2011 NMSF cut-offs and notifications for NE BS Class '12

Prep School Admissions Prep School Parents
1

<p>Hi to all whose children attend New England Boarding Schools,
How does your BS handle National Merit stuff?</p>

<p>Does anyone know what the cut-off score for this geographical region is the for kids who took PSAT Oct 2010?
The cut-off score last year was 223 for NE BS, I think (highest one in the country, if I am right).</p>

<p>All the other kids around the US (via letters to home or school) have been hearing for the last week or two.</p>

<p>We have not received anything in the mail (nothing at all from any colleges- saves trees!), but not sure if we would anyway.</p>

<p>School seems oblivious...</p>

<p>Thanks all!</p>

2

<p>223?
[National</a> Merit Scholarships](<a href=“http://www.collegeplanningsimplified.com/NationalMerit.html]National”>http://www.collegeplanningsimplified.com/NationalMerit.html)</p>

3

<p>That list is for class graduating this year/2011 for test taken in OCT 2009.</p>

<p>I am looking for the NEXT scores. For test taken Oct 2010. For those graduating next year, class 2012. These cut-offs do not get published till Aug on the website, BUT kids and school are getting the letters NOW to ask for school selections.</p>

<p>Thanks DAndrew!</p>

<p>Hoping for more help from parents of student of students at NE BS who took the test last fall.
Has anyone heard back? If so, how? What is the cut-off?</p>

4

<p>I don’t think we will hear until September. And the news comes from the schools, probably directly to the student.</p>

5

<p>So when is the deadline to respond to the letters to give the two colleges the NMS asks for now??</p>

<p>It is so weirdly silent.</p>

6

<p>In my daughter’s dorm room a week or two ago I noticed a letter about National Merit (not to snoop or anything, it was open on her desk). It wasn’t a “congratulations” type letter, just low key, “taking care of business” asking her to list some colleges for NM. She obviously hadn’t thought it important enough to mention or follow up on, so maybe your child has it sitting in a pile somewhere? I think the deadline to respond with the college names is the end of May, but I just asked her to ask her college counselor what to do (not that she’s done that yet!).</p>

<p>I don’t know the cutoff.</p>

7

<p>I don’t remember that deadline either, but the end of May sounds right. That letter doesn’t mean they are semi-finalists though, it is sent to top scoring students (I forget how many) but some of those do not make the cut off. It is just to notify two colleges of the students choice that they are high scorers and are interested in such and such college.</p>

8

<p>The letter is sent to everyone who scores 200+ on the PSAT. It does not add any weight in the admission process if you apply to the named school. The student will just receive more targeted informatin from the named schools.</p>

<p>I think most of those letters go in the trash bin.</p>

9

<p>Ok, I am really confused.
Haven’t heard anything from my D or her school- she scored well over 200, so…?!</p>

<p>So,
When do the SF notification letters go out to the individual students/school?? Do these also ask for top two colleges? [mazewander would know this]</p>

<p>Anyone know how that works at the BS?? [not in mazewander’s purview most likely]</p>

10

<p>I don’t have any answers, but here’s a link to a discussion elsewhere (I googled Mazewander because I didn’t know who you meant, and it led me here):</p>

<p><a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/national-merit-scholarships/1103731-how-choose-your-first-choice-college-national-merit-purposes.html[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/national-merit-scholarships/1103731-how-choose-your-first-choice-college-national-merit-purposes.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

<p>It seems that picking the first choice college is not so important in that it can be changed up to nearly a year from now. Of course, you still will want to track down the missing letter.</p>

11

<p>D should have gotten a letter as well. Apparently they are sent to the school and forwarded on to the student. My D checks her mailbox at school once every few months, so it might be sitting there. Nothing has come home. GC thought it was not that helpful to send the scores, but we might send it to two on her list where showing interest is important to them. That is if it ever turns up. LOL!</p>

12

<p>Thank, 1012mom!</p>

13

<p>@performersmom</p>

<p>DD finally checked the mailbox at school. Found the letter - dated April 11!</p>

14

<p>A few notes on NM:</p>

<p>NM groups boarding schools by region, and the cutoff is the highest scoring state within that region. There is a group that consists of New England and Mid-Atlantic states. Often the highest scoring state is MA, but a few years ago it was MD. If the boarding school has a high day student population with a high number of students from the state it is in, it is assigned the cutoff for the state it is in. For example, Loomis Chaffee has the CT cutoff.</p>

