<p>I don’t think there is a “minimum SAT score” - It should just be around your score’s range. I have been wondering about the other 3 questions as well, though. “Clear as mud” is a very good way to describe the NM site ;p</p>
<p>Not quite mud, but mousse comes to mind when you talk to them.</p>
<p>Let me know if I’m wrong, but the links that have been posted are still for the 2009 program, not 2010. I went to the website and it has not been updated either, as far as I can tell.</p>
<p>I posted something at post 347 about what I was told the SAT scores had to be.</p>
<p>Most SF move on to be a finalist. From what I have heard the common reasons why one does not move include </p>
<p>1) Failure to submit form (it apparently does happen), </p>
<p>2) Bad grades (like several F’s) or poor SAT scores (not sure what the cut off is but should be lower than what most applicants have) </p>
<p>3) No endorsement from the high school (for example that the student has criminal conviction or some other character issue) etc. </p>
<p>Hence about 90% move on to be a finalist. Once you get to be a finalist, a lot depends upon your choices. For example if you choose to go to a college that offers NM scholarship, then that college can decide how they want to give awards. Similarly if your parent’s employer offers scholarships then they have their own rules. Boeing, for example will offer scholarships to all finalists whose parent works for Boeing, so they offered 71 scholarships in 2008. This is very generous and Bill Gates for example got the NMS from Boeing. Other companies may choose from eligible students as they have a limited number of scholarships. For the rest (those who do not have a scholarship from some other source), NSMC will evaluate the applications based on the entire portfolio (grades, essay, recommendations etc.) like any other scholarship application. I hope this clears up the mud a little bit.</p>
<p>Thanks Barfly (post 347): PSAT and SAT
"MaryTN, I talked to the National Merit office last spring about what score would be needed on the SAT to advance. The reason I called them was because my son’s PSAT was above last year’s cutoff, but his SAT was below the predicted score. That National Merit office told me: last year’s Texas PSAT cutoff score was 215 and then she told me the SAT cutoff. I think what she said was to take the PSAT cutoff, subtact 20 and multiply by 10. (I didn’t write it down because I figured my son was probably safe). So a 215 state cutoff would require a 1950 on the SAT. And she said there would be time to retake the SAT after receiving the semifinalist packet. "</p>
<p>The most current list of cutoff scores shows MD with a 221. The thread refers to post #655. Although the post says that MD may have the highest qualifying score, no number is given. Did I miss something? FYI, my daughter made it in MD with a 222.</p>
<p>Can someone explain something to me please?</p>
<p>I thought the National Merit Scholarship Corp. was paying for the scholarships, but what I am reading here leads me to believe that they either don’t or that some colleges do their own version of the NM scholarship and/or that some companies do their own using the NM winner lists.</p>
<p>What I mean is: if someone qualifies for a NM scholarship, why would Yale, for example, NOT accept that scholarship money to help toward tuition?</p>
<p>OK, this is how it works. National Merit Corporation has donations of its own (from corporations, funds etc.) and they offer about 2500 scholarships with their own money. Now some colleges will offer money for the finalists who decide to go to that institution. So let us say Oklahoma wants to attract some good students and they offer a generous scholarship for any national merit finalist who wishes to go U. of Oklahoma. Those who accept this offer are National Merit Scholarship winners but the scholarship is actually coming from U of O. </p>
<p>Then companies give scholarships. So let us say that the child’s parent works for Boeing or any of the many companies in the list. So in this case the child also a NMS winner but got the scholarship money from employer and in most cases can go to any college (For example the paper technology scholarship is only for those who want to study paper technology but such restrictions are few). In most cases the student can go to Yale or any college and Yale will accept the amount, but Yale or the other college will not pay anything towards the National Merit scholarship. </p>
<p>Finally, NMSC gives scholarships from their own funds and the students can use it any college of their choice. So in fact Harvard has many NMS winners but Harvard does not give them the a NM scholarship, the student uses the NMS from another source to fund their Harvard education. </p>
<p>A student can get a scholarship from only one NMS source (if they get it from a college they cannot get the NMSC scholarship from NMSC’s own funds). Hope this clears it up</p>
<p>^^^^The National Merit Corp does offer a scholarship. I think it’s $10,000 paid out over 4 years. The real money, for our family anyway, is from those colleges that offer full tuition or more to all National Merit Finalist. Some colleges, probably like Yale, don’t offer any money to National Merit Finalist.</p>
<p>Thanks for the explanations. For awards from colleges, I guess it comes with an RD acceptance package. If you go ED, a finalist can only get awards from NM or a corporation – not from a college. Correct? And if a semi-finalist applies EA, there will be no award from that EA college. Correct? Or could a finalist who is accepted EA put that college down as top choice and get an award post acceptance. Could an ED accepted finalist designate the ED college as top choice and get an award retroactive to acceptance?</p>
<p>This is from the PSAT Bulletin from last year:</p>
<p><a href=“http://www.nationalmerit.org/student_guide.pdf[/url]”>http://www.nationalmerit.org/student_guide.pdf</a></p>
<p>The $2500 scholarship is a one-time scholarship. Those schools which provide $500 scholarships are renewable for 4 years. There are also NM scholarships for those who are not finalists.</p>
<p>What schools offer full rides for a NMF?</p>
<p>I understand many people have questions about what options you have if you make finalist status. My S is in one of the states with no reports on SF cutoff (Colorado). I would love to hear from people in the missing states.</p>
<p>Answering post 731 and 732. stny is right that the NMSC scholarship from their own funds is a one time $2500 award. However colleges can offer any amount in any way they want. University of Oklahoma offers $87000 for out of state students over 4 years. Not all colleges that are generous and every college is different. Some offer only $500, others more, so you need to check with the college of your choice as to what they offer. (see for example <a href=“http://www.ou.edu/go2/home/nationalmerit/non-oklahoma_residents.html[/url]”>http://www.ou.edu/go2/home/nationalmerit/non-oklahoma_residents.html</a>)</p>
<p>To answer Burb Parent: If you go the ED route you can still get a NMS from the college you went ED from, but then your options are limited. You have to accept the college even if they do not offer NMS or they do not offer you NMS. Most of the colleges with ED do not offer NMS as far as I know but I may be wrong. The problem with ED is that the scholarship decision is made after the ED, and hence you should be prepared to take the chance. So my suggestion would be to check with the colleges you have in mind, do they offer NMS scholarships and how are they awarded. All colleges will accept NMS if you get it from another source. And, yes you can designate a college as first choice after the ED so as to be considered for NMS from that school if they offer it. Hope this helps.</p>
<p>The semi-finalists haven’t been announced yet correct?</p>
<p>An0maly, this thread in the finaid forum has info about full ride and full tuition schools for finalists:</p>
<p><a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/financial-aid-scholarships/649276-nmf-scholarships-updated-compilation.html[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/financial-aid-scholarships/649276-nmf-scholarships-updated-compilation.html</a></p>
<p>minijicha91, not officially</p>
<p>Anyone from Maine???</p>
<p>Thanks annoyingdad. That helps a lot.</p>
<p>Also, no letter in FL for me yet. Hopefully I find out tomorrow.</p>