<p>yeah so my score of 222 wasn’t high enough for the NE/Mid-Atlantic boarding schools cutoff of 225… sweet</p>
<p>if i had stayed in NC i would’ve gotten it</p>
<p>In response to a private message I got, I thought everyone might like this information. My mom called NMSC on Wednesday and asked what the Oregon cutoff was. They willing gave out this information without asking about her identity. She again called on Thursday to verify the cutoff as I didn’t get anything at school. Again they provided the information without question. Today she called because she talked to the principal and he knew nothing. She verified my name as a semifinalist and that a packet had been sent. She was told that the school could request a duplicate package. They keep track of who requests duplicates so the student is not penalized if they are late returning it. Also, if they do not receive a packet from a semifinalist they send another letter to the school. So it looks like those of us who attend schools who don’t care about anything but sports won’t be penalized. I would suggest getting a parent involved if you’ve heard nothing and think you’ve made SF. Call NMSC to find out your state’s cutoff.</p>
<p>I think the DC cutoff is set to the highest state cutoff, which would make it 224 this year.</p>
<p>Jazzyrhythms,
you have my congratulations. just forget about your school, I know you can do good in your essay</p>
<p>at least I would still have made SF in Mississippi, Oklahoma, and Arkansas.</p>
<p>Does anyone want to start a one-pointer club? Or maybe a I-wish-I-lived-in-Mississippi-club?</p>
<p>i got 219 in california and didn’t get anything from my school…should I have made it? Or is it 220+ to be a semi-finalist? the cut off for california is 219.</p>
<p>Cut-off is the minimum score needed to qualify. If you got a 219 in CA, I’d personally go & speak with your counselor and principal because you SHOULD have gotten your NMSF packet & will need to complete it by the deadlines.</p>
<p>Well, after harassing both the GC and the principal, it came to light that apparently someone threw my packet away. Even after three years at this school, the incompetence of these people still amazes me! But I thought other people might like to know that the deadlines aren’t hard and fast. Your GC can call and request a replacement packet, and NMC keeps track of this and will give you extra time. So now I get to sit and wait for the next packet to come. No one at my school congratulated me at all (though I found out through NM that I’m the only SF in the city), and the GC just acted annoyed that I was bugging her so much and said that it was “no big deal” that the packet got thrown away, since I could get another one. Let me just say that I can’t wait to get out of this school.</p>
<p>Lucy,
Congrats on persisting & finding out that indeed you are a NMSF & will be getting your replacement packet. Sorry you’re not getting the support and recognition that you deserve. Perhaps you can ask if you can mail the completed packet to NM return receipt requested, just to be sure they get it back with everything from your counselor, registrar & school so that you can be considered for advancing to NMF? At least one other poster mentioned this because they’re not quite sure if/when the materials will be sent back to NM otherwise–something to think about anyway.
In the meantime, you can work on your essay, with the prompt that was previously listed. It’s an opportunity to talk about your activities & achievements & what sets you apart.</p>
<p>Thanks for the advice, HImom. I should look into mailing the packet return receipt requested, and will start the essay soon.</p>
<p>DE is at least 219. (eg, the cutoff is 219 or less) </p>
<p>I got in with a 219 :)</p>
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<p>Concur whole-heartedly. rlvj is a gem!</p>
<p>My understanding is that semi-finalist notification is based solely on your PSAT score, and from there, as you progress towards finalist other factors such as SAT scores come into play. Is this the case? I am a senior in the high school class of '07, made a 222 in Florida, and just heard only 2 people at my school got notifications and that I wasn’t one of them. According to this thread, last years cutoff was 215 for Florida and supposedly it hasn’t changed. Will a state’s cutoff really go up 8 points in one year? …Or is it worth calling National Merit to make sure they didn’t f*** up anything?</p>
<p>You should definitely call and ask your guidance counselor–that score would qualify you in most states. Good luck!</p>
<p>Anyone know what this year’s cut-off for commended scholar is? They are still eligible for special scholarships!</p>
<h1>634 Jarred.</h1>
<p>The cutoff for Florida this year was 215, from what I understand. Call National Merit.</p>
<p>I’d also have my folks immediately contact the school principal & counselors (college & grade level). A 222 in Florida should clearly have made you a NMSF & you need to check right away, as well as calling National Merit. Good luck & post waht you learn.</p>
<p>Unfortunately, that text from the NMSC Annual Report is about all we’ve got. To summarize, here are what we believe to be the “selection units”:
–> US states: 50 selection units, with minimums apparently ranging this year (2007 Program) from 204 to 224. For state minimums, see the most recent summary table in this thread (as of today, this is post #614).
–> DC: 1 unit, usually same as the highest state, but no posting details from DC this year so don’t know. Post #621 reports one boarding school region at 225 this year, so maybe DC is 225? As in post #437, DC gets special treatment.
–> American Territories and Commonwealths: 1 unit, usually same as the lowest state
–> schools outside the US with a lot of American students: 1 unit, usually same as the highest state
–> US regions into which boarding schools are divided: ? units – we don’t know how many of these there are. There is very little detail on them, but Wayland Academy notes in an online alumni newsletter that “Our [National Merit] regional selection unit is comprised of 22 boarding schools in Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, Ohio, Texas, and Wisconsin”. Very roughly extrapolating, maybe that means there are 8 such regions, maybe 150 boarding schools? But N.B., those are complete guesses on my part. And even then, the only information ever reported to CC on their minimums is post #621 here last Friday.</p>
<p>I did check with my principal, and I am a semi-finalist.</p>
<p>Thanks for your posts. This is a 222 for Florida.</p>