Class of 2020 National Merit Discussion

@minismom Thank you! My husband talked to them 2 weeks ago about his corporate scholarship, and they had said mail was going out last week, so I’ve been anxiously waiting. Good to know it might be another week.

I’m pretty sure last year my son found out from his school on Sept 5th. He had only missed one, so he was above the cut-off in all states, and this wasn’t as nerve-racking with him.

Do you know if kids who do alternate entry have to take the SAT again for a confirming school? Or can the same test that they took for alternate entry count for both?

i’m pretty sure you can’t use your alternate entry SAT score as your confirming score. the student has to take another exam (sat or act) as a confirming score.

thank you for calling! sounds like “preparing” is not even the same as “mailing” and neither of those are even close to “arriving!”

Who are they preparing the mailing for, the schools or the media?

i’d guess the schools and the homeschoolers. i don’t think they mail anything to the media. there’s just a generic press release posted on their site (probably on sept 11).

Oh, rats. I was hoping they had already done the mailing last week. :-/

Good luck everyone !

I actually called today as well. I was told that the bulk mailing would be “mailed out to schools today” and the press release would be on September 11. So, it could be at least another week with Labor Day. Sigh.

the press release tells us nothing though, right? is it just a good way to know that guidance counselors surely most know the status by the time the press release comes out?

@border1218 the press release date is when the info goes public, so if you haven’t heard from your GC by then you can call NMSC to confirm if your kiddo is on the list. They will tell you and help get your GC on track. Some GCs aren’t knowledgeable and don’t know that it.s time critical that kids sign on to their portal with the info the GC’s are supposed to pass on to the kids to submit their application so they can move from NMSF to NMF. Other times the mail has ended up sitting unopened on desk somewhere in the high schools admin office!

I don’t recall if it was two years ago or four, but one year a homeschool mom reported getting the mail the day after it was confirmed sent bulk mail. I remember being skeptical but she was spot on so there’s a tiny chance we could start getting some reports soon.

^Let’s hope so! We hope to be celebrating this weekend!

One of the most irritating things about the process was the reluctance of schools to release info until the press release date. ARRRRRGGGGHHHHH still makes me mad we had to wait so long.

I think DD’s school will tell them sooner than press release day, but I guess I’m not sure. Last year they sent out a list of Commended (not SF) kids in the newsletter that came out LD weekend, which must have meant they knew who the SF kids were and presumably told them.

Our school will tell them before press release day but not until they’ve had the list for several days. Still frustrating but it could be worse.

My daughter was told they would tell them when they got the list but they have to keep quiet about it until the official press release. I’m thinking at this point she won’t hear anything until after labor day.

Last year, I told our principal to be on the “look out” for the mailer (daughter was the first ever NMF from our school) and he literally grabbed it from the mailman and ran bursting into her classroom to deliver it! I think he was more proud of it than she was! If your school doesn’t usually have NMFs, you might give the secretary, principal, college coordinator or whoever sorts the mail, the heads up to be looking for it. You might be surprised that they don’t even know to be excited about it or have a clue that it is coming in the mail.

Tonight is senior parent back to school night. I emailed my D’s counselor to tell her to keep an eye out, but I reckon I’ll see her tonight and will remind her in person. If it was mailed Tuesday it seems like letters should make it to at least some schools by Friday. My daughter is a couple of points above last years Texas cut off, so I think she’s got it, but it’s not a done deal until it’s a done deal.

Also noticed as I’ve gotten caught up on this thread that there are a few Texans. We are in far SW Austin, about equal distance between Oak Hill and Dripping Springs.

@ChrisG77 we’re in SW Austin. DD is also a couple points above last year’s cut off, but she’s currently stressed that somehow everything didn’t get recorded correctly or something. Hope we don’t have to wait too long.