<p>@greatfallsmom Your son should be so proud of himself! A 230 as a sophomore is amazing - just bad luck that he wasn’t feeling well on the junior year test date (and that DC has so darn many outstanding private schools raising that qualifying score!). The score is just a snapshot of how they tested on one day, and even on an off day he was in the top .5% nationally! I am sure he has impressive SAT scores and many other great attributes that will distinguish him as a college applicant. </p>
<p>I have been lurking on the discussion board for two weeks, hoping to find out that the MO cutoff would be at least 212. I am halfway across the country with my father in the hospital and explaining this whole thing to him. He keeps asking, “Who else has dropped?” On Thursday, when I saw the post that reported 212 in in MO, I was so cautiously excited. Then I got a text that my daughter, who is taking a college class, was on campus during a real lockdown with an armed person on campus!!! Really??? That was a 3 hour drama, and she is fine. She finally emailed me today with school confirmation that she is in with a 212. I am trying to find out if she knows anything else or any other scores. </p>
<p>Though I have not been active here, please know that everyone’s posts have been SO helpful during this extremely stressful time. I am MOKANmom on here because I live in KS, but this daughter goes to school in MO. @GoAskDad, I hope your party is still going when I get back home on the 15th! And…there really IS life after NM!!! My two older kids should TOTALLY have been NMF’s, but they didn’t want to look “too smart.” (Oldest got a 36 in English on ACT in 7th grade and her sophomore PSAT score would have qualified every year in KS…) Neither even managed Commended. They are at fabulous colleges, got great aid packages, are doing amazing things and having wonderful lives! :-)</p>
<p>Lurker here with an S17. I just wanted to tell @greatfallsmom and others whose DC just missed the cutoff – about 30 years ago, my husband got off on the bubbling sequence on his PSAT and so didn’t get NM, while I did get it. His SAT was higher than mine IIRC. His undergrad college still managed to give him nearly a full ride based on other achievements (not as much $$ 30 years ago, of course). Today he has a PhD in physics, is the CTO of a startup that is doing great, and has many patents and more scientific paper citations than many people in academia. Not to mention two great kids. Not having gotten NM did not affect his life in any significant way.</p>
<p>…and we never got the Carleton mailing, think we may have unsubscribed to their emails, though?</p>
<p>@greatfallsmom ,The adm officers, especially the regional officers who read the applications first in many cases, clearly know the regional differences and have different expectation and interpretations for NMS status as long as I hear. None of the adm officers read the commended/SF in DC as same as the ones in WI. They know what the reality is. :)</p>
<p>High SAT (close to perfect score?), GPA, and AP accomplishments would represent your son well enough. It is amazing that he got 230 as a sophomore and 223 even with flu. He must be one of those exceptionally smart kids. It definitely seems that NM title doesn’t give significant advantage in the app process at Ivies and the most selective schools. Unless one is choosing one of the full ride schools, the title is not a game changer. At my son’s school, several kids went to Ivies and of course some of them were not holding SF title. Hope to hear good news at the results thread in Dec or Spring!</p>
<p>Thanks @pom2015. Actually my friend’s daughter goes to another DC private and she also got a 223 (we’ll be bonding later over wine for sure!) and she said she is going to put (223) after National Merit Commended Scholar, and I might do the same. Since the commended score is 201, she thought it would highlight how high her daughter’s score was. Thoughts anyone?</p>
<p>@pom2015 - not reading the commended/SF in DC as the same as the ones in WI might underestimate someone’s achievement. It cuts both ways. Since the scores are not known (and since they did away with sending scores to two schools a couple of years ago) the reality is not known. Not every person in a low cut-off state who attains SF status necessarily receives a low score. </p>
<p>Hi MoKanmom; any news from your D about the cutoff for MO. I am anxiously waiting to hear as my D has a 211 and her school will not release anything until after press release on 9/10…sigh</p>
<p>Agreed, Wolverine.</p>
<p>I don’t think the Carleton mailer means anything. D get mail from them all the time, although not this particular one about NMSF (and she made the cut with room to spare). I don’t think trying to figure things out by looking at what college marketing machines mail you is much help…</p>
<p>Any New York updates?</p>
<p>@Hoggirl , WI is my home state and my child is attending a school in WI. I didn’t mean to underestimate anyone’s achievement, just wanted to talk about the differences. If my wording was inappropriate, my apologies…</p>
<p>pom you haven’t heard anymore about WI scores from your child’s friends have you? S is comfortable, but he has a nervous friend with a 207.</p>
<p>@MOKANmom: Your post should help us all be reminded of what is important in life–surviving a lockdown vs. NMSF? Wow. Glad everything is okay. As someone on the bubble in NY, my D would be honored to get NMSF, and I would lover her to get this, but in perspective, and as I’ve mentioned above I believe, there are much more important things in life, including learning to “fail” and move on! Or just looking at life’s beauty! So blessings to you and everyone who has or hasn’t made it. On to remember what is important in life!</p>
<p>@Flyingj did your DS ever hear one way or the other? </p>
<p>@DrMom68: Nothing here but my money’s on 216 or 217, prob 216 though NY lost population so maybe not so low. If I could PAY then I’d make it 214! :)</p>
<p>@celesteroberts , No news yet. GC said he did not have the list and they were calling in the kids on Wednesday. Yes, it is Wednesday and I will know the result before they notify it to the kids at school, from the papers. </p>
<p>@pom2015 hang in there! You’re almost there!</p>
<p>So, there is an “legendary” table listing the SF cut off scores for each state. This table is included in the package sent to HS principals.</p>
<p>@pom2015 - sorry. I probably overreacted. I just get weary of all the “unfairness” comments that come up that seem to imply that everyone in low cut-off states achieve SF status via scores close to that low cut-off number and that those particular SF are “less worthy” than others. I get that people think the system is unfair and that they don’t like it. But it’s also unfair that students from low cut-off states are perceived to be achieving less than what those from high cut-off states are. </p>