“Does the NMC officially announce all of the cutoffs, or do they just notify NMSFs and the lists are compiled by outside sources like CC, Compass Prep, etc., based on reports about who got notified and who didn’t?”
^^^ This. There is no official cutoff announcement for states. If you call them and tell them your state, they will tell you the cutoff (in September).
The commended cutoff has already been determined to be 209. We had several parents that called and that was officially confirmed by NMS.
I agree with SuzyQ7. From my experience with D15, the HS are given the names of the kids who move on. Parents chimed in on CC with the information for their student, and the state cutoff list grew from there.
For NMSF, we got a letter in the mail. It had login information and I believe it also had the steps required for completing the requirements to move on to finalist. Some of the info the students submit. Some of the required info needs to come from the school. If the school is unfamiliar with the process, the parent may need to “help” them along.
@mtrosemom Thank you. I will need to help our school along with things if my S gets NMSF. We have not had a NMSF at our school in 20 + years according to the staff.
@Tgirlfriend, Good for your S!! Make that school work.
You can ask all those questions here come fall. I know D had to write an essay (she used part of her common app essay), send in the confirming SAT score, may have needed LORs, plus fill out info about herself. The school had to send transcripts and a counselor/principal letter (we didn’t see the letter) which probably answered the questions about what kind of a student they were, etc. I believe the NMSC is understanding if the school doesn’t get their part of the application completed on time (kid has no control), but they are not forgiving if the kids don’t get their part of the app done on time. I think there is a three week or so window to complete the semifinalist paperwork.
I also want to mention that there are a number of schools that give full tuition scholarships for NMFs. This link should be relatively up to date: http://nmfscholarships.yolasite.com/
@mtrosemom Thank you for all the information. I will be emailing and visiting that school daily to make sure they get everything turned in on time. I just hope we make it that far. Fingers crossed!!!
@Tgirlfriend Prior to 2013, semifinalists were notified and given instructions for applying for finalist via letters mailed to their homes. In fall of 2013 NM started sending letters electronically to the school instead. Theoretically these go to the principal, but at our school they go to the counselor in charge of National Merit. It is her job to access the letters on the computer, print them out, and distribute them to the semifinalists in early September. Counselors are allowed to distribute the letters immediately, but a lot of counselors don’t realize this. They misunderstand the instructions about only telling students and their families until the day the names of semifinalists are officially released to the media. They needlessly delay giving out the letters until media release day, which is usually mid-September. This is unfortunate because it makes it more difficult to meet the finalist application deadline. Luckily, NM has often extended this deadline for school counselors struggling to get their part of the applications completed.
What really concerns me is what @BunnyBlue says above. I specifically asked DD’s counselor about notification and she said the principals policy is to wait until the release date. She said that the principal follows the rules strictly. I pointed out what the instructions really say and that it puts the students at a huge disadvantage time wise (thanks to this forum, I know this) and they don’t really seem to care about doing it differently.
We moved here this past summer and can I just say that I HATE this school. So glad DD is graduating after fall.
I was just going to say that. S’s school usually gets information out quickly because they WANT the kids to succeed in achieving NMF status. It looks good for the school. I will share if we make the cutoff and get material ASAP.
Yes, sharing the essay prompt with kids who haven’t gotten their letters yet helps them get a head start too. Often one of the college app essays can be adapted for it.
Is the 209 Nationwide cutoff? My daughter got a 209 in CA, so it doesn’t sound like she will make the semifinalist cut, but wondering if she will be a commended scholar? And if so, what does that actually mean? Does she need to take the SAT still? She took the ACT and got a 32. She prefers the ACT.
Yes, 209 is nationwide, so your daughter will be a Commended Scholar. She does not have to do anything further. It is an honor and can be listed on her college applications.
According to this list, there are a couple of schools that give scholarships for commended status. For example, Liberty University full tuition, Oakwood University 80% tuition, and a couple of others.
The followup is pretty brief from the student’s perspective. I believe my son did it all in one sitting. With a head start on the essay, it should be fine. Still, it sucks that some schools withhold that info from the students.
I think all the cutoffs will be higher. At my school I know many people who scored above 215 (previous cutoff for Illinois). I scored a 1420 which a 209 so I think I will just be commended.