Dreams - I don’t know that much about UCF other than it is an enormous university. It’s size would shock a lot of people. If they are trying to build a core honors college by giving incentives to NM scholars, I would look at it hard.
It depends on what you want to do. If you want to go the professional route (law, med, or business), then grades and test scores are paramount. In the med field, shadowing and intern opportunities are very important. I’d imagine these would be abundant in Orlando.
But a university like UChicago, which offers a sort of immersion experience in the intellect, is hard to pass up. You only live one life. How do you put a price on that experience? Money will come. The intellectual opportunity at UChicago is irreplacable.
I know I am talking out of both sides of my mouth, which is another way of saying that the choice is hard, and probably individual to you.
Best of luck to all you extremely gifted students.