@PikachuRocks15 : got it – thx
When my D19 got the NMSF letter from her GC, it had a paper for my D to mention one teacher’s name who’ll write the recommendation for her. GC said daughter just had to mention the name, that’s it, they would take care of the teacher submitting before the due date. (Ofc, students have to ask the teacher if they are ok to write one for them). So, I’m pretty sure at our school, teachers write the recommendation for nmf application.
@BigDaddyJoJoJo - To be “sure”, call NMSC. They are usually very helpful.
The rules for 2021 semifinalists are here. These are available also through the portal login screen for all NMSF.
S21 finally received the login details from his GC. She mentioned that NMSC sent all the hard copy to school and the counselor in charge is working from home, so got delayed ? she also said school’ll ask for an extension since they got this late…let’s see. I’m glad at least he got it today 
Hello!
If anyone has any questions, I recommend emailing some current National Merit Students at ucf, they were very helpful for me!
https://www.ucf.edu/admissions/undergraduate/national-merit/
Hi, can anyone clarify who gets Benacquisto in FL schools, such as UCF and USF? Is it given to National Merit Finalists or National Merit Scholars?
So, the GC asked my daughter to reach out to a teacher that she is familiar with and could give a fair assessment of her. The teacher needs to send the recommendation letter to the GC who will include the letter in the application packet along with whatever else the school has to provide NMSC.
This is the 3rd GC my daughter has had since starting high school. She (GC) is new to the school and was assigned to my daughter a couple of weeks before school started. So, it makes sense that she is asking my daughter to suggest the name of a teacher who can actually speak for her. This particular science teacher already provided glowing reference to my daughter for her applications to internships earlier and commonapp and applytexas. I guess the process is not that different, it is just who can provide a better context, the new GC or the teacher who taught her gifted/AP science for a whole year.
For my D19, the GC asked her to get a teacher’s name for a recommendation. But now for my son S21, he is having a meeting with his counselor tomorrow for the NMSC recommendation. (He is in a diff school as compared to D19, though both the schools are in the same district). So, I guess it’s different for different schools
As @Reebtoor mentioned in your other thread – it is basically both. If an applicant is an NMS by virtue of receiving a corporate scholarship or the $2500 NM scholarship, he/she is eligible to receive the Benacquisto. If an applicant is an NMF, he/she is eligible for the Benacquisto and then becomes an NMS by virtue of accepting the Benacquisto.
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Gosh, it seems strange this thread is so inactive this year compared to last year’s thread (class of 2020). Just popping in because NM likely mailed out rejection letters recently. No news over the next week or so is good news!
Finalist letters are mailed early February. Best of luck to everyone!
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My counselor has not discussed this much with me in depth, so I don’t understand the process. If we are rejected, will we know before the official release date? Also, do we have to wait for mail from the NMSC to know if we’re a finalist or can we view it in a portal?
If you haven’t received a rejection letter by snail mail by the end of next week, your child should be in the clear for making finalist!
According to the calendar, NM mails out finalist notifications to schools on Feb 1, and then mails notifications directly to finalist’s homes on Feb 8. There will be no press release for finalists (I’m not sure why, but that’s the way they do it). I can’t recall if finalist notification shows up in the portal or not. However, generally what can happen is the school will notify your child before you receive a letter in the mail. (Sometimes the schools are reluctant to release this info, however).
Corporate scholarship notification is sent out Mar 10, and the NM $2500 scholarship notification is sent out Mar 25. College sponsored scholarship notifications start rolling out in May, according to whether your child has selected a first choice college which sponsors a scholarship. These scholarships should show up in the portal, and there will be press releases for them as well.
HTH.
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Thank you. This is helpful!
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Our local mail has been running unusually slowly, so it was a relief not to have a letter today. Anyone else still checking?
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We have a bubble kid and have been reaching into the mailbox with teeth clenched and one eye open. So far, there’s been no disappointing news. Good luck to all hoping to avoid a dreaded January envelope.
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Fingers crossed for you guys! We have informed delivery, and every time I open the email, I hold my breath, lol. I don’t see any reason why D21 wouldn’t advance, but it’s still, somehow, a nailbiter.
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We also have informed delivery. I check it, but I don’t trust it. Why stress myself out just once a day when I can do it twice?
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So, it’s been more than a week now, can we assume that those who didn’t receive the letters are in good shape for finalist status?
I hope so! D21 got an email last Thurs from UCF’s director of the NM scholars program confirming that if we haven’t heard from NMSC by “late January” that it’s “a good bet” the student is advancing to finalist. I’m starting to breathe easier now.
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