<p>@81223mom - there has been a lot posted about advancing and rather than send you to posts I’ll summarize what I have learned:
The qualifying score needed is 1960 but that is measured as M + CR + (Writing MC subscore * 10) so barring some freaky score differential between writing MC and their essay your child should have qualifed but you need to send their score to the NMSC (same way you send it to other schools)
Many of the 1,000 that don’t qualify don’t apply but barring something really bad, or a lot of Cs (per my son’s school) the bar to qualify isn’t that high once you make SF
To earn the NM award itself is harder and your SAT score has to be very high but that award is only $2500 so my perspective on that was don’t sweat the small stuff
Good luck to your son or daughter!</p>
<p>You can choose your first choice college much later, in the spring. You don’t have to list any colleges now. </p>
<p>The exact PSAT or SAT score makes NO difference in advancing. As long as the SAT meets the 1960 threshold via the formula.</p>
<p>Reasons to not advance: If you get too many semester C’s, or a D.If you’ve been in so much serious trouble at school that the GC feels compelled to share that with NMSC. If you don’t complete the paperwork because you forget or because you weren’t ever informed you are NMSF in the first place. If you write some really nasty stuff in the essay, basically thumbing your nose at them. </p>
<p>If you forget to have your SAT score sent to NMSC!! </p>
<p>Make sure the GC completes their portion of the paperwork. </p>
<p>I recommend calling NM Corp. to confirm SAT scores were sent to them (if the student has sent scores to NMSC). Just in case something went haywire even with the NMSC code being entered upon SAT registration.</p>
<p>@81223mom What celesteroberts said. Check the deadlines carefully in case something has changed, but you can apply to various colleges, go on visits, and wait to declare your first choice school in the spring. Last year we had the University of Kentucky with its full ride as one of our possibilities, and the deadline there to declare it as DD’s first choice was only about two weeks after she was supposed to hear from her top schools (but DOUBLECHECK this ). So it was a bit tight, in that she had to have a pretty good idea of what she would decide if School A accepted her or rejected her, and if she had wanted to go on a waitlist, that would have been awkward. But she was able to wait until she heard from all the schools she applied to, about April 1, to make the final decision.</p>
<p>The folks at Kentucky were wonderful, and a professor in her field of interest gave her not only a hour of his time but a book off his shelf for her to take home! If we lived closer, she would likely be a Wildcat now. </p>
<p>@mdcmom Thanks for the info! I didn’t realize until today that we don’t have to declare a school on the materials that are due October 8. So you just leave that blank I guess? Our school has dozens of NMSFs so the counselors are well-versed in all of this but I am trying to figure it all out myself without having to burden them with my questions. I already sent her SAT score off to the NM office (though it says Pending??) I am now confused by this way the score is calculated for writing. They don’t just use what the score report says?? I cannot find any 2 digit writing subscore on her writing report anywhere. She has her three digit score and her writing score (between 2-12) and that’s it. The only writing score that appears on the one I sent from College Board is the three digit score, which is just like the math and reading scores. Can you help?</p>
<p>Also, if my daughter is NMF, is that scholarship at UK (4 years full ride, 1000 stipend per year, iPad2, and 2000 overseas study stipend) guaranteed or only given to the students who have the highest SAT scores, or highest criteria in some way?</p>
<p>Interesting to see that the Los Angeles Unified School District, with 650,000 total students (or about maybe 50,000 senior class), you have a grand total of 5 semifinalists. 4 of those 5 are from a magnet school. LAUSD is the largest public school district in the US, with close to $7 billion annual operating budget. </p>
<p>@81223mom Last year, it was guaranteed, under the Patterson Scholarship. But acceptance into the honors program wasn’t, and maybe that would have required committing to the UK earlier; I just don’t remember. Also, the award assumes a smallish food plan that I was thinking we might have to upgrade, and some of the dorms would have required another increased expense over the award. But it was still a great deal. Check the UK website carefully, though, because these things change from year to year.</p>
<p>And yes, there should be an “undecided” option to put down for now.</p>
<p>As for how the score is calculated for writing, I don’t know. I never had to separate out the subscores.</p>
<p>@81223mom, I called Kentucky about a month ago and they confirmed the scholarships was guaranteed for NMF.</p>
<p>To figure out the qualifying score from the SAT, you should see on your child’s report the score for just the multiple choice section of Writing. You take that score and add a zero. Then add it to the Reading and Math score to get the score that the NMC will consider. Does that make sense?</p>
<p>Yes, it absolutely makes sense but I see nothing like that on her score. She has her writing three digit score and then her writing score that ranges between 2-12. I see no subscore. I am looking online at the College Board site. Maybe I need to dig out her score report that was sent in the mail for this? Regardless, what I paid to have sent JUST has the three scores on it: math, reading, and writing—each is a three digit score. </p>
<p>Yes, that is the Patterson scholarship that I was talking about----it is guaranteed for ANY National Merit Finalist? That is a great deal. The qualifications for getting into the honors college are pretty reasonable and that dorm, as I understand it, is the place to be. I imagine they only give you the base meal plan, which is like 35 meals for the semester or something like that. Bottom line, she wants to go to IU, which is out of state for us, but that UK deal is possibly too much to pass up!!</p>
<p>OK, if you go on CB go to Test Scores. From there, you’ll see “Understanding your Performance.” Click that. You will be on the Summary page. Look for the Writing tab and click that. There you will see a breakdown score for multiple choice and the essay. Disregard the essay and add a 0 onto that mc score. </p>
<p>From what I know, the designation becomes important only after reaching NMF status which happens around mid February. Most colleges offering scholarships expect you to be named NMF and want you to name them as the school attending in order to obtain their unofficial full tuition or whatever else they are offering as scholarship. You may want to start loving one of the schools giving the scholarships by the time of NMF status achievement.</p>
<p>I see what you’re talking about but it is the same as her score with a zero added. (her score on this was 680 and it says 68 at the very top left hand corner with her ind. essay score.) </p>
<p>@texaspg Haha, yes, the problem is that the school she loves doesn’t give much to NMF–looks like we have to keep our options open until they start sending some offers----and then maybe learn to love UK!! A book could be written on this stuff!</p>
). So it was a bit tight, in that she had to have a pretty good idea of what she would decide if School A accepted her or rejected her, and if she had wanted to go on a waitlist, that would have been awkward. But she was able to wait until she heard from all the schools she applied to, about April 1, to make the final decision.</p>