<p>Unless this year is different from past years, the rigor of coursework makes no difference. With about 90% of NMSF moving on to Finalist, they aren’t putting a lot of time into analyzing things like that. From what I have heard from people who know a great deal about the process, they are looking for a decent rec from your school, a passable essay, a qualifying SAT score, all As and Bs (maybe one C) and an overall GPA of 3.5 or greater.</p>