DandyDan

jlauer95, I've been asking the same question. Granted, I'm in Iowa, but since I got my scores back 14 months ago, I haven't heard a peep from anyone but the schools I sent my SAT scores to (except Wash U, they're playing hard-to-get). The Finalists who graduated a year before me at my school were receiving info from Nebraska, Texas and the like.

I've also been asking myself the debt-free or prestige question.

whenwillitbeover

Yes, I'm a senior

Semifinalist status is not officially released until the fall of your senior year (about a year after you took the test). That's when you'll start getting mail, but I didn't get mail from UF until Decemberish I think. Which means you should start researching, on your own, into what awards all the colleges have for NMFinalists. You get to pick your first choice in fall of senior year (when you are a semifinalist applying to be a finalist), but you can change it all the way up until May I think. I think I'm keeping my first choice on Baylor.

jlauer95

Whenwillit: But I thought you had to name your "first choice" during your junior year -- in the spring? Is that wrong? (I know that semi-finalist status isn't announced until September but I thought all those who didn't have an * next to their scores were considered "in the initial competition" and were asked to specify a first and second choice.) Am I misinformed?

mommusic

I *think* what you are recalling is just an unofficial query on what schools you are considering or would like to receive more info on. No way is it your official designation of "first choice" school.

jlauer95

mom: That may be. But on what (and when) is that "unofficial query" done? Is that spring of junior year? And when is "official" designation of 1st and 2nd choice?

esmith2164

I am a parent of a NMF, and a NMF myself in the ancient past, and I can assure you that are going to get plenty of feedback. In the next 6 months you will hear from schools you didn't know existed. My son submitted the Common Application to all the schools that didn't ask for fees or supplements, in addition to the schools he really wanted. Just last week he got a full ride offer from one of the schools he just sent the Common Ap to. He got unsolicited mail from dozens of colleges, and got unsolicited full tuition scholarship offers from AZ State University, U of FL, U of Central FL, and Southern MS. Those are just the ones I can remember.
We live in Alabama, and U of Al has offered a full ride, and Auburn offered full tuition. I think Vanderbilt offers 10K to NMF who name them as first choice, but cost of attending is 44K, so that isn't much help.

Duckwoman

Hey! What's with the Purdue bashing a while back? So sorry - the PU President decided he's tired of all the Indiana MSF leaving the state so he's offering great packages to Indiana kids. Hopefully my son will make it to finalist status (he's got a 222, still debating over whether to retake the SAT, he got around a 2200) so he can get a President's scholarship. Purdue has to compete with Notre Dame, IU, and Rose Hulman for the Indiana kids who want to remain in state and, based on the kids that were there when my older son was an undergraduate, doesn't have any problem attracting out of state. So why not make it a little more attractive for the in state kids? Purdue has to compete with the other schools for funding, too. And ND and Rose Hulman are sure out of our price range!

MotherMoo

Arizona State University -

Residents:
$12,500 annual award renewable for three additional years provided you satisfy Renewal Criteria.
$50,000 total four-year value.
Nonresidents:
$21,500 annual award renewable for three additional years provided you satisfy Renewal Criteria.
$86,000 total four-year value.
This award includes the college-sponsored, corporate-sponsored or NMSC-sponsored scholarship award

Scholar Recruitment Office at (480) 965-3040

studious mom

U. of Oklahoma---$76,500 scholarship package for all NMF.

OH_DAD

You perhaps missed the point...Purdue treats IN-STATE NMF's really well, but if you're out of state, forget it. I met personally with the FA office, and was told how disturbed they are with the state because the guidelines for FA don't permit them to attract out-of-state NMF's. She told me that they have virtually NO out-of-state NMF's.

mems55

I have to give a plug for the program that Arizona State in Tempe offers for National Merit Finalists. My son is nearing the end of his first year there as Business major, and is doing really well in a great environment. The Merit Scholar deal at ASU is easy to understand. It's $21,500/year (for out of state, less for in-state) credited to your student account, which easily covers tuition, room and board and some extras. (Don't know if it will go up if tuition goes up - the award did go up last year from the previous year.) So the money part is very easy to understand. However, I think the real benefit is the strength of the school. First of all, all the NMFs end up in the Barrett Honors College, which is superb. Great faculty, strong support and advising, super opportunities for study abroad, a faculty member whose job is to help these kids get all sorts of scholarships (i.e. Truman, Fulbright, Rhodes) as well as take advantage of the programs that pay for summer study, etc. Secondly the academic environment is strong - my son realized through his required freshman honors seminar that he wants to double major in Philosophy. Also, if the kids follow through on the senior thesis requirement, they graduate with a genuine Honors degree. Thirdly, for business, engineering, communications and education majors, I think the ASU schools in each of those disciplines are quite well regarded. (And as another poster pointed out, where you get your undergrad is pretty well irrelevant once you get the graduate degree that most kids will need. And a top student from a public university is always going to appeal to a prestigious graduate school that wants to have a diverse student mix.)
The Barrett Honors College does a great job with recruiting and ASU overall is a very easy school to deal with - even from across the country. People are genuinely nice and accommodating, I have run into NO red tape which is amazing. (People at the school attribute this to the fact that it gets so hot in Phoenix, they have to be nice to each other...) Honors students get priority registration, so my son has gotten all the classes he wants and needs.
Obviously we're very pleased with the experience.
And lastly I would have to urge any student with the opportunity to get four years of education essentially for free to take advantage of the opportunity. What is available for NMFs is just too good to pass up!

magusxxl

Have any NMF students been notified of having been awarded NMS? D got NMF notification in February but hasn't heard anything since...it'd be nice to be selected as NMS

nasaizmylife

If I recall correctly from last year, I didn't hear anything for sure on whether or not I was named a NMS until after school let out. They release the list of NMS's in several waves. It should all be explained in your NMSF packet or your NMF letter. I know it's hard to wait to hear back anything, but sometimes patience is the key. Keep in mind only about half of those students named as a NMF are named as a NMS. I was not one of those. However, I did receive several generous scholarship offers and am going to school out of state for a very very reasonable amount (I'm the D of workingforblue).

lanie22

For NMF, by which date do we need to OFFICIALLY declare our first choice school?

enginedriver

to the OP,
many top tier schools don't offer full rides off of NM; they usually give $1000 or so depending on need. HOWEVER, just because a school doesn't give full for NM doesn't mean you shouldn't apply there. if you're top 1%, you're definitely competitive for other merit scholarships if your ECs are good. you could possibly get a full ride without the title "national merit scholarship." bottom line: keep your options open. there are other merit scholarships out there that's not under NM.