Class of 2020 National Merit Discussion

Phlipper · December 2018

I will ask. I know we have some of their grad students on our campus for a mentoring program that works with coding for kids clubs. They seem to really love UTD and the opportunities there since they are so close to TI. UCF has a lot of opportunities as well with their proximity to the aerospace industry on the cape. I know the comp sci departments of both UCF and UTD enjoy excellent reputations across the country.

vistajay · December 2018

@janiemiranda , reebtoor is correct. My son is a freshman NMF at FSU. When he designated FSU No. 1 with National Merit Corp, FSU gave him a $500 annual college sponsored NMF scholarship, which then qualified him to be a NMF Scholar, which qualified him for Benacquisto. All is paid for and he gets money deposited into his account for food, books, etc...And he loves FSU. Be sure to look into the Presidential Scholars program at FSU as well. It gives you another $2400 a year plus $12,000 for summer abroad study.

janiemiranda · December 2018

@vistajay Thank you so much for the tip on the Presidential Scholars Program at FSU. We will definitely look into that as well.

janiemiranda · December 2018

@vistajay Do you mind me private messaging you with some questions about FSU?

vistajay · December 2018

@janiemiranda sure go ahead

lkg4answers · December 2018

Are there still colleges that offer to fly you out to see their school? I've seen it mentioned in older threads but not anything recent.

Reebtoor · December 2018

@lkg4answers I believe USF (University of South Florida) still pays for a flight for you & a parent plus hotel for NMSFs. Check out their National Merit Scholarship page for details.

vistajay · December 2018

@lkg4answers , ASU-Barnett Honors College has travel vouchers for NMF visits.

usma87 · December 2018

@vistajay and @lkg4answers - the ASU-Barrett travel reimbursement is based on your zip code. I have two Barrett students, 1 graduated last year, 1 just finished first semester of freshman year. I'm happy to answer any questions you might have about Barrett. Also, older DS worked in the Barrett recruiting office, so I have that resource available also. Very pleased with Barrett's offerings.

Riversider · December 2018

Only 2500 or less make the cut for National Merit Scholars in any given year. They are selected by the foundation as scholars to be awarded NMF scholarship.

It doesn’t matter which college they pick, which company their parent work for, if they get outside merit scholarship from some college, from parent’s company or any program which benefit specific groups. They are the top students of their academic year in the country.

While rest of the National Merit Finalists will only be called scholars if they arrange an outside scholarship from some college, some company or some group. If not then they don’t receive scholar designation or any money from the NM Foundation.

lkg4answers · December 2018

@usma87 thanks for offering to answer questions. What is the party atmosphere like at Barrett?

amsunshine · January 2019

Regarding University of Alabama, am I reading the following linked page correctly? It looks to me as if NMF's receive a true full ride, including housing: https://scholarships.ua.edu/nationalscholars/

janiemiranda · January 2019

@amsunshine I think you are right.

Reebtoor · January 2019

@amsunshine I can't tell if the "board" part (meal plan) of room & board is fully covered. The $3500/yr stipend seems about $1000 short to cover costs for 2018-2019, and the website doesn't say if that amount goes up if the meal plan goes up. But, I didn't drill down. The estimated book cost is over $1000 and the book stipend is half that. Plus, I didn't see where fees are covered. It is a fabulous deal even with all that said.
My D19 was not interested & my H would have vetoed anyway because one of his bosses is an alum so H doesn't like UA right now. So, I didn't look any further into the scholarship or costs.

usma87 · January 2019

@lkg4answers - I think the party atmosphere is like most schools, if you want to find a party, it isn't too tough. If you don't want to party, there is no pressure to join. My older son was active in a few clubs. They tended to be a way for parties to happen off campus. My younger son isn't into the party scene at all and its not a problem.

SeraphsMom · January 2019

Do you know what the index score is?

3scoutsmom · January 2019

@SeraphsMom the selection index score depends on your state, no one knows what this year's selection index scores will be yet, we should start to figure it out in September. You can make a good guess based on last year's SI for your state.

lkg4answers · January 2019

I don't know if this is the appropriate place for this question but does anyone know how the 1st school of choice works? I've heard pros and cons of declaring yet certain scholarships are tied to declaring. What is the timeline for declaring and who sees your declaration? Are the people that don't declare those that have stats (GPA, SAT/ACT) that would admit them with other scholarships?

carmartwinmom · February 2019

Hi! I know that we have a long wait for NMSF status to be official. I’m just curious as to how it will work regarding schools with large National Merit Scholarships and what to expect.
Once everyone is officially notified in September, is that when those school will start reaching out with specific info? For example will UCF send a “packet” of info and invite to visit? Or will we have to reach out ourselves?
I’m just trying to plan our summer tours and wondering if I should be including the NMSF scholarship schools or if we just wait it out for those and visit in the fall once everything is official. Thanks!

3scoutsmom · February 2019

To be safe you need to reach out.

Class of 2020 National Merit Discussion

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