Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:how did she do so well on the PSAT?

Ran out of time on SAT during math, normally a strong skill. Will take ACT this weekend and will retake SAT next month.

Kid has been diagnosed with SN since age 2 and has had full neuropsych evaluation confirming high abilities but issues with timing.

504 at school with extended time but SAT accommodations weren’t approved. We submitted formal ed testing results, notes from doctors and psychologists, and still denied.

Did she have extra time on the PSAT?

PP- congratulations to your kid for being a NMF!

I know several NMF that have taken the Alabama option. Both had great outcomes. They recruit smart kids from OOS and it worked out for them. I would definitely visit and see if it is a good fit for your kid.

Don't send an anxious kid to a school like that!!
Look at in state options!

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Schools are already handing out full merit offers in early September?

The OP asked about National Merit Finalists. Some schools offer tuition breaks and other incentives to those students as a matter of course.

Ah, thanks. Sorry, missed that part.

For a humanities major who doesn’t want a pressure cooker I’d be looking at SLACs and go down a notch to get merit (and less pressure). I think the education will be better and more personal in the humanities and small classes better for a kid with anxiety and ADD.

Anonymous wrote:My kid is a NMSF (224 SSI) with a confirming SAT score of 1440. 3.88 UW GPA at FCPS, double URM but not first gen nor low income.

Kid is likely a humanities major and doesn’t want a pressure cooker environment so not interested in Ivy options. Smart but not very self driven due to ADD and anxiety.

Alabama’s generous merit offer for NMF is very appealing but are we missing other options to consider? Will apply to Mason and VT as well.

Alabama is awesome but may be too big unless in honors college.

Anonymous wrote:I would encourage VT before Alabama.

For a humanities major who doesn't want a pressure cooker environment?

Alabama has come a long way over the past ten years. They have been very ambitious with improving and expanding their student population. There are a lot of smart OOS students there now, often with very generous merit packages. The facilities and dorms are quite nice, particularly the honors dorms. The sorority thing is just one sub-culture. It doesn't define Alabama anymore.

It's worth a look. Alabama and the southern SEC schools have become very desirable universities. The days when they are offering merit for OOS students are not going to last much longer.

If she's getting a full ride from Alabama, there will be others willing to compete. She should look around. Usually schools, particular publics, are pretty clear on their websites about what they are willing to offer NMF students.

It's a good problem to have.

And I definitely would not be paying to send this low key humanities student to a grinder STEM school like Virginia Tech.

Anonymous wrote:The Bama sororities look scary to me. Will she be left out if she doesn’t pledge?

Not interested. Not their vibe at all.

Anonymous wrote:Schools are already handing out full merit offers in early September?

Several universities offer scholarships to National Merit Finalists/Seminfinalists

Alabama offers a lot plus an Honors College

https://afford.ua.edu/scholarships/national-merit/

If admitted, students who are eligible for the National Merit Finalist package will receive:

Value of tuition for up to five years or 10 semesters for degree-seeking undergraduate and graduate or law studies

Four years of undergraduate on-campus housing at regular room rate* (based on assignment by Housing and Residential Communities)

$4,000 per year undergraduate supplemental scholarship for four years**

$2,000 one-time allowance for use in research or international study (after completing one year of study at UA)

Anonymous wrote:Schools are already handing out full merit offers in early September?

The OP asked about National Merit Finalists. Some schools offer tuition breaks and other incentives to those students as a matter of course.

Schools are already handing out full merit offers in early September?

Look at the University of Houston

Anonymous wrote:The Bama sororities look scary to me. Will she be left out if she doesn’t pledge?

Will the student be interested in rush?

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:For URM I would definitely suggest a visit to the campus and Tuscaloosa. I also personally wouldn’t send an anxious teen (and I have two) into that environment.

Yep. I would not send my POC kid there if avoidable.

What were your experiences with ‘Bama? Please share.