blitzlefan
shake it off!
Should apply to Oklahoma, too, lots of free money for National Merit. One of my friends from HS got a full ride.
I've actually heard similar things about the University of Alabama, though I'm sort of terrified of leaving everything behind. I really do want to go to a college that'll recognize National Merit as well as the International Baccalaureate program (UT doesn't), so I'll look into those! However, UT Dallas has a pretty high priority because a notable percentage of IB graduates end up going into UTD (so I'll know people there), it's in-state (I live in Texas), and it's not too far from home, though far enough (it's around a 4 hour drive).University of Alabama will give you a free four years, instant access into their honors program, and some other weird stuff for national merit (or just free four years for an act of 32 or higher). The question is wether or not you want to go there.
Thanks for the responses! :)