<p>@1or2Musicians I was very wary of USM when I first started looking at colleges since it was rather close to home, and I really wanted to get out of the South to go to college; they completely changed my mind, though. Depending on how far away you live and if your son progresses to the NMSF level, they will send you an invite to a very private NMSF banquet. Do everything you can to go! This is what put them on my radar. The banquet was incredibly professional, and each NMSF who went was assigned a USM student and professor from their intended major. Honors Day is also nice at USM but nothing like this banquet. </p>
<p>I’d also recommend going to a summer camp there if your son gets the chance. I went to a journalism camp at USM in 2011 which was one of the best camps I’ve ever been to. It was extremely hands on and helped me determine that I didn’t want to go into that field. It was also free and they provided room and board in their best rooms and cafeteria. I don’t know if all USM summer camps are like that, but it’s still a great way to get on campus and see what USM is like.</p>
<p>Also, even if your son doesn’t become a NMF, USM’s study abroad program is currently set up so that if you study abroad a semester or year tuition is completely the same. I think you have to buy your own food abroad, but that’s the only expense. From what I understand, their stipend for NMF could cover that food or could go towards a summer/winter break program that could cost from $2,000-$6,000.</p>
<p>Sorry if that was too long of a post, haha, but let me know if you have any questions about USM. I’ve studied it a lot to find out if that’s where I want to go. Also, good luck to your son!</p>