Do you mean that University of Arizona offers a full-ride (tuition plus room and board) for years 1 and 2 but only full-tuition for years 3 and 4?
If this is true, then @OuterProduct , University of Arizona may still be affordable for you and they are still taking applications until May 1. You could probably also join their honors college after you get there (at least for sophomore year and on, possibly for second semester freshman year and on). It might be worth a look.
OP:
One thing I will caution you on: get the grades and the results in college first and foremost.
It may seem easy and a foregone conclusion that you will excel in college, but you ACTUALLY need to do that. Starting college life has its own distractions, many of which are exactly what the college experience should have in store for you. But those distractions can also very much interfere with results unless you are disciplined.
So, GET THE RESULTS FIRST, wherever you go, and then, if you still feel like it, consider your options.
Looking at it, a decent number of the programs marketed as “full rides” are actually more expensive to me than WSU would be. Being a National Merit Finalist only earns full tuition at WSU, but I’ve also got the Washington College Grant for over $11,000, and along with a few other things that brings the cost of WSU down to slightly over $7,000 per year, including indirect fees
I’m used to the college workload, but you’re right I’m not used to the rest of college life. I’m generally pretty disciplined, I didn’t get to where I am now without putting in a lot of hard work, but this whole experience has definitely increased my level of apathy about grades and the like, and I’ll have to keep that in check.
The very fact you recognize that now demonstrates how mature you are!
Just work hard, excel like you know (and we all know) you will, and all the results will come in good time.
NO ONE WILL CARE WHERE YOU WENT TO COLLEGE! It’s what you do there that is essential, and what do you do thereafter.
You will go far. Just continue to work hard.
Why didn’t you apply to any of the colleges that give auto merit, and acceptances to NMF?
You applied to all reach schools…and one sure thing. You got accepted at your sure thing.
You have a couple of choices…
OR
Read this linked thread. It’s old. The student in this thread received no acceptances the first time around. He was a NMF also, and class val or Sal. Excellent grades and ECs.
I think you didn’t have any target or match schools on your list…or more than one sure thing.
@tsbna44 is Alabama still accepting applications for NMF?
@WayOutWestMom how about University of New Mexico?
Here is that link…
I’m curious how a full ride is more than 7k? Can you explain? Genuinely curious. Thanks!
Is that cost for living on campus, or living at home?
You’ll be on campus now. Engage Get involved.
It’ll be great.
On-campus.
It seems like not all “full rides” cover both room and board, some just do housing alone, and a lot don’t cover other indirect costs like transportation.
University of Alabama for example has an estimated $6,678 of indirect costs that aren’t covered my NM. I’m not completely sure, but if by “housing” the Alabama page means only the room cost and not board, that puts the total at over 7k including the 3.5k supplemental scholarship. It’d still be cheaper for me that WSU because of a Pell Grant, but without that it’d be over 7k. And some other places on the list of 27 posted earlier would be over that.
I could be wrong about all that, I’m not an expert on the subject, but that’s the situation if I’m reading everything correctly.
Looks like WSU’s enrollment deposit is $200. Although that is not nothing, if you have not found another suitable (i.e. better than WSU in the combination of affordability and math department quality) college that you can enroll in for fall 2023 by the matriculation deadline in a few days, it will ensure that you retain the option of starting at WSU in fall 2023, even if you are still considering a gap year and checking for colleges that may be worth applying to for fall 2024 during a gap year. You would then have all summer to decide whether to enroll at WSU in fall 2023 or de-matriculate and take a gap year.
Thanks!
Unless I find somewhere better to apply this year, I’ll just be going to WSU. Regardless, I don’t think I’ll be taking a gap year. I wouldn’t know what to do with myself. I know a lot of people after high school want to get out into the world and do things, but I’m, uh, a bit of a hermit. Which is probably a contributing factor to why I didn’t get into so many of the places I applied. I’ll lead things if nobody else will, or other people are being incompetent, but it’s not my natural inclination. During summers, I spend every day indoors unless there’s some planned activity that forces me outside. Reading and thinking about things is hardly an impressive thing to say you spent a gap year on.
I don’t think I’d greatly improve my applications during a gap year, and, regardless, I’d rather not take 25% longer to get into grad school. It would be an intentional decision to stop learning, which I don’t want to do. That is, at the end of the day, what college is about to me.
I should really care about what job it’ll end up getting me more than I do…
You won’t ‘JUST ’ be going to WSU.
You will be and you can have a great outcome just like if you went anywhere else.
It’s up to you !!
Get involved. Try things. You’ll find your people.
Take a positive approach. Many a fantastic contributor to society in many fields will come from Pullman !!
Both my kids are at safeties. My son has a great engineering gig lined up - from u guessed it Alabama.
And my daughter just landed an internship with the state we live from College of Charleston, a regional public.
It’s about grit and determination.
Get psyched. Find a roommate that matches you. See about getting into Honors.
Take advantage !!
Best of luck.
I suppose my wording there could be interpreted negatively. I didn’t mean for that to be the case. I meant to use “just” to indicate it was the straightforward and simple option, not a bad one. I would have preferred to get into one of my non-safeties, obviously, so I suppose my view about the situation isn’t entirely positive. But I didn’t mean for the statement to sound bitter either.
Go with a positive view…and you will do well.
I will give you my opinion, having read through this whole thread. This is all going to work out really well for you. You just don’t totally see that yet because the rejections from your higher ranked schools still sting (and I know it will for a while). But you need to get your head back in the game and move on from the rejection and embrace the opportunity in front you because this may turn out to be an excellent path for you. This could really be where you’re meant to be and someday you may look back and realize that things turned out exactly as they were supposed to.
And I say this mainly because you plan to go to grad school and you are on a solid path for doing so. As an undergrad, make it your goal to knock the socks out of everyone in your department. Get straight A’s. Get invited to work with professors on research. Co-author papers, present at conferences - these opportunities are available for ambitious and talented undergrad students and you could be a super star WSU. Make that your goal. It is within your reach. And if you do that…You will likely have a great choice of grad schools (just remember to be strategic in how your apply). But you should create some great possibilities for yourself. And you know what? Once you’ve gone to grad school, NO ONE will ever ask or care about where you did your undergrad degree. Once you have a grad degree, your undergrad degree becomes far less relevant. Embrace WSU and get determined to make the absolute most out of the next 3-4 years. Excel. And try to have some fun! The best is yet to come for you, and WSU can provide you with an excellent stepping stone to your future.