The letters wentt out to the schools last week so most already have the info and the certificates in hand. Our school misunderstands NM directions so holds off notifying students. Quite annoying IMHO. Is less useful to student if they don’t learn until everything is done w college applications.
USPS informed delivery indicates mail from NMSC will be delivered today.
“Was there any date on when we could tell people outside the family on the family letter? I remember there was a date for the media release on the semi finalist letter.”
@KrisNightcore not sure if anyone answered your question. No date this time around. When the school receives the info on their finalists, the school is free to share with the finalists, and anyone and everyone for that matter. Including the media if they want. Ditto for the finalists.
The date for the NMSF round was to prevent the school or the finalists from broadcasting anything prior to the date the NMSC released to the media. NMSC doesn’t send anything to the media for the NMF round. They let the schools do that if they want to.
“Does your dream school (not sponsoring NM scholarship) get notified by NM that you list it as college of choice? Will it help the admission decision, or is it really irrelevant?”
@netopspin my read is on March 1 they only notify schools on their list of colleges that offer college-sponsored awards (“sponsor colleges”). So if dream school is a sponsor college, they will be notified, but if not a sponsor college no notification. Either way I think I would self report to the school if they allow you to do that, in case they will consider in the admission decision.
@LOUKYDAD You keep reiterating the fact that those who choose to opt out of going to HUGE state colleges that tend to be impersonal and not a good match for some kids (note- hubby and I BOTH went to HUGE state colleges, so we know what we are talking about) should check their privilege. We are pretty low income (EFC is REALLY low, by anyone’s standards and both hubby and I are self-employed, so some years are worse than others), so if you think that’s privilege, then so be it. My son got to go to an excellent private day school for four years not because of our “privilege” but because he was so academically and athletically strong, they were willing to give him a HUGE financial aid package (need-based) to have him at the school. Again, if you consider our son working his butt off to get the best education a kid in our area can get a “privilege,” then so be it. And he is not choosing to go to a huge state school super far away from home because, quite frankly, he’s got a great chance to get into colleges much closer to home with HUGE financial aid grants, where yes, we will all have to pay some amount and he might have to take some loans, but he will be able to row competitively and will be close enough to home to take a train for nominal cost whenever he wants to. And if that is “privilege,” again, so be it. But please do not say it in a way that seems condescending and judgmental. My son has worked harder than almost any teenager I know for four years now, doubling sports, taking more high-level classes than his school normally allows (with permission from the administration), volunteering hours of his limited free time to help students in need. etc. etc, etc. Everything he has achieved, he has done so out of his own blood, sweat, and tears. Nothing has been given to him that he hasn’t earned a hundred times over. And to call hard work and dedication “privilege” just because he is choosing not to go to a huge college super far away from home is really hurtful and devalues everything my son has worked so very hard for.
No paid prep for my son - I am a trained test prep tutor and I he chose not to prep with me. I only gave him some pointers right before taking the ACT. He did literally one practice test each for both the ACT and SAT (free from the companies), and I bought him ONE book for SAT prep (which he hardly even touched). He did ZERO prep for the PSAT. He did prep a bit for the SAT subject tests, but that was all through a $12 book I bought on Amazon. He chose not to prep with me (I think I traumatized him after the test prep for the SSATs when he was going through the prep school admissions process).
Informed delivery says I have NMSC letters coming today, Northern CA
Good grief. I haven’t “reiterated” anything. It was a single brief comment. Someone asked me to explain it, so I did, again briefly. My original comment was only about previous comments that I perceived as denigrating the value of being named an NMF. I thought it was rude to come into a thread where people are celebrating an accomplishment and do that.
I was addressing the attitude I have seen on CC about NMF from folks targeting only elite schools. The “nearly everyone at my target schools are NMF so I don’t even know if I will mess with the paperwork” crowd. It really doesn’t bother me if people look at it that way. That’s there prerogative. But if they do they should be nice enough not to make little remarks about it in a thread like this one where people are celebrating something that is going to make a big difference to another poster in a different situation.
That’s all I meant. When I said it’s fine if you had another option that works better for you, I meant exactly that. It’s perfectly fine. But be aware enough of your privilege not to denigrate what is a great opportunity and honor to someone else.
@LOUKYDAD , I think the problem is the phrase you used, “check your privilege”, is a well known pejorative frequently used in class warfare type discussions. I took you at your word when you explained you did not mean that. It may not have been your intent but it has independent incendiary value despite that fact.
On the other side, I did not notice anyone denigrating the colleges that generously base their merit awards on the NMF. In fact I would think every single parent would be happy to have that as an option, and that’s what I saw expressed here. It’s just not the right decision for every family, and I don’t think someone pointing that out denigrates anything at all.
@Postmodern, perhaps you missed the comments in this thread denigrating NMF as “worthless”. Not every single parent on this thread is happy to have a large NMF scholarship as an option; multiple posters complain that NMF isn’t worth anything because their student isn’t going to get a large scholarship out of it.
To be clear, that is just a few posters and it was my understanding that those are the ones @LOUKYDAD was referring to. There are plenty of posters whose students will not receive large NMF scholarships but are still happy about the award and do not consider NMF to be worthless just because their student won’t get money for it.
@Postmodern I know, I get it. The trol (me I guess 
) has retreated back under the bridge now. Please carry on.
Just got call from ds. GC gave him the news. NMF in Olathe, Kansas.
Son just got the letter from National Merit today, in Western NYS! He’s a finalist!
DD was called into the headmasters office. All 8 of the NMSFs at her school proceeded to NMF.
Finalist in NC! I received a letter at home (nothing from my school).
Informed Delivery has NMS mail coming in down here in Houston.
NMF here in Washington state! S18 got the letter at home and the counselor just emailed a few minutes ago that he went to the office for a few things and confirmed he has a certificate for S18. Yay!!
DD got letter at home in western PA today. Not a peep from guidance or principal. Grateful that wait is over
Son 18 is “in” here in Mississippi based on mail to our home. Things get political here in this state so I had to sweat it a little. LOL Should he get accepted to a top tier school to which he has applied, he must then decide where to attend. Currently, his top choice of several schools which he has been accepted is UCF. I fully support it! If he attends an Ivy league then I will be forever grateful to NMSP for the opportunity to attend UCF and others fine universities at affordable rates. The award is what he makes of it. I have two other younger children who have set several World Age records etc. in long distance running. It is widely known in my household that this NMF status is by far the greatest accomplishment so far awarded to my children. In the end NMF status holds whatever esteem you assign it. In my household, it is the peak. I couldn’t be prouder. “Damn the torpedo’s, full speed ahead!” :))
Son got finalist confirmation letter today. So excited for him and everyone. Congrats! We’re in Arlington, Tx