<p>To keep the [thread=1427971]official thread[/thread] from becoming confused with the speculations, hopes, and questions of people obviously wanting to post numbers and discuss scores other than official NMSF cutoff scores, I suggest we post them here.</p>
<p>If you have a question about past cutoffs,
If you want to vent some steam about the long wait,
If you want an opinion about a chance for your state and score,
If you want to announce your score to the world while you wait for official word,</p>
<p>by all means, post it here instead of the official thread.</p>
<ul>
<li>Edge of my seat in Illinois with a daughter who's composite is 218.....</li>
</ul>
<p>Thank you for starting this thread, ILfather! And thank you for everything that you have done recently, like re-organizing the data chart started by another, and giving your best guestimate of the NMSF cut off score for Illinois. (Also, for replying to nervous students about their chances.) May I be nosey and ask how she did in the Writing section? Feel free not to respond if too personal. I am just wondering if the writing was easier this year, leading to a higher overall cut off. This was by far my dd’s strongest area.</p>
<p>mom2collegekids- Wasn’t it that high in 2007 when the cutoff was 203? I am another IL parent whose daughter is under 218 who is quite anxious about that one year. Although recently it has not been 218, neither has the cutoff been as high as 203.</p>
<p>It was 213 in 2007 in IL…which was down from 218 (which I had forgotten about). I don’t think it’s ever been 219 which it would have to be for ILFather’s D not to make it.</p>
<p>hey, glad this page is up. Still waiting in Pa and hi everyone! more of us should have answers by Tuesday. Glad the initial scores in iowa and ohio are not showing huge jumps when looking at those states historically over last ten years. Yes, agreed it’s a good day for college football to help get our minds off of this. We’ve had football and baseball on over here. Sure I’ll be back in touch and talk to you later</p>
<p>its basically been a torturous year long wait. although i guess if i dont get to be a semifinalist its not too big a deal since it wont offer much help at most colleges im looking into, but i just want to write it on apps and not feel like a loser when everyone gets in…
i got a 214 (not very proud of it) and minnesotas cutoff for the past three years has been 213, 213, and 215. so basically i cant help but hold on to a little ounce of hope</p>
<p>Homeschoolers in TX and the mail has arrived and nothing yet. We know we’ll be getting it as daughter scored a 226 and we lived in SD when she took the PSAT (I guess with the 226 it probably wouldn’t matter if they took residency over where the test was taken). We changed our address over summer with National Merit and got a confirmation e-mail that they received the address change and her March SAT scores. Hopefully it will be in the mailbox on Tuesday.</p>
<p>Congrats to ur daughter, mom21! Jmoney, agreed it’s been tortuous. And don’t lose sight in this process that a 214 is a great score regardless of what side of the fence that you land on. ilfather, yeah, we are in a similar boat so I hear u although I agree with the comment a 6 point jump in one year is unlikely so odds are your daughter made it. It’s a little tighter on our end but the kid is at least on the high end of the bubble for our state.</p>
<p>Thank you ILfather for creating this thread. I have some thoughts that have been building up as I await cutoff word. Fair warning to those who don’t enjoy ranting and venting: there is little constructive in what I have to say…</p>
<p>[RANT]</p>
<ol>
<li><p>How long would it take the staff to put together a page showing the state cutoffs? 10 minutes? And another 20 minutes to have two people double-check them for accuracy? How arrogant to not provide a minimum level of customer service.</p></li>
<li><p>I can only deem that the waiting is intentionally inflicted on the parents. Shame on us (me included) for giving them the power to affect us so much. Here’s an analogy:</p></li>
</ol>
<ol>
<li> As you might guess, I live in NJ. My son got a 223. If a monkey threw a dart at a map of the USA, most of the time 223 would be above cutoff for where the dart lands (and might still be for NJ). I’m sure that someone knows the history of NMS and why it is fair to do things this way, but why do we call them National Merit Scholarships? Shouldn’t they be called “50 State by State Merit Scholarships?”<br></li>
</ol>
<p>I agree, I’m in CT at a crummy-ish public school. We haven’t had a NMSF for yeeeears. I’m at a 220, which is right on the border, but from the research I’ve done it looks like the cutoff will be at least a 221 this year. I haven’t had the educational benefits that a lot of people in CT have, but I’m still being compared to them. It’s hard going to an underachieving school in an overachieving state :(</p>
<p>I think the premise is that the educational system in some states such as Massachusetts and New Jersey is better than that in the low cutoff states. I am not sure, however.</p>
<p>It is hard to understand why notifications still are done via USPS, to schools rather than to the students. Even AP scores now are available online, to the students.</p>
<p>IxnayBob, it’s a tough wait with a 223 in NJ. My kid is over 230 and I’m still unnerved by the number of students scoring 75+ in each section this year. Here’s hoping you get good news on Tuesday.</p>
<p>I totally agree with you. And, I feel your pain as a NJ parent. Normally, folks would jump with joy for the 226 my DS got on the PSAT, but living in NJ and knowing the higher scores required make me nervous too…</p>
<p>Yes the schools are supposedly better, or at least the schools have a lot of students from highly-educated families who perform very well on tests.</p>
<p>Hi, I have a 208 in Michigan. The cutoff last year was a 207, but that was the lowest that it has ever been. Does anyone have any idea if the cutoff in Michigan will go up or down this year? In hindsight I wish I had recognized the importance of the PSAT when I took it because after less than a month of study I took the SAT and got a 2300. My focus at the time was on the ACT. Had I got a 230 or even a 210 I would feel a lot more comfortable right now.</p>
IL has never been near that high. </p>
although I agree with the comment a 6 point jump in one year is unlikely so odds are your daughter made it. It’s a little tighter on our end but the kid is at least on the high end of the bubble for our state.</p>