Last spring, I got a letter from NM saying I was in the top 50,000 students who took the PSAT and could send my score to three schools. I found out I missed the cutoff in my state for semi-finalists, but does that mean I'm definitely commended?
Per the nationalmerit.org website "In late September, more than two-thirds (about 34,000) of the approximately 50,000 high scorers on the PSAT/NMSQT® receive Letters of Commendation in recognition of their outstanding academic promise. Commended Students are named on the basis of a nationally applied Selection Index score that may vary from year to year and is below the level required for participants to be named Semifinalists in their respective states." I guess anyone who scored > 202 and below the the SF cutoffs should get this. My D got 210 and hasn't see anything yet. So I am wondering too if anyone got this letter of commendations ?
I don't know if the commended students get another notice or not, but my son has been asked to go to the Board of Education meeting next month so they can honor him for his commended status. he missed the cut-off for SF by 2 pts, which is what it went up over last year in NY.
the letter last Spring offerred a chance to send that info to two schools. It needed to be done by 5/25. is there an additional opportunity to send that info once Commended status is confirmed, or do you just include it on the common app in Honors?
FWIW, DS told me he received an official notification that he was "commended" at school on Weds - that would have been the 28th. Yes, put it in the honors section of your common app.
^he will get a preliminary notification in April. he will then find out in September (by absence of a letter) that he did not make SF (at least I don't think any state is that low).
Although not this year, WY, ND, and LA have had cutoffs equal to or lower than 203 in the past few years.
IIRC, "Top 50,000 scorers" receive a letter of notification in April. In September, about 16,000 of these are notified that they are NMSF. The remaining 34,000 are sent notice of "Commended" later in September.
