national merit scholarship finalist program

R.Aster
Mon, 17 Mar 2008 08:55:22 +0000

I was asking about the NM college designation thing to try to figure out who NYU was querying.

NMSC was supposed to send out a list 3/1 to colleges of NMFs who had selected them as first choice. So NYU would know those names for sure and not need to send the email.

Another set of names would be those who noted on their apps that they were NM semi-finalists. I think NM also had sent out the SF list to all colleges. So that is a second set who they did have to query to validate that they succesfully moved up to finalist.

And the third set is just good candidates who they are thinking of giving merit aid or honors to.

They seem to have sent the email to the at least the second and third sets.

All this folderol would presumably be done so they can accurately assign NMFs to the Baird program which seems to be reserved exclusively for them while giving other honors to the other candidates.

Just some inferences from the responses here and the discussion of last year’s Baird letter above.

RA

PS I talked to nice person in the NYU finaid office about three weeks ago and she assured me that even if NYU is NOT designated as first choice initially, NYU and NMSC will allow (and require) re-designation to NYU to get the scholarship money. She said this can be done AFTER invitation to the Baird program. Please do not take this as gospel – I do not have this in writing. YMMV. Please contact NYU directly if this may affect you.