UNT, possibly...

And so it begins...

Actually, back up a bit. The awareness began last fall when the letters from every college & university in America started arriving in bunches. That was the start of the dream phase. Endless possibilities. 

    Oh, I like this one. There's a river running thru it!

        Yeah, but it's in Tennessee.

    I know! 😍

        We live in Texas, Naomi. 😐

Ok, so that phase having finally come to an end, we're now in the "Where [in Texas] do you wanna go really?" stage. AKA, whittling it down.

And taking a look.

First up, UNIVERSITY OF NORTH TEXAS

Not her first choice going into this (no rivers), UNT does nevertheless have alot going for it (top 5 in size, number of degrees offered, proximity to DFW job market) which makes it worth a look. And a good place to visit first. The benchmark: something to compare the others to.

Good luck, next-ups. Gonna be tough to beat the UNT mac & cheese. 💪

Asked if she had anything to add to this post, this is what Naomi sent me.
Really makes the whole effort worthwhile, ya know. 🤦

Alot of good info on the campus tour: traditions, culture, academic buildings, admissions, residence halls, life on campus. And alot to think about. The overriding question: Can you see yourself here?

Maybe... but...

Naomi's Q: Is it prestigious enough?

Dad's A: [slight eye roll] Yeah, I get ya. It's not the name recognition of UT or A&M. But you can do ok here. Ask me how I know.

TAKEAWAY: Better than expected, even without a river. A serious option. Not quite far enough away for her liking at this time, but might be just right when the time comes to actually go. We'll see.