<p>Thanks texaspg.</p>
<p>Everyone, I would like to point out that any PSAT score 200+ is exemplary and deserves recognition. Experiencing anxiety over a meaningless qualifying score is completely unnecessary. Instead, commend yourselves for a job well done! (Please note that I’m primarily using this as a tactic to improve my self-esteem concerning my comparatively mediocre score of 210.)</p>
<p>Here’s something to do to help pass the time while state score reports are being compiled. CC has been around a really long time, and this thread is a throwback to the 2002-2003 time frame on the exact same subject:</p>
<p>[College</a> Confidential Discussion](<a href=“http://www.collegeconfidential.com/cgi-bin/discus/show.cgi?69/243]College”>http://www.collegeconfidential.com/cgi-bin/discus/show.cgi?69/243)</p>
<p>The more things change, the more they stay the same…</p>
<p>I just got home last night and got the mailing from his school. My son got a 233 and the cutoff for this year for California is 223. </p>
<p>You should be fine, Leofirekingdom.</p>
<p>I am new to this discussion. My son will probably be a National Merit Semi-Finalist for 2015. We believe he got a score two points higher for the last five or more years to qualify.</p>
<p>Has anyone come across resources to help use a NMS Finalist or Semi-Finalist to get into Ivy League universities?</p>
<p>KidsCollege2, as the parent of another likely NMSF, I wish it were that easy. But unfortunately the Ivy League schools are overrun with qualified applicants including NMSF’s. While it certainly helps, it’s only a small piece of the puzzle. Take a look at this thread: <a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/what-my-chances/1525399-if-you-asking-your-chances-ivies-other-top-schools.html[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/what-my-chances/1525399-if-you-asking-your-chances-ivies-other-top-schools.html</a></p>
<p>Our strategy will be to apply to some Ivies but also to other schools that have good scholarships for NMSF’s and NMF’s. Check out threads like this for good info: <a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/national-merit-scholarships/649276-nmf-scholarships-updated-compilation.html[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/national-merit-scholarships/649276-nmf-scholarships-updated-compilation.html</a></p>
<p>I would not even say it helps. We sent to many Ivy League and “Almost Ivy” info sessions. Universally, for highly-selective schools it simply is not a factor. They want your SAT/ACT scores.</p>
<p>Yes, I should’ve said “it can’t hurt” rather than “it certainly helps.”</p>
<p>Hi KVotheFan</p>
<p>I am a Junior with a GPA of 3.83 and weighted GPA of 5.5. That is upto the end of Sophomore year. I have taken very challenging courses in Junior Year(4 AP). My SAT-I is 2340. What are my chances for Ivies. I have a PSAT of 225. I am a varsity athlete playing tennis.</p>
<p>1025jerseyboy – the Ivies and other highly selective schools are lottery schools for anyone. Certainly, as you probably know, your excellent stats would make you a candidate anywhere. If you play tennis at a high enough level for a given school, it is possible a space would be made for you on that basis. </p>
<p>For everyone - in evaluating any school, look at the “middle 50,” that is, the range of 25% to 50% acceptance for that school, in terms of scores and grades. That tells a student whether they are on a par, generally, with the accepted student body. The likelihood of merit aid other than NMSF/F scholarship (not available from those highly selective schools) increases for students above a school’s 75th percentile.</p>
<p>Look for match, not a label. Happily, there are many, many wonderful schools in this country, with any number of places to get a great education, distinguish yourself, and have a wonderful time. Congratualations on your successes so far, and best wishes in finding just the right place for your college education!</p>
<p>Wow sorry for such a late reply, but thank you KvotheFan! That’s a really helpful guide!</p>
<p>Does anyone know what the cutoff for GA is?</p>
<p>Cutoffs are not officially announced until September 5th - 10th timeframe.</p>
<p>Some schools will let the students know when they hear from NMSC in mid to late August and we try to get a thread going at that point to allow people to post any information they have received ahead of that announcement. This helps people who never hear from their schools in some cases because the notification paperwork gets messed up.</p>
<p>Hey everybody, </p>
<p>Can anybody care to speculate whether the overall trend for the cut-off scores for the class of 2015 around the country will go down or up? </p>
<p>Personally, I think that this year’s test was more difficult than last year’s test and I feel like last year’s cut off scores were relatively high. I think that the cut-off scores will go down this year for sure. </p>
<p>Anybody else care to share their opinion? I would love to hear from you guys! Thanks!</p>
<p>Seeing that 2 wrongs in writing translates to 74, 3 wrongs in Math translates to 71, my guess is that the cutoffs are closer to the highs of 2014.</p>
<p>If the test is harder, the wrongs don’t lose so many points.</p>
<p>A record high year, such as last year, tends to be followed by a “correction,” with somewhat lower schores. That said, a particular state may fall outside the trend; this is particularly true for states with smaller populations. Keep your grades up and do well on the SAT – there are many, many rewards (acceptance and scholarship) for doing so.</p>
<p>Good luck!</p>
<p>Can someone tell me what data comes out in February (I’ve read that we will have a better understanding then but I’m not sure what is released since the cutoffs aren’t announced until the Fall)? Will we have a better way to guess at what might happen for the class of 2015?</p>
<p>@MamaBear16, In early February [hopefully], the College Board will post state-by-state breakdowns of the scores from the 2013 PSAT for college bound high school juniors. You will be able to see these reports as well as previous years’ archives at [College-Bound</a> Juniors & Sophomores | Research and Development](<a href=“http://research.collegeboard.org/programs/psat/data/cb-jr]College-Bound”>SAT Suite of Assessments – Reports | College Board) </p>
<p>Based on comparisons from previous years’ reports and the historical state cutoff scores, better estimations of the 2015 graduating class cutoffs can be made. It’s still far from exact science. It gives anxious students and parents something to focus on for several months.</p>
<p>222 in CA, probably really borderline…</p>
<p>aahh!!! 222 in CA also! certainly happy, but would certainly be happier with a couple more points. School isn’t giving out reports until next week, but collegeboard sent the access code via email today.</p>