@kforty2 This is my question as well – the process for receiving Benacquisto at Miami as an OOS student. Any wisdom out there from the group: when UM would need to be listed as 1st choice and any other hoops?
@kforty2 @TwoBirdsFlying , when my son was applying to Miami last year I was able to obtain very specific answers to Benacquisto questions by emailing his regional admissions rep (which you can find on their admissions web site). It took a little back and forth bc the OOS program was so new, but I eventually got a detailed response.
thank you!
My son got his finalist letter by mail yesterday. We live in Maryland
My daughter is a NMF, and has not yet chosen a “1st choice” school, as she is still waiting to hear from numerous schools that typically report in mid to late march. My understanding is that on March 1st, the National Merit Corp. will send out to colleges the names of students that have chosen them “1st choice”. My question is whether or not that information might impact admissions decisions at schools that are still deliberating. Any information on that?
@Was2be – NMSC will send out lists in multiple waves from March 1st through May 31st. It is highly unlikely that admission decisions at any school would be based on whether or not they are listed as a first choice. Those lists are only supposed to be used to determine who is getting a school sponsored scholarship, or to give the school an idea regarding how many National Merit Scholars they will be enrolling next year, not to make admission decisions. Schools only see the kids that have listed them as a first choice; they do not see whether a particular kid is undecided, or listed another school as a first choice.
In the end, since you can only list one school as a first choice, does it really matter, if you are waiting to hear from multiple schools? Also, how reasonable is it to expect a kid to list a school as a first choice if that school hasn’t even admitted the kid yet, and to then use that information to make an admission decision?
Finally, you haven’t mentioned which schools you are waiting for, but many of the schools that don’t issue decisions until the time frame you mentioned are highly competitive, and they tend to not care about NM status at all when making decisions, let alone whether they were named as a first choice.
It really doesn’t make sense to list a first choice until you are ready to do so, unless a particular school only gives out a limited number of national merit scholarships and they ask you to list them by March 1st (or anytime before May 1st) in order to be eligible to receive one. Ultimately, if your kid doesn’t win a corporate or national $2,500 award, and does not wind up at a school that sponsors an award, the whole question will be moot! 
I thought I saw a couple of posts on one of the NMF threads where people said they were attending the NMF day at UT Dallas last weekend. Anyone have a report back? My son will attend in a couple of weeks.
Good points, @NJDad00. There seem to be a lot of highly competitive sub-Ivy schools that don’t announce until March. My thought was that, at one of these schools, a notice coming in that a student had chosen them for NMS could tip the balance in their favor for admissions. Some of these schools have so many qualified applicants that it seems to come down to luck regarding who exactly gets in, who doesn’t. Couldn’t a name on that schools NMS list tip the balance? And if so, wouldn’t my daughter be best off choosing the school she would most like to go to of those that offer NMS? I called NM offices and they said they don’t send out college offers until May, so if you change your pick you are still ok up to May 1.
@Was2be – If it makes you feel better, go for it, but I promise you, these lists have absolutely zero bearing on admission decisions, which are, as you well know, to a large extent entire random as between multitudes of highly qualified and deserving candidates. The list is so that NMSC and the school can coordinate an award. It is inherently unreasonable to expect a student to select a school as a first choice for an award if the student hasn’t even been admitted. That’s why NMSC doesn’t send out awards until after 5/1, AFTER all admission decisions have been released! Some schools require you to list them before 5/1, typically because they limit the number of awards. I’m sure the sub-Ivies you are looking at don’t do this.
Bottom line – if the school doesn’t ask you to list it as a first choice before 5/1, there is no expectation that you will do so, doing so will not enhance your application, and failing to do so will not hurt your application.
Just to make you a little more anxious, consider this – given the amount of applications the schools have to work through, and the limited amount of time they have to make decisions and communicate them, the odds are very high that decisions have already been made on all of your daughter’s applications, although they will not be communicated to you for another month or so as the committees work through the rest of their applications. Assuming I am correct, (I’m pretty sure I am!), nothing your daughter does at this point will change a decision one way or the other, so just do whatever makes you feel better! If you do list a first choice now and your daughter ends up at another school, just remember to communicate that change to NMSC before 5/1.
Good luck!!!
@Was2be wise advice!
My son put the University of Tulsa as his 1st choice in hopes of it helping him get the Presidential Scholarship there. I think in cases like this where the number of applicants might be in the 400-500 range and they might give out 50-80 scholarships, I think it can benefit you. In fact, NMF and listing TU as your 1st choice is one of the ways you can qualify for applying for the scholarship, but you can qualify other ways as well. Anyway, I am also curious as to if anyone else on here is going for that scholarship. All my son can do is wait now as his application, interview and visits are all complete.
S19 is down to 2 schools but since only one is an NMF school he went ahead and listed it as his first choice with NMSC. Despite acceptances and great NMF programs at UF and UCF, S19 has always felt a huge connection to Alabama. They won him over at that first visit and the overall fit was just better. He goes for a scholarship competition weekend for his other choice soon but we hope to have an absolute final decision in place by mid-March. I have a strong feeling he will be Bama Bound next August and I am feeling pretty good about it!
To all parents stressing about whether to choose a school for your NMF. I agree with @NJDad00, your students choice on NMF preference will make no difference in terms of admission. You are overthinking this (duh, you’re on CC). I had two NMFs last year. One was “all in” for USC. He put it first from the outset. He was rejected (1550 SAT, 35 ACT). You cannot think of the NMF as an admission “feather in the cap.” It is a Scholarship vehicle, period. If your child is smart enough to be a NMF, then they have good grades and test scores. I made the mistake last year of thinking it was a resume enhancer. It really isn’t. It is great way to open the money doors at a number of schools.
@usma87 “duh, you’re on CC”. that’s funny!
I’ve tried to convince myself that planning is different than worrying but I’m doing very little planning…
Does USC limit the number of NMF scholarships, so that its important to list it as first choice? My son is accepted at UF, which is where he will likely attend unless he gets into USC. Cant decide which to list as first choice, or to leave it as undecided until USC decision is announced.
@countertenormom I would have him leave it undecided. You can see last year’s thread and being a NMF is not a shoe in for USC. Decisions should be out soon and then your son can list his first choice.
@countertenormom - There has been a great deal of debate with regard to USC’s approach to NMF. Is there a limit? I think there is not one. As stated above, the challenge is to get in, even with the NMF status.
@countertenormom @usma87 . Anecdotal, but I’ve had two NMF kinds admitted to USC in the last 4 years, and neither had listed USC as No. 1 with NMC at the time of admission. As to any limit, they do not publicize a limit. I suspect it’s a budgetary issue. They have a certain amount of money to give out, for NMF but also for Trustee/non NMF Presidential/Dean’s scholarships. If they give out too many or more students accept than anticipated, they blow their budget.
@countertenormom, I believe @usma87 is correct. Per email from USC (Information about USC Merit Scholarships), “Also, if you are named a National Merit Finalist, offered admission and select USC as your first-choice institution, you will receive a USC Presidential Scholarship worth one-half tuition.” The date to name USC that I’ve found when I researched this is May 1. I have read theories (no proof) that they may limit the number offered admission, but it seems like all NMF offered admission can receive the scholarship.
@StillLotsToLearn - I have the same theories. Certain individuals on the USC thread vociferously defend USC and categorically deny there is a “cap” on NMF admittance. As @vistajay stated, they have a budget for the scholarships. I was just on that thread and they are expecting a 10% acceptance rate this year, down 3% from last year.