@Nerdyparent@4kids2graduate Our school never has more than a handful of NMSFs. Two years ago we had two and though I knew (both from CC and from calling NMSC) that my son had made the cut, the school let the notifications sit and I spent more than a week AFTER Sept 10 trying to get the notification letter with the login information needed to get going on the application. Timing is challenging – during the first couple of weeks in September apparently our guidance department is in chaos with schedule changes. They claimed they had a pile of mail on a desk that nobody had time to look at. Luckily my son had already drafted a Common App essay he could repurpose (it took all summer – not a speed demon) and his teachers apparently drew straws over who had to write the letter on such short notice.
This time around we are prepared, though S16 might barely miss the cut. If we need to, we’ll ask for the recs and the transcript before we have the login info.
So the point is, don’t be afraid to be proactive and help your school through the process. Not every school is like @3scoutsmom 's with lots of experience doing this!
Here is the exact wording from last year’s letter in regard to SAT timing: "Take the SAT® and earn scores that confirm your 2013 PSAT/NMSQT performance. You must take (or have taken) a national administration of the SAT between October 2012 and December 2014. Also, it is your responsibility to file a request with the College Board SAT Program to have an official report of your SAT scores sent to NMSC (code 0085). "
Based on the way the school year has started, I suspect our school will be one of those that tells our group last. I will be glued to this forum for the Texas cut off and any info available.
Walking down memory lane here. This is an exciting time, though surely a very emotional time for those that will just miss. My heart goes out in anticipation to you folks. Please know a just missed score is darn good!!! You/your child should be very proud.
For those that do make the cut, it’s quite exciting. Mailings only go to school principals, which includes by default the homeschooling families. My son was in public school, but I had a PA homeschooling pal early on whose child scored one point lower. So I knew if she got the letter, we were good to go, and she got hers a day or two before my principal contacted me personally (benefits of having so few NMS over the years!)
Someone will be first. Who, remains to be seen. Last year I believe it was Indiana? Not sure anymore. The letters went out s-l-o-w-l-y, hence the carrier pigeon references. And they went out in geographical waves, or at least travelled that way. It took a good week or more to hit every area. Then yes, some schools do sit on the mailings for a bit, which is unfortunate, because you have limited time to respond. Please know though that your response is very reasonable. There is an essay, but it’s limited in length. The rest can easily be completed in one sitting. The school has a part, and depending where you attend, you may have to nudge them along a bit.
Deep breaths! It seems so far away at the moment, but the reality is it’s very close, maybe even this coming weekend! I believe our first response came on a Saturday. It’s helpful even to see a few states come in. If several states come in as predicted, or even a nudge lower…this is hopeful news. Best wishes to all!!! Hugs to those that don’t quite make it.
Unfortunately, the goodness of fit for the linear regression is quite bad for RI, so I can’t realistically offer any sort of prediction. This is the only state I have looked at that the fit isn’t reasonable. Overall, looking at other states, it would seem that the scores are similar to last year or perhaps a bit weaker. Some states are higher, but most seem not to be. For RI I would not expect a 216 like 2 years ago. Last year was 212 and the sum of the 75-80 scores is about the same for RI this year. But again, RI bounces around and is difficult to predict. Good luck to you!!
@brawny77, can you tell us what added scholarships your NMF son received in baylor? i didn’t know they stacked scholarships. my daughter is a hs senior. alas we belong to the middle class–too much money to qualify for aid, but too little money to afford college. we’re in ca, where merit aid is virtually nonexistent. she scored 233 in psat, 2210 in june sat (she’ll retake in oct). so we’re looking for a possible full-ride oos, instead of applying to “prestigious” schools. fortunately her mindset is she’d rather not be buried in debt for undergrad. she plans to go to med school & worry about debt then.
@PAMom21 - You said that those students who make it to the NMSF list have to write an essay. Is there a way to find the topic of the essay now or do I have to wait till my S (hopefully) receives his formal notification. Is this essay same for everybody across US ?
