that NMF opened up to her but she after touring a large state school she decided that she preferred a small LAC. She did get scholarship offers at Centre, Grinnell, and Macalester but they were still more expensive than the FA we got from Bates.