<p>Somebody might want to review all these changes and updates. Florida went from 211 to 210 and then back up to 211. Somebody made a mistake somewhere.</p>
<p>Anything more definitive in Arizona? Have most schools received the results in Arizona?</p>
<p>It appears that the score for Indiana also changed without any explanation with post #539. As already suggested, it would be a good idea to review these more closely.</p>
<p>I recieved a 223 and was told I was a semifinalist. My friend got a 220 and didn’t make it. (Maryland). I was just wondering if we’d established what the cutoff was in MD quite yet . . .
Hope my info. helps!</p>
<p>I already said this but I suppose I should write this as a reply to Counting Down. I’m a Maryland resident and made the cutoff with a 223, but my friend who got a 220 did not.</p>
<p>To the mom who said that her child’s score report did not have an asterisk so she assumed that he/she qualified.</p>
<p>On the score report the “asterisk if not qualified” only refers to whether the student is the right year in school for consideration.</p>
<p>It tells you nothing about whether they qualified as a semifinalist. </p>
<p>Sorry, I’m sure that is disappointing. I hope you get good news when the announcements come out!</p>
<p>Reported results prove my point that it should not be called “National”.</p>
<p>Fixed Florida, updated MD</p>
<p>State/Class of 2010 Cutoff/Post/(Change from prior year)</p>
<p>Alaska
Alabama 208 (posts 328 and 294) (-1)
Arizona <=212 (post 315)
Arkansas <=209 (post 460)
California <=218 (post 540)
Colorado
Connecticut
Delaware
District of Columbia
Florida<=210 (post 534)
Georgia <=214 (366)
Hawaii
Idaho
Illinois <=214 (Post 407) (cutoff is 213 or 214)
Indiana <= 212 (Post 532)
Iowa
Kansas 211 (post 435) (0)
Kentucky <= 209 (post 309)
Louisiana <=208 (post 438)
Maine
Maryland >220 and <=223 (post 545)
Massachusetts <=221 (post 494)
Michigan <=209 (post 331)
Minnesota
Mississippi <= 212 (post 357)
Missouri = 211 (post 538) (-2)
Montana
Nebraska <= 211 (post 292)
Nevada
New Hampshire
New Jersey
New York
New Mexico
North Carolina
North Dakota
Ohio <=212 (post 492)
Oklahoma <=209 (post 420)
Oregon
Pennsylvania <=215 (post 437)
Rhode Island
South Carolina <=211 (post 480)
South Dakota <=205 (post 320)
Tennessee <= 213 (post 350)
Texas = 216 (post 319, 411, 537) (+1)
Utah
Vermont
Virginia
Washington <=218 (post 313)
West Virginia
Wisconsin</p>
<p>Yeah, my kid finds that living in a state that perpetually has the top qualifying scores in the country has its drawbacks. He’d have just nailed a lot of $$ if he lived elsewhere.</p>
<p>iluv11alot’s post means that the score went UP in Maryland for this year; last year, the cut-off score was 220.</p>
<p>Updates:</p>
<p>My S got the package from his GC yesterday. He needs to complete the package by September 21 and according to the package, the information in currently confidential until September 16 and the names of semifinalists will be released to news media. </p>
<p>My S got 221 and he is from Illinois. He does not know how many students made it this year yet and traditionally they had between 25 -30 students qualify every year.</p>
<p>Owlice,
S2 will be thankful he didn’t miss the cutoff by <em>one</em> point! It means MA will be at best tied for the highest score this year, unless another state really increases significantly. (Last year MA was #1 with a 221, MD #2 with a 220.)</p>
<p>He made a transposition error on one of the SPRs. Written answer was correct; the bubbled answer was transposed. %$#@ happens. He said he’s just annoyed because he really wanted to earn some scholarship $$.</p>
<p>My daughter scored a 211 in Florida and I think she made semifinalist. However, her counselor says they cannot release the information till 9/16/09. Any ideas on how I convince her that the information is being released all over the country and that it’s ok to let the students know.</p>
<p>I’d say just that. Ds’s school frustatingly sits on PSAT scores until late January, long after kids return from winter break. I can understand a bit, because in December the GCs are still dealing with college apps, but at our school kids take the PSAT in freshman and sophomore years and so by junior year they don’t need a lot of hand-holding, they just want the number! I got them to release the numbers the day kids return from winter break, so three weeks earlier than they were going to, but that wasted winter break, which we could have use researching schools that give good NMF money.</p>
<p>But in the meantime, I’d get the essay written and whatever else all lined up because you know she’s going to make it based on scores here. Congrats!</p>
<p>navarre1, maybe if you tell her this, all of which is true from what I have read: The National Merit office says the schools should give the packages to the students now so they can complete them by the deadline. That’s why they mailed them on August 25. But the school is not supposed to release names to the press yet (and that includes putting the names on the school’s website) because the National Merit office wants to release all the names at the same time AFTER the students know who they are. Maybe you could give the National Merit office phone number to the counselor to confirm that it’s ok to release packets now. And then say, "Oh, it sure would be a shame if our school doesn’t have any finalists because none of the semifinalists get the paperwork done in time. I’m afraid some of the parents will really raise a stink if their kids miss out on big scholarships!)</p>
<p>Then give her a Starbucks latte. And homemade cookies. And a European vacation. </p>
<p>Good luck. Our school hasn’t released them yet either. I wonder if they are thinking the same thing!</p>
<p>^^Navarre, agreeing with YDS. That’s ridiculous - the GC is probably reading the letter wrong - the letter specifies no MEDIA contact before that date (or close to it, I don’t have the letter in front of me).</p>
<p>Definitely have you d start on the essay and lining up her teacher rec so she’ll be good to go once she gets the packet. She can just tell the teacher she’ll need a rec for a scholarship before she finishes her college apps, and just be vague if she doesn’t want to spill the beans.</p>
<p>And I’d be happy to PM you any parts of the actual form, letter, whatever if that would help.</p>
<p>Washington, D.C. looks like a minimum of 221, but possibly could be even higher.</p>
<p>Thanks for all the advice. I called the National Merit Corp and they looked up daughters name and advised me it’s ok for the school to give the applications to the students. They would not tell me she was a semifinalist, but strongly encouraged me to have the counselor call them.</p>
<p>I got a 215 on the PSAT and I live in PA too…I think that means I will be a semifinalist. School starts on Sept. 8 for me, so I will not know till then</p>
<p>Someone mentioned researching schools that give “good NSF money”</p>
<p>Where would you find this type of info? I want my son to start researching NOW before he takes PSAT. Given his personality I think the up-front research would propel him to focus more on PSAT test taking</p>