There are many great schools with great deals - at the end of the day, I can’t help but think geography is a factor. If I lived west of the Mississippi, I would be giving OU a closer look!
@vmiller here are the cutoff scores:
These are all CONFIRMED Qualifying Scores from the official September 2015 NMSQ Guide
Congratulations to all who made it!
AL=209
AK=206
AZ=215
AR=204
CA=223
CO=215
CT=220
DE=216
DC=225
FL=214
GA=218
HI=214
ID=208
IL=215
IN=213
IA=208
KS=213
KY=210
LA=211
ME=211
MD=222
MA=223
MI=210
MN=214
MS=209
MO=209
MT=204
NE=209
NV=211
NH=213
NJ=225
NM=208
NY=219
NC=215
ND=202
OH=215
OK=208
OR=215
PA=217
RI=212
SC=211
SD=202
TN=212
TX=220
UT=206
VT=214
VA=222
WA=219
WV=202
WI=208
WY=202
U.S Territories and Commonwealths=202
Outside the U.S.=225
U.S. Boarding Schools=“Varies”
Commended (national cutoff) = 202
That’s the question I struggle with every day. I haven’t resolved it yet; I think I’ll only truly be able to examine it when all the offers of admission and aid are on the table.
I agree with @UTilitarian. The only thing I can add here is that I will apply to some elite colleges and for those that I have spoken with directly, they say they expect their applicants to “show up to the table” with the NMSF award. They add that more times than not when looking at 2 candidates, the one with the NMSF will be accepted over the one without. Of course, they quickly follow-up by saying they look at everyone’s application holistically. Knowing that I would be applying to these highly selective schools was the reason I studied, to help ensure I made the cut-off.
My daughter is applying to both big state universities and some elite schools like Duke, Brown NW etc… I still believe in her heart her first choice is UF almost no matter what, but we’ll see. Once you experience the SEC it’s hard to be satisfied with anywhere else when you are really into school spirit. As a cheerleader the big schools capture her heart!
As for the straw poll, DD is casting a wide net, both elite schools and in state TX schools. We have told her that her college money will go a lot further at the in state schools if she is looking at graduate, post doc. The potential added merit money from the NMF status, if she even gets it, might make some of the privates comparable to those in state options, except for maybe TAMU which could be free. UT Austin - no difference. And it might help at USC. Its her decision ultimately but our job to educate her about the finances.
Another consideration is that a bunch of the elite schools do not give ANY credit for AP regardless of score. On the flip side, at UF and similar schools my daughter would enter with over 60 credits, while she doesn’t want to graduate early, those that do should really consider that as part of the overall financial package. A year or 2 less tuition is significant.
MD cutoff was 222…I got 221.
@lonetreegrad, he has about as much chance of becoming a finalist as he does of finding a $100 bill on the street. He made D’s in English the last two years, mostly from not turning things in. He likes University of Mississippi, which does give a good package to NMSF. He’s hoping that the honors and AP classes he’s taken will weight his GPA up enough to get one of the big scholarships at Temple. Otherwise, he said he’d be happy going to Ole Miss.
@mstomper Oh, yes he would definitely not be a NMF, but I am glad that there are colleges that give up good scholarships for just NMSF. It must be so frustrating to have a child who is extremely smart to do so well in these standardized tests, but gets D’s because of not turning things in. I feel that I am constantly nagging my kids to keep up with their assignments!! I always wonder what they will do once they are in college! For D16, it is the lack of motivation to get any college apps done!
@thinkumo So sorry… but keep your chin up, there’s other scholarships out there. Congrats on the excellent score.
@thinkumo If I could give you a big hug right now, I totally would.
Living in NV, my daughter got a 210 and cut off at 211. Strangely enough, this is almost a relief (besides the last year of not knowing). She will most likely attend the University of Nebraska due to her major (actuary science). At Nebraska the retention GPA is a 3.5 for finalists, while the automatic scholarship she will get is $5,000 less per year but the required retention GPA is a 2.0. If you fall below 3.5, there is no backup scholarship. That’s a lot of pressure while sitting in that differential equations class. All this does is eliminate a trip to Arizona State.
Just as a FYI, the local University of Nevada provides a $16,000 for finalists. I threatened to have her live at home, and combined with the state scholarship, and I could pocket the full $16,000.
Good luck to everyone checking the scores and I hope you get what you desire.
I am still not convinced that the cutoff scores posted on this thread are official. Someone may just be pulling a well done prank. I think everyone should take a deep breath and wait till official results to make conclusions.
@divider you are grasping at straws, numerous people have posted that Dookster has provided detailed info that could not be obtain if he did not have the official booklet.
Link to a blog containing list of cutoff scores by date:
That blog doesn’t have the class of 2016 scores.
@divider, while I can not speak for others, it appears the NV scores are correct. My homeschooled daughter is one point below the cut off and my mailbox remained empty (except for a couple of ads and bills)
but the booklet doesn’t have cutoffs–only semifinalists
@divider that was true in the past but have you seen this year’s booklet? How do you know that this year’s booklet does not have the cutoffs. No homeschooler has disputed the posted cut offs, that should be proof enough. Why would someone that clearly has the booklet because of the names that were provided post false cut offs?
We’ll all know for sure on 9/9.