<p>Around August when people start to become aware of Semi-Finalist status, someone on CC starts a thread like this <a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/national-merit-scholarships/986427-cut-off-scores-semi-finalist-announcements.html[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/national-merit-scholarships/986427-cut-off-scores-semi-finalist-announcements.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

<p>If your DC is a semi-finalist, it helps to acquaint yourself with information like this <a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/national-merit-scholarships/649276-nmf-scholarships-updated-compilation.html[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/national-merit-scholarships/649276-nmf-scholarships-updated-compilation.html&lt;/a&gt; I think National Merit publishes a compilation of colleges that give NM scholarships that includes how many scholarships they give. I think it is for the year before, not the current year. </p>

<p>If your DC’s first choice college is not on the list, it is still possible to awarded $2500 (one time) from NM. If your DC’s first choice is on the list, then it should be listed as the first choice college. </p>

<p>If my memory is correct, most semi-finalists achieve finalist status. Receiving an award is more difficult if first choices are very competitive. </p>

<p>There are some colleges that still give full rides to finalists. Offers are sent directly to your DC, so be certain they are passed along to you.</p>

<p>If your DC is within the competitive New England/Mid-Atlantic region, it is possible to score 99% on the PSAT but not score high enough to be a semi-finalist.</p>

<p>I don’t think the top 2 colleges letter carries much weight, but my suggestion is to send it to colleges that your DC is considering and that put weight on interest shown.
Generally, these are the colleges that like visits and interviews. Your DC’s final choice can be different. </p>

<p>Good luck to all of you!</p>

15

<p>There’s a cut-off date – for National Merit qualifiers to have their scores sent to two colleges – and there’s a cut-off score for determining which National Merit qualifiers make it as Semi-Finalists.</p>

<p>The cut-off date, which is applicable to all *qualifiers<a href=“the%20top%201/3%20of%20all%20scorers,%20I%20believe”>/I</a> is sometime very soon. You don’t have to be a NMSF to order the PSAT score to be sent to the two colleges. That notice came only from the school and was given to my S. No mailing from PSAT/NMSQT to the house. So it was up to him to follow up on that.</p>

<p>The cut-off scores come out later. The schools seem to learn ahead of the students. Some schools keep the information closely guarded. Others share it freely with students. But that’s in September. And the cut-off scores don’t vary all that much from year-to-year.</p>

<p>It sounds like you (the OP) are inquiring about the cut-off date for identifying the two colleges. I recall that being a late May date.</p>

<p>We viewed that as an opportunity for S to demonstrate interest early on to two colleges that we knew that S would not have a chance to visit. I don’t think the most highly competitive colleges give a flip about getting these scores early. You can always self-report them on the college application and they don’t hold it against an applicant if they weren’t one of the top two choices in May of junior year. So we advised S to not bother sending to those colleges and, instead, to send his PSAT score to two of the less competitive colleges on his list that he was unlikely to visit…because “interest” does matter at those schools and it might help establish that his interest is genuine. </p>

<p>This is one of those things that, as I look back on it, seemed very significant at the time and, in retrospect, probably meant little to nothing in terms of outcomes. But what else is going on in terms of college admissions right now? Where to send the score is the one and only thing…so it seems important. But it’s not. If the deadline has slipped by it’s no big deal.</p>

<p>I actually have no idea which ones he chose. At the time you kind of (irrationally) hope that a college will be so impressed that they write back with a letter offering a full scholarship. You know it won’t happen, but you still hope it does.</p>

<p>The Semi-Finalist distinction is more impressive…but again, saying someone is a NMSF is just a different way of articulating the score on a test taken in October of junior year. The SAT/ACT score is more important. As are the other elements required of applicants. This is good news, but it’s still just icing.</p>

<p>[**EDIT: **If you don’t have such a letter, your child is not aware of having been given one, and the school is oblivious to it, there’s a good chance that your child wasn’t a National Merit qualifier. But let’s say, for argument’s sake, that this deadline is slipping away and the letter got lost somewhere. It is NOT important in the whole scheme of things. Sending these scores is a very minor matter. If your child’s score was impressive, your child can indicate the score on the application. And not getting this letter does not impact the Semi-Finalist process at all.]</p>

16

<p>Letter received by D a week ago at BS.
Means she is “commended”.
Her scores would qualify based on even the highest cut-off last year for SF, but we will have to wait till Sept to know if she will qualify for it this year.
Sent this info to two colleges on her list that like to see “interest”.
Thanks All!!</p>