<p>I mean, obviously it looks nice, but is it something that could make or break you?</p>
<p>I doubt that it could make it or break it. Do you know if you’re a National Merit Finalist BEFORE regular applications are sent out?</p>
<p>I was wondering the exact thing; I’m really disappointed in how I did this year - I don’t even qualify for a Commended mention. :(</p>
<p>Don’t worry about it, focus more on getting good SAT scores. National Merit just proves that you can score well on the SAT, I think it looks nice, but it’s nothing special or necessary, especially to big schools or Ivies that see it all the time and are pretty much unimpressed by it. Try to impress colleges with your essays instead, it’s way more effective.</p>