<p>Personally, I thought NMSC was silly when I learned about it, and having gotten it I still think it’s silly.</p>
<p>Getting a high PSAT score and qualifying to be a Finalist is indicative of a strong student. But I think a number of stronger students are unfairly eliminated when they might have significantly higher achievements academically and in other facets of their lives.</p>
<p>I should probably clarify my opening statement; NMSC can choose whatever method they’d like to distribute a scholarship. Every scholarship has to start eliminating based on their own criteria. What I don’t agree with is being offered full rides or seriously lowered costs at many schools because of it. I wish colleges would offer all the funds they put into NMFs to the general admissions to be determined solely by merit. Instead they fight for Finalists so they can boast how many they have.</p>
<p>All Finalists are good students, but not all exceptional students are Finalists.</p>
<p>(Also, I agree the by-state thing isn’t very fair. You could live in a rural middle-of-nowhere town, but if their is a major city in your state, you get no consideration for you achievement based on your available resources.)</p>
<p>~~~
To OP, I don’t think the really top-tier schools hold it against you. They’ll attract enough NFs without giving them preferential admissions. If you have strong SATs, GPA, and ECs, you have just as good a shot as any of them.</p>