@srk2017 Thats what I thought, we have been getting college brochures daily but I am sure they send them to everyone who opted for the search option. How and when do we know the NMSF status?
@StressedinCA â I dont think there is any reason to approach the school. He will need to take the SAT though to âconfirmâ his qualifications for NMF-- & complete other paperwork. You could try to approach your guidance dept now about it but until NM announces in Sept. the school may be reluctant to discuss the process to go from NMSF to NMF.
From NM website:http://www.nationalmerit.org/s/1758/interior.aspx?sid=1758&gid=2&pgid=434#QA9
"How does a Semifinalist become a Finalist?
Semifinalists must fulfill several requirements, which are provided in the information they receive with their scholarship applications and are also listed in the PSAT/NMSQTÂź Official Student Guide. These include completing an application, having a consistently very high academic record, writing an essay, being endorsed and recommended by a school official, and taking the SATÂź and earning a score that confirms the PSAT/NMSQT performance. Click here to view the Requirements and Instructions for Semifinalists in the 2016 National MeritÂź Scholarship Program. For more information regarding the SAT test, please visit the website of the College Board, which cosponsors the PSAT/NMSQT. "
@CA1543 Just wanted to know when and how do we get the NMSF confirmation, he has got 2250 on SAT however his GPA is not stellar so I donât think NMF is a possibility âŠ
@StressedinCA - NMSF list will be released in September. Unless his GPA is bad, he should qualify for NMF. As @CA1543 mentioned, there are several requirements. I heard around 1000 out 16000 NMSFs usually donât become NMF due to various reasons.
@StressedinCA, NMSF status will not be known until September. Any mail you receive from schools is guess work on their part. You can access a list of schools that offer very nice scholarships (compiled by CC folk in the past) and see if any of the listed schools are of interest to your S. My S will also likely be a NMSF and, because his school is on top of it and he has no Câs, advance to finalist. The only school that has sent him NMF-specific propaganda so far is Oklahoma. However, we have made sure that we tour the honors colleges during school visits and confirm that the scholarships still exist for NMF at schools that offer them. Below is the list of full and partial scholarships:
http://nmfscholarships.yolasite.com/
Two very specific schools that targeted D3 due to national merit potential were OU and UCF. Then she has also received material from a majority of top universities and LACâs but most of them havenât mentioned NM specifically. Keep in mind that many of these schools get LOTS of NM and NM-equivalent students (very high SATâs) so they might not be targeting NMâs specifically. Rather, they might think that because your PSAT is so high it means that you will probably rock the SAT/ACT and so might be a good fit. Connecting the dots leads to the conclusion that this level of interest would signal a strong chance of NM.
Or you can take the simple route and just jump to the likely conclusion that 226 / 228 is NM in CA. Thatâs what I would do! 
Well done to your student!
226/228 should be NM in all states
Thx @Mamelot n @srk2017 , thank you for all the positivity, tho he has done so well in his PSAT and his SAT I m unable to stay positive and look beyond his pathetic GPA, hoping there will be colleges willing to look beyond the GPA and look at the student on the wholeâŠhe has awesome ECs as wellâŠ
@stressedinCA - you welcome. Out of curiosity, whatâs his current GPA? Having Câs will hurt much more than having lot of Bs.
yep hurting a lot
Having one C is fine (as my S did and became a finalist this year). I also read here a student who had two Câs and became a finalist.
My S is getting tons of stuff in the mail. The Ivy leagues are just sending regular stuff. OU, A&M and several others schools have made reference to his PSAT score/excellent SAT/ACT. 221 in Texas with a great GPA and advanced/college credit classes. 34 on ACT and 2090 on SAT but I donât see that getting him into any Ivy league schools. To be honest, that doesnât hurt my feelings either. I think if you can get a college degree with no debt I think that says a lot these days. Good luck to everyone!!
@Tgirlfriend - 34 on ACT should put your S in Ivy contention. If he seriously wants to try he should probably retake the new SAT and given his PSAT he should be able to get above 2250. I do agree that getting a degree with no debt is a better option.
It may also depend on which grade those Câs are from. 9th probably wonât count at all and 10th will hurt little bit.
On hearing from colleges â itâs been rather random in Sâs case. Heâs heard â repeatedly â from Harvard, Stanford, Yale, Columbia, Cal Tech, MIT, and others â but has NOT heard anything from the University of Oklahoma. So I would place very little from colleges that contact your D or S. They are likely robo-generated e-mails and mailings. Itâs flattering to hear from them, but donât lose sleep over any that you donât.
@srk2017 Completely agree with you. S is trying to come up with a university degree without going into debt. Thatâs why heâs looking closely at Virginia Tech, Texas A&M, University of Florida, and University of Central Florida for engineering school. The first is an in-state deal; the second provides scholarships for joining the cadet corps, and the last two offer good scholarships for OOSers (particularly UCF).
@Mamelot Yes, NHRP is through college board.
My S got a 2230 on the old SAT two years ago in june of 2014.Just took the new one.Said he felt like he had a chance at acing it.I hope so.lol!That would make daddy happy.lol!1480 220 on psat in florida.Just hoping.He would really be proud.
@snicks1234 â great scores!! The sun is shining in Florida. Yes, he should be proud.
I think zip codes have as much to do with the emails and letters as PSAT scores. My D is getting a lot more from top 20 schools (all 8 Ivies, Williams, Rice, VandyâŠ) than most of her classmates even though she has a lower score. We live in a corner of the school district that has a different zip code than most of her school and extents well into a neighboring district. Demographics of our zip code would give her a profile of a first generation URM that would receive a lot of government financial aid. Many of the mailing talk about affordability (I guess that is a common theme) but we get regular Questbridge mailings also, so I guess they think she may bring diversity.
Sorry Iâm deleting this and moving it to the parents thread⊠(wrong place!!)