***2018 National Merit Finalist Thread****

NMSC wasn’t closed today, since I called them this morning and got through, but they are closed right now. The office will be open tomorrow though.

@peachgiraffe, what state are you in?

@Kayak24, I’d have D visit the GC first thing in the morning!

NMSC will likely give a grace period to anyone who wasn’t notified by his/her GC. This happens every year to someone. Call NMSC tomorrow first thing as they will tell you whether you are NMSF.

Also, @Kayak24, they understand that some schools for whatever reason don’t meet the deadlines and don’t withhold finalist standing from someone just based on that. Call them to make sure, and be sure that your D checks in with her GC to see if there’s anything else she can provide to help the process along (a nice way of reminding them to get a move-on). Could also be that it’s submitted but because they are closed that doesn’t register on the website for some reason.

@suzy100 I am in NH!

@ShrimpBurrito @Kayak24
Thank you for your help! I plan on calling them as soon as I can, right after school (2:30). I have also asked my guidance counselor to call and have PMed jswani. Thank you for all of your help so far! I will be sure to keep you posted.

That is good to hear that there may be a grace period, I am really hoping that my school can still manage to get the application in on time if I indeed qualify.

@peachgiraffe - apologize if you’ve answered this already upthread but by any chance are you in a boarding school in NH?

@JBStillFlying
No, I attend a small public school in NH. Do boarding schools generally receive later results?

@peachgiraffe Boarding schools have higher state cut offs.

Is there anyone else who may have the NH list of NMSF? Thank you guys for all of your help so far!

Good news! My gc called me down to her office this morning to give me the form. I’m not sure what the reason for the delay was, but I will hopefully now have adequate time to complete the application, etc. Thank you so much everyone for all of your help and concern!

@peachgiraffe, so glad you finally got the info but time is tight! I hope your GC knows this is due tomorrow. If not, let her know ASAP! You will have to write an essay, but hopefully you’ve got one already written that will fit. Good luck to you!

@peachgiraffe I would still call NMSC and explain the situation. And send your confirming SAT scores ASAP if you haven’t already! I’m happy that you are on the road to getting this resolved.

@suzy100 @kcheves
Thank you! My guidance counselor knows about the deadline and is calling NMSC today. I will definitely call them today to explain. Thank you for the reminder about sending in SAT scores as well!

I am hoping that I can scrape together something for the essay from past material I have written. The prompt seems pretty straightforward. Is it a very central component to determining my finalist eligibility?

@peachgiraffe at #231 - not so much for finalist but perhaps for a scholarship from NMSC. The good news is that you can probably re-tool one of your current college essays to answer the prompt since it’s pretty generic.

Smart to call NMSC because you want to make sure they are aware of your situation. Fortunately, the SAT isn’t due till end of 2017 though if you have a sufficiently high score just go ahead and send that along this week.

Good luck to you!

@JBStillFlying

That is good to hear, I think that I can refactor my common app essay to make it work for the prompt.

I will definitely call as soon as school lets out to ensure everything works out smoothly. Thank you again for all of your advice!

I called NMSC today. They haven’t yet received my D’s school portion of the application but assured me that nothing will happen if the deadline is missed by the school. The rep explained that they will not penalize the Semifinalist for the actions of the school and told me not to worry about it.

S’s application has been submitted, the school’s part has been turned in, and they confirmed that they have his SAT score. Huzzah!

Now the wait until February. We find out in February, right? Do they notify the school or the family? Letter, phone call? What should we be watching for?

From last year’s worry thread, it looks like letters go out first to kids that don’t make finalist. A few get calls asking them to verify information - e.g. confirm Dad’s employment if his employer grants a scholarship through NMSC. Finalists are notified through the school in mid-February.

http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/national-merit-scholarships/1954901-the-no-news-is-good-news-nmf-rejection-acceptance-worry-thread-class-of-2017.html#latest

From last year’s worry thread, it looks like letters go out first to kids that don’t make finalist. A few get calls asking them to verify information - e.g. confirm Dad’s employment if his employer grants a scholarship through NMSC. Finalists are notified through the school, but can call NMSC for their status after the announcement date.

http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/national-merit-scholarships/1954901-the-no-news-is-good-news-nmf-rejection-acceptance-worry-thread-class-of-2017.html#latest

When is the deadline for school officials to submit their portion?

The deadline for schools is tomorrow. If the school is late but the kid’s portion is done, it will not hurt the kid’s chances.