<p>@Wolverine86: I think you’ve made a lot of assumptions and misinterpreted what I wrote.</p>
<p>Let me be clear about this. The way I feel about the scholarship program has no bearing at all on the way I feel about students who earned that scholarship.</p>
<p>If you’re a student who has received NMS designation, good for you. Pat yourself on the back. You’re a good standardized test-taker. If a school wants to give you a bunch of money to matriculate, take advantage of it…or at least choose the best college option for you.</p>
<p>If you’re a student who missed the NMS cut-off in your state by the slimmest of margins, don’t feel bad. It’s not a big deal. Top-tier schools don’t care. Presumably your SAT score will be very good (perhaps better than your PSAT score), and you’ll do fairly well in the college admissions process.</p>
<p>The NMS selection process should be made more transparent. It is not strictly merit-based, which is what its name implies.</p>
<p>Oh, by the way, I received the NMF designation many years ago…and, yeah, my undergrad campus was filled with other NMFs. It doesn’t change the way I feel about the flawed NMS selection process.</p>
<p>Have a great day! :-)</p>