National Merit Essay/SAT varification

Paying for College
1

<p>i have 3 questions.

  1. If i got a 226 on the PSATS, what kind of score do i need on the SAT for validation? (the qualifiying score for my state if 216)
  2. The essay says 500 word limit. does it matter if we go over? mine is aobut 640 words…but i can still fit it in the given space.
  3. and also, is there such thing as sounding TOO pretentious in this essay? it feels fake.</p>
2

<p>Regarding question #2, I would follow the directions. Do they say max 500 words AND fit it in the space? Or do they say max 500 OR fit it in the space?
Regarding question #3, if it feels fake, it might sound fake. It sounds as if you think it sounds pretentious also. If you feel it is fake and pretentious, it may very well be. Maybe you could have your english teacher or GC review it with you?</p>

3

<p>well no, it says “your essay of about 500 words should be typed on this form or computer printed and affixed with nonglare tape”</p>

4

<p>‘About 500 words’ means that the essay graders don’t want to read 16,000 autobiographies. I would focus more on content than getting 499-501 words. </p>

<p>I ended up with 450 words, my friend ended up with 540 words, and our English teacher (a published writer and many-time essay grader) felt confident that we would both advance to Finalist.</p>

<p>so, content>length/shortness.</p>