@LOUKYDAD I agree. Last summer when we first toured Alabama the engineering school told us that as an engineering major a 30 on the ACT would get him the 2/3 scholarship from the university and the engineering scholarship would make up the balance to full tuition. Apparently the next month they published their scholarships for the 2021 class which did away with that “bridge”. So we adjusted our goals to the 32. Then this year they change it to a 33. Feels like the finish line keeps moving.
@MACmiracle haha I just realized we discussed music before. The old brain is foggy this week. 
I love E-Town and Rowan as well. Can’t go wrong!!!
I haven’t seen anything lately about that Florida Benacquisto scholarship for possible funding of scholarships for OOS NMFs. Is that one off the table now as a possible option for the HS class of 2108 kids?
Yes I was following Florida Benacquisto OOS scholarship as well. Funding was confirmed for the in state Bright Futures non-NMF increase but I have not seen anything yet about OOS NMF.
@TexasMom18 I feel like this with NM state cut scores too!
My D and I decided to give up on the Florida Benacquisto OOS scholarship. Even if it goes through for this year, there’s too much uncertainty there, since it’s baked into the annual budget that has to be approved each year. For us, it’s not worth the risk of attending for a year and then having the scholarship pulled.
Re: the trimming of NMF scholarships - It’s a good thing I live in a desert because there will be lots of sand for me to stick my head in. 
This is definitely on my list of things to get angsty about, especially since S wants to take a gap year, which means more time for bad things to happen.
@TexasMom18 Last summer I took my son to a WPI information session, and they were promising $20,000 for National Merit Finalists. They dropped the scholarship in the Fall. Grrrr…
@NYmommabear, WPI was on my son’s list too. They still do have a lot of merit scholarships, just not automatic anymore. I would guess that most NMFs accepted by WPI are being offered about the same merit scholarship total as before, but on the applicant side it sure is nicer to have that automatic scholarship known before applying.
I think the UTD National Merit package is probably pretty safe for years to come, as well as good merit aid at most Texas publics. Seems as if the state government is investing more around the state to attract strong students and bring up the reputations of the more regional schools. Even TAMU has some decent merit aid.
Re NMF options:
My S was interested in OU over Alabama (yes it is a prejudice, but he didn’t want SEC). He considered Idaho and Washington State, but they just don’t have the # of OOS/region kids he wanted. Arizona State, Michigan State, Ohio State too big. UTD no campus =deal breaker. Kentucky and Florida guarantee too iffy for us to consider seriously.
To whoever is terrified of Stanford, me too!
My daughter is visiting Univ. of Puget Sound on Monday. She had requested an interview but they never got back to her. I finally got her to send a followup last night, but I’m guessing the interview is not going to happen.
Well, even though this isn’t my first rodeo, I am a noob when it comes to NMF options. When S18 got scores that looked good, we really were just looking at the big names until I ran across the info on how the Benacquisto for Florida schools worked since we are in-state. Most of that info was here on CC as the schools don’t really explain the process well on their sites. That really made the search easy since UF has been at the top of his list of options even before I saw that. Now, he just needs to get accepted (and no whammies)!
Wow, all of you potential NMF parents are a wealth of information. Is there a Parents of 2018 NMSF/NMF thred I could direct some people to? Something similar to the the Parent of 3.0 - 3.5?
@labegg, there is this thread: http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/national-merit-scholarships/1941884-nms-cutoff-predictions-for-class-of-2018.html#latest
@daffodilpetunia, did she email them and did she check her spam folder?
I recently sent an email to a professor, about possibly being able to ask some questions about the program on a day we planned to tour. I didn’t hear back for a while and checked my spam folder, and there was a reply from him.
I have no idea why my email provider puts a reply to a message I initiated in the spam category.
She could also call admissions and ask about the possibility of doing an interview?
@suzy100 I have an in real life friend who’s kiddo is in the NMSF/NMF realm. She is relatively uniformed about the whole college process, let alone throwing in NMF stuff, she asks me lots of questions so I will certainly have her check that out. I am completely clueless about NMF, its never been in my kiddos’ wheelhouse! (Well my husband was a NMF, his Dad’s Employer sponsored his award, but that was back in the dark ages)
D got her acceptance to UNM yesterday! (I didn’t open it - but it says “Congratulations” on the outside, so…) She was out late last night & doesn’t know yet. I’m planning to get some donuts this morning & leave the donut box & the acceptance at her breakfast spot.
Grats to @GertrudeMcFuzz D! You all are killing me though with your acceptances in July! It’s like Christmas came early… which is coincidentally really about the earliest we will know anything from just about anyone 
UF’s doesn’t open til August, has a Nov. 1st deadline and won’t notify til Feb! The next 8 or 9 months are gonna be rough indeed.
Yay @GertrudeMcFuzz! Congratulations.