Advice for an SF?

[littleninja]

Hi, I am a current freshman in aerospace engineering and I have a few questions about SF for my application. For reference, I live in AZ and there are no SFs in my state that match my concentration.

I put AFRL in Maui, HI as my #1, since they seem to be the only facility I could find doing optics/lasers (which I'm particularly interested in). I read that you are better off picking a facility near you, and I saw there are a number of facilities in CA, NM, and TX (all of which I would be happy to go to).

Given my status as a freshman, should I go for a bigger facility? Or would I have better chances in a certain area? I just want to optimize my chances of actually getting a scholarship, so any advice would be appreciated.

Also, if anyone has had Maui as their SF, let me know how it was. I'd love to hear.