<p>Hi there, freaking out over National Merit Finalist applications because of my GPA. :/ I attend a rigorous public in California.</p>
<p>PSAT: 225
SAT: 680CR, 760M, 750W = 2190
GPA: 3.68 (cumulative UW); 4.15 (cumulative W)
4.23 (Weighted 10-11)
-Completed community college AP course. Haven't factored that into my GPA, but NMSC probably will.
EC's: 2 long-term research internships (published and provisional patent), Varsity sport, etc. (worried mostly about GPA)
Courseload: will have completed 12 AP's by graduation
Essay: unique style, syntax, and regarding special extracurricular
Rec: should be great</p>
<p>Thanks for your help and advice :)</p>
<p>How many semester/year C grades do you have? If 0 then no problem.</p>
<p>Honestly you’re probably fine. The GPA isn’t even that bad, and the weighted is actually good. That shows you’ve tried taking some rigorous and hard classes. Plus, most of the semifinalists end up as finalists anyway. In my school last year, 9/10 semifinalists made it to finalist. The guy who didn’t make it was very socially awkward and probably wrote his essay about superheroes because that was all he’d ever talk about to anyone.</p>
<p>Just wondering if i will get NMF standing or have a shot at it.
PSAT: 220
SAT:2140
UW GPA: 3.76
W GPA: 4.05
I have taken 7 AP Classes through my junior year.
I have gotten mostly A’s With 6-7 B’s.
Essay:decent
Ec: pretty good.
No C grades or below.</p>
<p>Kingboss,</p>
<p>You’re fine as you don’t have Cs ! you don’t need to worry.</p>
<p>Aurora, the guy at your school who didn’t make it probably had 1 or more semester ‘C’ grades, as did the couple NMSFs at D’s school last year who didn’t get NMF.</p>
<p>Social awkwardness is not a factor for NMF, and superheroes is probably a fine essay topic. There was a young man who played with D in a youth orchestra, NMSF. Socially awkward doesn’t come close to describing him. He couldn’t play effectively in orchestra setting because the stress of being in a big group shut him down and interacting the way you need to to come in on your parts at the right times was impossible for him. In private he was a fine musician. </p>
<p>He was state AP scholar with ‘5’ on all but one of 20some exams, published science research with local uni prof as mentor. Likely letter from Harvard, which is where he is now. And NMF.</p>
<p>Now if you are competing for scholarships which require interview with donor or attending finalist weekend to show your stuff OTOH, there social skills matter.</p>
<p>If I have one C grade from my freshman year, will that be a tremendous problem? Otherwise I have a 94% (unweighted) average, mostly A grades with a few B grades (and that one C), 3 APs (5, 5, 4 including a 5 on Bio) and taking 2 this year, great recommendation, great essay, pretty good ECs… but will that 1 C blow it for me?</p>
<p>hannahb, it’s a bit difficult to say. If you read through all the old threads, the conventional wisdom was that so long as no more than a couple Cs, you were safe. Then this past year, for the first time kids who had a single C reported not making NMF, although some others with one C did attain NMF. It’s not clear. You’ll find out in a few months. It will be a tough wait. Good luck!</p>
<p>Guys, I’ve received 3 semester C’s in AP classes. And from the same calc teacher too 
If my UW GPA is above a 3.5, will those C’s be alright?</p>
<p>Guys, I’ve received 3 semester C’s in AP classes. And from the same calc teacher too If my UW GPA is above a 3.5, will those C’s be alright?</p>
<p>Does your transcript show final grades only, or semester and/or quarter grades? Our D had 1 C in PreCalc as a junior and still got NMF last year. The transcript from her school showed only final grades.</p>
<p>Semester grades only. Was that in honors pre calc or regular pre calc?</p>
<p>Anyways, I guess NMF is unattainable 
Thanks for your help guys!</p>
<p>You never know. They could change their criteria back again this year. Nobody knows what they are doing or how they are deciding. It’s not impossible, but iffy for sure. Good luck. And as everyone likes to point out, there is a good life without NMF status.</p>