Remember SI for SAT is (EW x2 plus math ) divided by 10
To all - there are several threads from last year regarding schools that offer full rides or full tuition. My personal preference - Arizona State. Feel free to shoot me questions. Easy to graduate in 4 years. My NMF will graduate in 4 with a Masters is Computer Science due to good AP credit policy. Tuition is fully covered plus, if you join the Barrett Honors College, there is travel and research money available. So, you are on the hook for room and board.
Just wondering, now that the Semifinalists are all named, has anyone son/daughter received any offers from schools BECAUSE of that status that they were not expecting? I have done so much research in the past year on what schools offer the NM big scholarships, which schools offer good merit in general, etc. but had always wondered if maybe we would be pleasantly surprised by a Top 20 school knocking on our door after the Semifinalists were confirmed and offering something amazing we didn’t know about and begging my daughter to go!!! That hasn’t happened at my house and the schools we have identified are still the ones in the running with nobody popping up out of the blue yet…just wondering if anyone has had NEW offers/correspondence since the 9/12 release? I’m obviously not referring to the schools that we already know of offering the full rides…
We seem to receive more marketing mailings from colleges than before (at this point the grand total of them could probably make a recycling plant run for a while), but maybe it’s just the season.
Are y’all having your kids send a follow up email or notification to colleges they have already applied to? Or do we just figure they will know our kids are NMSF? It seems like they already know because of mailings but do you think they flag their application or it shows up in the applications somehow? My daughter is so busy with school this quarter. I hate to hound her about sending follow up emails right now if they really aren’t necessary.
@FrozenMaineMom Nothing has popped up in snail mail. D19 said there was one new college (that is known for NMF $) in email, but didn’t mention specifics.
@TXRunningMom D19 waited on one app specifically because it had a “are you a NMSF” question. She has not sent anything to the (two) schools she applied to before finding out her SF status, but she has an honors app still to do for one of them and dropped the other from her consideration list.
If the apps are RD and not EA or ED, I’d confirm with the school counselor that they will include a note on the midterm grade report about being a NMSF.
If they are EA or ED and you think it might be helpful for admissions, I’d have your S or D draft an email to admissions with the updated info. (But, don’t just take my word for it. The school counselor should have an opinion, too.)
Any idea if the high school sends their materials (like the letter of rec) in electronically or by regular mail?
Anyone know around when we will hear if we NMF?
@kforty2 The HS sends their portion electronically.
@hayisforhorse Our D16 was notified via snail mail the second week of February.
Thanks @Wlmom94! I was hoping it would be sent electronically since the LOR may come down to the last minute.
@Reebtoor Last year my daughter received a ton of texts and emails and digital stuff, not as much snail mail as you would think. Most kids don’t read it anyway.
Are y’all doing the FAFSA? Is it necessary if your kid attends a NM scholarship school?
@FrozenMaineMom @Phlipper The one email was from UTD. She didn’t give a mobile number, so snailmail and email are the only choices. (She often gets the same thing in email & snailmail.) This fall, before the announcement, she changed her College Board and ACT options to opt out of Student Search, so her contact info shouldn’t be going to any new colleges. (Colleges that already have her info are still free to send her stuff, but the CB shouldn’t be selling her info after the date of her opt out.) I wonder if that contributes to not getting much. Neither of us mind. I can’t think of a single helpful piece of college junk mail (e-mail or snailmail) that has been helpful in this whole search-for-a-college journey.
@kforty2 We are hopeful the app gets submitted on time, but we’ve heard that NM is forgiving of a slight delay (of a day or two) if it is the school’s fault.
How did others fill out the activities section for things like a 2 week summer camp? I think the form says hours/week.
For example for those 2 weeks, it was 50 hours a week. But do they want kids to average that into a whole year? Or should my son put 50 hours/2 weeks, or 100 hours/2 weeks. Just overthinking it here…
@TXRunningMom - most schools will still require a FAFSA. My DS is a NMS at Arizona State. They offer a big scholarship that is internal, but called “National Merit Scholars”. The actual college NMSC portion is $500/semester. I think most of the big schools structure the scholarship in a similar fashion. At ASU, step 1 is “complete the FAFSA”.
@usma87 - thanks for this confirmation. My husband was complaining the whole time since we know we won’t qualify for any aid. I kept telling him that many scholarships will require it regardless. In the end, despite complicated finances, it was very easy to fill out and submit. Maybe 45 minutes and would have been shorter if we didn’t have to look up some very basic beginner type questions.
I’m confused about how to submit the NM application. My daughter has filled out the application (I’m viewing through the parent view). Does her view have a way to hit “submit”? Also, how do we know if the school has done their part? Is there a way to see a checklist in her view for that? I’m getting nervous about the deadline and the principal is out of town till Tuesday!
Yes, there is a place to hit “submit” once she has entered everything including essay. Once she does that then the school has to do their part and submit prior to next Friday I believe. Here is what the email said that I received once my daughter hit “submit”:
Your National Merit Scholarship Application has been submitted to your high school official. The high school official must take the final step of transmitting the application to NMSC. Please note the link to the Competition Instructions, the PDF of your application, your current first-choice college, your Semifinalist Identification number, and your Selection Unit #. Do not reply to this e-mail. If you have any questions or concerns, please contact the Scholarship Administration department at NMSC by calling (847) 866-5100.
@FrozenMaineMom , this is very helpful! Thank you! Does the school do everything electronically for this? Or do they snail mail stuff? I’m worried about that deadline!!
@TXRunningMom my daughter asked her counselor yesterday if they had done their part and the counselor answered that “she has done her part and submitted and is now just waiting for administration to do their part”. So I am guessing that means the counselor had to put in letter of recommendation or transcripts but the principal needs to submit their blessing too? I’m sure it says in the official instructions what the school is responsible for but I cannot remember! I think we all need to make sure next week that they do whatever they need to do as I cannot imagine missing out on the date because the school was delinquent 
But definitely if your student has NOT completed their part then they need to do that ASAP.