maranblue

I'm in the class of 2011 and I scored a 217 (99th percentile all around except for 97th in math) on my PSATs, which earned me 'commended student' status. I believe last year's cutoff in my state was 214. Is it likely that I'll advance to semifinalist? Is that a random process? And if so, is there a separate process to then advance to finalist? I'm very confused, so any help you could give would be greatly appreciated. (: Thanks!

LindsayLou

You are most likely going to be a semifinalist, it's very rare for a cutoff score to jump down 3 points. Once you're officially a semifinalist, you and your school should get a packet of information. You'll need to take the SAT if you haven't already and your school will send in information about you to then determine if you will be a finalist.

maranblue

Wheee, good to know. My SAT scores were 800 reading / 750 writing / 620 math, is that pretty good or should I retake?

jogo84

Your scores reinforce your PSAT score, which is enough for the National Merit competition. However, if you want to take the SAT again for college admissions, that's up to you.

LindsayLou

How do those scores compare to your PSAT scores? (just take off the zero at the end). If your PSAT scores are significantly better, you may want to consider retaking it, but otherwise I think you'd be fine.

gadad

You got a 217 PSAT and a 2170 SAT - you're very consistent! So unless your state had a bizarre jump in its cutoff, you'll get a letter saying that you need to write an acceptable essay, make an acceptable SAT score (which you've already done), keep your grades up, and refrain from aggravating your principal so much that s/he refuses to recommend you. And once you do those things, you'll join the 94% of NMSFs who go on to NMF status.

Descartesz

Make sure you send your SAT score to NMSC. You choose them as a recipient in the same way you choose any school to which you will be sending your scores - find their number on the list and fill it into the form.

IloveLA

if you have any questions, call the NMSC and ask for the education department. They were always glad to help me out.

mom2collegekids

Did you take the PSAT as a junior?

Which state are you in?

Did your school give you a packet? If not, you might want to ask your GC about it.


I would retake the SAT to raise the math section for more selective colleges.

What schools are you applying to?



To go from NMSF to NMF....

1) keep your nose clean at school - you need the rec

2) Take the SAT by Dec and have score sent to NMCorp - code 0085
(Typically a score over 2000 is considered good enough - altho some with scores of 1950 have reported making NMF.)

3) Receive the NMSF paperwork in September. Follow all the directions, write a nice essay, and return paperwork to school before the due date.

4) Check with school to make sure paperwork is submitted on time to NMCorp.

5) Keep your GPA strong at school; the school sends your transcript to NMCorp with your paperwork.

6) Don't fret about picking #1 choice for college. That can be decided in late winter/early spring - depending on school's deadline.


The kids who don't make NMF after being named NMSF typically cause that to happen by...

1) bad behavior at school

2) poor academic performance (GPA issues)

3) didn't do the paperwork, did it incorrectly, or submitted it too late.

4) wrote a rude/poor essay.

5) didn't take the SAT, didn't send score to NMCorp, and/or didn't have a good SAT score (typically a score over 2000 is considered "safe.")

moodragonx

I'm a bit similarly confused as to the procedure once selected as a finalist.

It seems interesting that from SF --> Finalist it's 15000/16000, but the awarded scholarships are just over 8000. That means little more than half of all finalists will be awarded a Scholarship. How does that selection process work?

Wait. I mean, I understand that a large number of that 8000 is actually corporate/school based scholarsihps. Though there is 2500 scholarships paid for by the NMSC itself. So I guess what I mean is how do schools (who only offer limited Merit Scholarsihps) and the National Merit Scholarship Corporation decide which Finalists are deserving of a scholarship and which ones just get a certificate?

Since only about half make it and its safe to assume most Finalists are very qualified students, how difficult is it to be awarded the scholarships themselves?

My apologies if I'm hijacking this thread I just thought I'd ask for further clarification along the lines of the OP's question.

mazewanderer

I have several postings a little while back, answering some of the questions asked here.

Let me quickly refresh

http://www.nationalmerit.org/student_guide.pdf

the link above gives you a lot of information you are asking for.

1. There are three sources of scholarships: NMSC, Corporations and Non Profits, and colleges and universities.
2. Corporations and non profits usually give it to their employees children, though there are some for students in particular majors or those live in particular areas. Click on the link above and scroll down the document to find the list of companies who given scholarships in the past. Each corporation has different criteria. Some may give it just 5 children of employees, some may give it to all. Some require you to apply to the company etc. If a decision has to be made (only 5 students get it), the NMSC staff make it. The amounts that the corporation gives also varies. As the rules vary from company to company, a lot depends upon the company.
3. Sometimes some of the scholarships are given as special scholarships. For example if a corporation has 5 scholarships and they have given 4. One of their employee's child has PSAT score of 220 and missed the cut off in Maryland but got a higher PSAT score than the 4 who got the scholarship might get a special scholarship even though he is not a NMF.
4. NMSC gives 2500 scholarships of $2500 each and this selected by a committee of GC'S and is on state proportionate basis. In other words, the number of awards per state is dependent upon the number of HS students in the senior year in that state.
5. Colleges and Universities give scholarships and there is a very good compilation on CC stated by Kelixandria of the awards that colleges give. Again it varies by college, some are competitive, some are given to all finalists. Also, in addition to a National Merit scholasrship, some colleges give a lot extra goodies to NMF's. For example University of Alabama gives tuition waivers, room and board, computers, summer funding etc. Technically only a portion of it is National Merit Scholarship. The remaining is some add-ons that the school chooses to give to NMF.
6. So getting a scholarship depends on a variety of factors: The company for your parents work, the college or university you choose to go etc. Top colleges and Ivy leagues do not give their own scholarship. So if you go to Harvard, you should have got your scholarship from either a corporation or NMSC.
7. In my books, everyone who makes to NMF is a winner irrespective of whether they get a scholarship or not. Many parents work for companies that do not give scholarships and if the student chooses to go to a school that does not give scholarships and if the student lives in a state that is competitive, then the dice is stacked against that student. So not getting a scholarship is not a reflection on the students performance but a mixture of many factors. Hence, some very qualified students do not get scholarships.

If you have specific questions, please post them and we will try and answer them to the best of our knowledge. However, please look through other posts as many of the questions might have been answered before.

mabsjenbu123

Does designating a "sponsor college" as your First choice college increase your chances at that college?

mrdysart

Thanks, mazewanderer. That cleared up a lot for me! So if you want to go to a college that isn't on the NMSC list and the parents' companies don't offer scholarships, you hope for one of the $2500 scholarships and those can be used at any college?

worried_mom

^^ That's right.

maranblue

So if I'm reading the PDF right, you can only get the college-sponsored scholarship from your first-choice college and not from any college you get into that happens to offer it? What if you don't get into your first choice? Tufts is mine, but I don't have the best chances, and I see that my second choice also offers National Merit scholarships...