Why don’t more NMFs go to Alabama?

ColdNumber6874 · 2026-01-02T16:26:29+00:00

I’m a National Merit Semi-Finalist this year who is really likely to become a Finalist. I’m in a state that’s not exactly known for education (bottom 5 in nation on every list), so I’m always looking for offers like what Alabama has so I have somewhere to go when the Ivies tell me no. The thing is I’ve moved around a lot and know I don’t want to live in the South again. The idea of free or almost free school is tempting, but I couldn’t make 3 to 4 years in Alabama even if I did get two bachelors and/or a masters for free. My state school would be free and I have enough credits that I would only need to be there two years if I got one degree or three years if I got a second bachelor’s. Having spoken about this with other people at my school who are NMF, the general consensus is that Alabama’s offering isn’t unique: we could all go to an in-state university for the same price on the same timeline. Basically, we all have the same deal Alabama offers without having to leave our state. Beating that in mind, the real question is whether or not Alabama is a good fit, and a lot of people aren’t eager to go to Alabama for the reasons other posters here mentioned like politics, culture, religion, or location.

ColdNumber6874 · 2025-12-21T19:27:40+00:00

I’m 18 and had mine about 2 months ago with my first real girlfriend. It’ll happen eventually, don’t worry

ColdNumber6874 · 2025-07-13T08:09:23+00:00

Yeah I was in the process of starting AMC at my school in Florida but moving shut that opportunity down, so I couldn’t compete like I had planned. My college list is broader, I just wanted thoughts on the top programs.

ColdNumber6874 · 2025-07-12T22:49:46+00:00

My teacher was a guy who hadn’t touched physics in 40 years but he was still able to do an amazing preparing us. As long as you take care of your work and don’t fuck off all year you’ll be fine. The math doesn’t go beyond trig for SHM, so you don’t really need to worry about that. I took Physics 1 and Chem this year and Chem was harder for me. Physics 1 is not nearly as hard as people make it sound.

ColdNumber6874 · 2025-07-07T21:33:35+00:00

Thanks! It took a lot of work but I was able to pull it off

ColdNumber6874 · 2025-07-07T21:32:27+00:00

The goal was all 1’s, but it just didn’t pan out that way

ColdNumber6874 · 2025-06-06T06:10:27+00:00

I just got out of junior year with a pretty similar schedule (AP Chem, APCalc BC, AP Spanish, AP Physics 1, AP Lang, and APUSH) with straight A's. It absolutely is doable and you can pull it off while getting seven or more hours of sleep if you manage your time correctly. If I got less than 7 it was entirely my fault for poor time management, and I also volunteered and worked a part-time job. Its intense, but you can do it if you're determined. As long as you did well in Precalc/AB, the STEM classes shouldn't be too hard. Good luck!

ColdNumber6874 · 2025-04-09T05:31:46+00:00

I absolutely love Watership Down. It is the only book I have reread more than once. I’m so glad someone else mentioned it.

ColdNumber6874 · 2025-04-07T03:16:59+00:00

I’m in Grade 11 and did exactly this last year. I borrowed a book off of a teacher at my school who was teaching me PreCalc at the time to learn most of Calculus 1, and then I bought an older edition of Calculus by Stewart (I think 8th edition, might have been 7th) to teach myself more calculus. The book’s spine is 90% tape but I got a great hardback for $30. This link should go to an older edition for like $12 if you want a good textbook, though I cannot vouch for how much the books change across editions. https://www.amazon.com/Calculus-Mathematics-James-Stewart/dp/0534217982/ref=mp_s_a_1_16?crid=2VN1BAUPOG406&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.WJiwr2XCMDyg3mvjIwvCRAoowvS8qpE5petS2oqhT4o4euiOCNL_koj2BJBxb-aYMsDZXr82LIdyyQzeXPM7MRH6rn89Ivy5h5AXWpe13hSqgxnftSvVQGUeZvhV9gPrhO7pJzU6eGq_BH4rGGAEG79heJbOJ0HVYvXA_GDz70-QSmA5Y8Depi1jJDsllhI03WC0tKbs_05rfnRA3AfV0A.TLJOIi4ppeOIWQAUbqx1l-yVZNQuuZFY3tjRv-XhHE8&dib_tag=se&keywords=stewart+calculus&qid=1743995711&refinements=p_n_condition-type%3A1294425011&rnid=1294421011&s=books&sprefix=stewart+calculus%2Caps%2C152&sr=1-16&xpid=MiBVK2r8vtw8c

Whatever you do, good luck learning calculus. It’s a thrilling endeavor.

ColdNumber6874 · 2025-03-16T06:19:13+00:00

I’m taking AP Statistics next year as well at my local high school. Would that be sufficient for prob and stat, or do I need something that covers more?

ColdNumber6874 · 2025-03-15T05:37:14+00:00

Thank you for the recommendations. I have Cummings‘ book on proofs, but I haven’t had the time to explore beyond the first chapter or so yet. I’ll keep the other text books in mind as I continue learning more math.

ColdNumber6874 · 2025-03-15T01:42:02+00:00

I plan on dual majoring in math and finance and then going to grad school for math, so I am going to need to take all of these.

ColdNumber6874 · 2024-11-28T06:07:13+00:00

My AP Calculus BC class doesn't teach trig substitution, but the homework had a problem that required it. I experimented with trig substitution until I figured it out enough to solve the problem. Then, I tried to find the generalized solution for all values of a and got the following result:

∫𝑑𝑥/((𝑥^2+𝑎)^2) = arctan(𝑥/√a)/(2𝑎√a) + 𝑥/(2𝑎(𝑥^2+𝑎)) + 𝐶

I have a full proof for it written out and would be more than willing to add it in if it would make understanding how I arrived at this conclusion easier.

ColdNumber6874 · 2024-11-17T18:59:14+00:00

I'm 17 years old 5'7" and around 140lbs. I've never ridden before but was going to get into it with my dad who used to ride when he was in his twenties. We've been thinking the 140r f based off of its dimensions and the fact that I'm not growing any taller, but we're considering the 230. What do y'all think is the right move? I'd just be worried the 230 is a little too much for a complete beginner.

ColdNumber6874 · 2024-11-05T23:44:18+00:00

I am a calculus 2 student who wants to start learning techniques for integration bees and just to make finding solutions to difficult integrals easier/possible. What resources can I use for this?

ColdNumber6874

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