@murphyce I don’t think that any one thinks you are knocking one school or touting another. Like I said I have kids at both OU and UTD all are happy. Fit really is a big deal, a good fit for one kid isn’t always a good fit for another. I just want you to be aware of the details of the scholarships so you know what to expect. I was surprised at how many parents made assumptions based on what they thought the the OU MN scholarship was when it turn out it cost them more than they expected.
I am not saying go to one school over another, just be aware of the details so you are prepared and not taken by surprise.
Some schools on Twitter are already posting who their NMF are (St. Louis, MO, Wilmette, IL and Union, KY so far)
On NM site it says
“Published: 2/4/2020 8:18 AM
2020 National Merit Finalists
Today NMSC mailed Certificates of Merit to principals across the country, notifying them of the students who have advanced to Finalist standing in the 2020 National Merit Scholarship Program. Letters to Finalists’ homes will be mailed on February 10. Over 15,000 of the 16,000 Semifinalists named in September 2019 have met all requirements to advance to Finalist standing in the competition. All Finalists will be considered for National Merit Scholarships to be offered in 2020.”
No worries. Not taken that way. We’re all just trying to navigate this, and the discussion is worthwhile. It’s invaluable that parents like @3scoutsmom, who has direct experience with kids in these programs, takes the time to weigh in. I’ve learned a lot from her and others here.
For those questioning mailed or received at home on February 10, I called NMSC and asked since the website says “mailed to schools on February 3 and students notified at home on February 10.” I specifically asked if that meant mailed or in mailboxes. They confirmed they would be ,
MAILED on February 10. Ugh.
Can someone walk me through the sequence of what one does with applying the award to a college that doesnt offer nmf tuition awards. For ex., if my child commits to a small liberal arts college or an ivy league? How much is the award? I seem to remember it is in the range of $500 -$2500.
@silverpurple You need to check with the college your child will commit to. Either they offer an award or they don’t. If they do offer an award, it should be listed on the school’s website. Each college is different as far as what they might award.
I was just looking at award amounts last night, trying to help D20 determine which school is the best guess to list as first choice since she won’t have any admissions info before March 1.
So my understanding is (and someone please correct me if I’m wrong), if your child ends up choosing a school that does not participate in the National Merit Program, he/she is not guaranteed to get an award, but could be one of the 2,500 recipients of the scholarship directly from National Merit. It is a one time $2,500 award that could be applied to an Ivy or small LAC that doesn’t participate in the National Merit program.
For schools that do participate, like amsunshine said, check each school’s scholarship page because it varies widely. Three of the schools on my daughter’s hopeful list are listed as participants in the NM program and the award amounts vary ($500/year, $5,000/year, half tuition). Unfortunately, we have no clue to which school (or if) she’ll be admitted, so I guess we’ll list the one with the biggest award as her first choice, at least for now.
What happens if you haven’t gotten into your first choice college you picked for national merit and you find out you didn’t get in. Can you then change your first choice to another college at that point?
That’s what I’m trying to figure out, too. I think it depends on the school where you do get in and their timing on awarding scholarships. I figure if we miss the window for the $500/year one, it might be worth the risk of listing one of the others as the first choice, but between the other two, does it make sense to choose the least restrictive deadline if there is one, or stick with the one with potential best award even if it’s more of a reach school??? And if they say “must list XYZ school by the deadline set by National Merit” is that March 1 or the May 31 final deadline?
USF is definitely worth checking out, especially because they’ll pay to fly down the student and one parent. My wife and I and our son took the NM Scholars tour last week. They really let you know that they want you to attend and they have dedicated significant resources for NM Scholars. They have 11 dedicated advisors for the honors college and recently hired a NM advisor in the honors college whose only job is to advise the NM Scholars, which is about 80 kids total. This is on top of the great financial benefits and weather. My son is interested in the 7-year BS/MD program and since the scholarship is for four years the full amount of the fourth year can be applied to the first year of medical school.
If the school you select as number 1 offers a certain amount each year for NMF, like $2000, how is that impacted if you have a full tuition scholarship, or a full ride scholarship.
I plan on asking the school, but wondering what people’s experiences have been.
While I hope someone from National Merit is reading this forum, I doubt they are. It is inconceivable in this day and age that they cannot email the students their letter. It is also backward that the school receives it first. These results belong to the kids…not the schools. And then to cheap out and send via bulk mail? Really? They could also email the certificates to the principals, who I am sure would be happy to print the certificates.