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. Ideally, I would have liked to have gone to Brandeis or NYU, but there was no way on earth I'd be able to afford it-- even with the scholarships I got there. One of my (and my parents') big goals was to stay out of debt.
My son would love to go to NYU but since they only offer "need based" help it just is not an option for him to get into debt or us to spend our retirement on his education.
Geographical prejudice, I guess. People from Colorado and other Mountain West states love to make fun of the Great Plains states to the east. No way would I ever want to live in Nebraska, or god forbid, Oklahoma. Making fun of NE, KS, OK, and TX is practically a sport in Colorado. Flat land going on forever, nothing but farms and tumbleweeds. That's how the thinking went, at least. I think a lot of it has to due with the Big 12 football rivalry thing.
LOL...we are in Texas.
I should have chosen business-- and specifically, finance. But's that a whole 'nother story.
Hindsight is 20/20 as they say
I'm now sick of Tempe and the Phoenix metropolitan area, and can't wait to move out once I graduate, but it took me several years to learn that. I would suggest for future nat'l merit scholars to take a good look at OU-- at least go there and check the campus out. The OU scholarship is extremely generous, giving you signficant wiggle room if you decide to change your mind what you want to study. There are also probably other schools that have a similar deal that I'm not aware about.
We are planning a visit to OU and Alabama because they offer a great package too. He is applying to Texas State, UNT, OU, Texas A&M, Princeton (for giggles....maybe he will get lucky and get a scholarship), NYU, Georgetown (east coast), and a few more....10 in total. We will see what happens. Thanks again for all your input
Last edited by martinez4; 10-15-2007 at 11:17 AM..
Reason: spelling;-)
My little brother was also a National Merit Semifinalist (in 2001, IIRC). He could've gone to Texas A&M with a full scholarship but instead chose UT on a partial scholarship. Both UT and A&M are very strong academically and are very affordable. They also have good career resources since they have connections to many companies and organizations.
Thanks for the input.....His GPA is very good, very good SAT scores, and is well respected by the faculty and students so hopefully he will be named a finalist. He has put a lot of thought into the schools he put first and second but you never know.....16 year olds tend to change their minds like the wind sometimes!!!!
Thanks again for your thoughts.
As a semi finalist he will hear from hundreds of schools. Some will offer him a final scholarship prior to applying if he designates them his number one choice. I strongly recommend he throw nothing away but insteadh have three baskets.
A. Schools he is really interested in
B. Schools that are ok but not really on his A list
C. No way but don't thrash them
You will see schools go from one basket to the other as he hears and learns more from them. It is amazing how many kids end up going to a school that began in basket A. I know mine did and he loved it and thrived. They were one of the top schools in the nation and after he visited them ( my strong idea) They became one of his top two choices. They strongly recruited him and flew him out for a visit.
Thanks for the input. He has narrowed down his choices and we have already visited a few campuses. He is taking the SATs again this weekend for his score for the National Merit finalist cut.
He started keeping everything his sophmore year, starting weeding through his junior year and now, his senior year, he is keeping all literature that pertains to any National Merit information. He has already narrowed it down to a handful of universities that compete for NMS and has one campus he loves so we are crossing our fingers.
I was a national merit finalist in 1988. PSAT and SAT in the >99.5% range is what it generally took back then.
My parents were middle class, I am white\male and I got nothing from my state college.
I did get an offer for a 3/4 tuition waiver at private schools but that only made things cost the same as the state school.
Since I didn't have the internet back then....it was harder to search for scholarships but I doubt I missed much. If you happen to meet a certain groups criteria you could REALLY get good scholarships with being a nat. merit semi or finalist.....such as if you meet certain ethnic requirements (NAACP scholarships) or military veterans in your family or religious....basically all kinds of private type stuff.
The good news is that it might make a private school *affordable* plus it will help him get in just about anywhere he applies.
I was a national merit finalist in 1988. PSAT and SAT in the >99.5% range is what it generally took back then.
My parents were middle class, I am white\male and I got nothing from my state college.
I did get an offer for a 3/4 tuition waiver at private schools but that only made things cost the same as the state school.
Since I didn't have the internet back then....it was harder to search for scholarships but I doubt I missed much. If you happen to meet a certain groups criteria you could REALLY get good scholarships with being a nat. merit semi or finalist.....such as if you meet certain ethnic requirements (NAACP scholarships) or military veterans in your family or religious....basically all kinds of private type stuff.
The good news is that it might make a private school *affordable* plus it will help him get in just about anywhere he applies.
Best of luck....sorry my info is so out of date.
Any info is appreciated, outdated or not, so thanks so much .
We have found that most full rides have been state schools so that is where he is focusing most of his efforts. The private schools seem to give more when it is "need based" and we do not qualify for those.....I guess that is a blessing in disguise, in this case, that we can afford college:-) As you stated, at least the odds are likely that he will get accepted to most schools that he applies to.
Any info is appreciated, outdated or not, so thanks so much .
We have found that most full rides have been state schools so that is where he is focusing most of his efforts. The private schools seem to give more when it is "need based" and we do not qualify for those.....I guess that is a blessing in disguise, in this case, that we can afford college:-) As you stated, at least the odds are likely that he will get accepted to most schools that he applies to.
Thanks again for your input.
Really glad to hear some state schools are stepping up. Best of luck.
Out of curiousity what is your son thinking of majoring in?
He is planning on a degree in Middle Eastern studies. He would like to work in the government sector, possibly an embassy. He may enter the military as an officier after graduation but as he is just 16, soon to be 17, we just want him to get the degree under his belt and then see where he lands.
Fortunately he is very motivated and has goals, so keeping him motivated has been relatively easy.
He is planning on a degree in Middle Eastern studies. He would like to work in the government sector, possibly an embassy. He may enter the military as an officier after graduation but as he is just 16, soon to be 17, we just want him to get the degree under his belt and then see where he lands.
Fortunately he is very motivated and has goals, so keeping him motivated has been relatively easy.
Have him check into the ROTC program if he has not already. We had several friends that went that route and it paid for most of their schooling--at a private school. One friend went onto medical school, spent however many years in the army after that and 'retired' at the ripe old age of 40 with a pretty nice pension and now is in private practice.
Have him check into the ROTC program if he has not already. We had several friends that went that route and it paid for most of their schooling--at a private school. One friend went onto medical school, spent however many years in the army after that and 'retired' at the ripe old age of 40 with a pretty nice pension and now is in private practice.
Thanks for your input. He has checked in ROTC but he does not want to be beholden to any entity after he graduates. He may want to continue school and get his masters so we are encouraging him to keep his options open.
Thanks again though...it is a good idea just not a good fit for him
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Flat land going on forever, nothing but farms and tumbleweeds. That's how the thinking went, at least. I think a lot of it has to due with the Big 12 football rivalry thing. 
Three basket scenario
