<p>Well to be fair, she knew more than I did. I'd never heard of it until she mentioned it ( although in retrospect I think I got it when I was in HS!), and she seemed pretty excited. I think it was a first for the school. (The HS is about 7 years old and there are 89 in my d's class. ) She tried to describe it as something for Black kids and she was a little uncomfortable with that. Either way, except for a code word for being a URM on UC apps (hope it helps! like these cc kids seem to think!), and a lot of mail, I'm not sure being "referred" has been a big deal. She did get some nice invites for "diversity days" at some good schools we'd never considered, and one has become her number one choice. My d's SAT's where quite a bit better than her PSAT's and that may have been more important.</p>
<p>I have to agree with you Shrinkrap, the SATs are important. Any student whether a NMSC scholar or not, will benifit greatly from high ACT and SAT score regardless of he PSAT. The same corporations may even look at commended NM and NAs closer with high SAT or ACT scores.</p>
<p>A school will still look very close at a student, especially if they produce a higher SAT score than their PSAT indicated, and it can be backed up by a longer history of high achievement the PSAT can not produce from one day of testing. Anyone can have a bad test day, or it just was'nt the best day for the student. Years of high grades, AP classes, high GPA, high class ranking, other local and national acedemic awards, community service, clubs, part-time work and so on speak louder than one test score can any time.</p>
<p>Of course, there are colleges out there that also grant the same level of $ for Commended NM or NA scholars with high SAT and ACT scores just like students without the NMMC achievement. The PSAT is a great opportunity (Not wanting to get into the arguement of fairness about points, cutoffs and socioeconimic issues) for the chance of a full or partial school ride just like many other scholarships out there. I think when it comes right down to it, if one gets the score to SF, great, but if not, it is not the end of the world for other opportunities and offers. High acedemic students should have plenty of history to show their ability to perform and beyond the full or partial rides offered and special corporate scholorships, there is still a lot out there for the studnets.</p>
<p>I wish your D good fortune to meet her acedemic and college goals. Their happiness in their endevors are so much more important than a number.</p>