I just learned that the Benacquisto scholarship for NMF won’t cover OOS students starting in 2022 (check page 1).
@Beyou2022 yeah, we’ve been following the legislation in FL - very sad. Still keeping U of FL on our radar, but greatly diminishes its appeal. If we take a trip down to FL we might try to visit others in the area that offer substantial aid to NMF, but my son’s list of schools is still quite large and we’re trying to cut, not add!
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good luck to all the seniors still waiting. fingers crossed.
my question: is there an informal list anywhere of schools that do offer full -tuition for NMF kids? full-rides are pretty much over it seems, but curious about full-tuition. would love to hear about schools you’ve all seen or come across with an auto-scholarship for NMF.
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I think that that list is pretty good but it is from last year: Honors Merit Scholarships–A Quick Review | Public University Honors
(and I think that the book is worth reading)
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I do not have a list but I do know that the University of Alabama is incredibly generous with national merit kids. Our daughter just started there as a freshman in honors college with full cost of attendance, tuition for a fifth year if she chooses, some $ for study abroad and her dorm is a four person suite with her own bedroom. This is an automatic scholarship, not competitive. We are incredibly thankful for this opportunity.
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Does anyone know how to convert a SAT score to the PSAT score?
It isn’t possible to directly convert SAT to PSAT since they are scaled differently. However, you can get a ballpark PSAT equivalent by dividing the SAT score by 10.
To convert an SAT score to NMSC selection index- you take the Verbal Score/10 x 2 + Math/10. For example, a student with 730 Verbal and 740 Math: 730/102 + 740/10 = 220.
If a student scores higher than 760 on either section of the SAT, their score is capped at 760 for purposes of selection index calculation (since the maximum possible score on the PSAT is 1520 rather than 1600 on the SAT. So the maximum possible selection index is 228 (760/102+760/10)
I am a National Merit Semifinalist, but I am a bit worried that I will not become a Finalist. In 9th grade, I moved and went to a new public school in the middle of the year. As a result, my grades were not good - I had 4 Cs in mostly standard classes. However, I was able to turn this around and have earned almost all As in mostly honors and (5) AP classes. Does anyone know what will happen? I intend to work on the application with full effort. Also, can anyone confirm that they dont ask for senior year grades? Thanks
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I have a 3.9 W gpa
Do you have a confirming SAT/ACT score?
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No, they don’t ask for senior grades. The application is due October 6, and they don’t ask for any additional updates.
The due date is for your guidance counselor/principal/etc. You may need to submit the application a bit earlier as they cannot fully complete their part till yours is done.
I am sorry to say that, but 4 Cs are very likely to be problematic.
good luck
I am unsure of how the Cs will factor out. But, with your GPA and a turnaround in grades, I would say that you have exhibited great effort in improving yourself despite the challenges you were presented. Best of luck in your application. Continue doing your best and you’ll succeed in whatever you endeavour, Finalist or not.
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I have a 1520 SAT and will be taking the ACT
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Although the 4 C’s is quite a dent, I believe that you still have a good shot. As you’ve mentioned, you improved immensely throughout your 3 years of HS - from a C student in standard classes to an A student in honors/AP classes, which I am sure is a HUGE upward trend aside from a good impression. Also, your SAT score is good enough as a confirming score (usually a mid-1400+ is good). Any reason you’re taking the ACT, though?
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Thanks and I am only taking the ACT because I got a 1520 (730 V) in March and I feel that I could aim for a 36 now since I have been reading lots of books in my free time.
I agree with this. The standard to move to finalist is “have a record of very high academic performance in ALL of grades 9 through 12.” (emphasis added) One C is usually OK but 4 is a big hurdle to overcome in this circumstance. It’s different from holistic admissions which definitely look at upward trends. When my D was a finalist there were 2 out of 12 semifinalists at her HS who didn’t move to finalist, and those two were the ones who had multiple C’s on their transcripts. By the way, those two students got into excellent schools and had very successful college experiences, so not making finalist did not hold them back.
Anything is possible & may depend on your ECs & school LOR. It might also depend on the competitiveness of your cohorts.
My older child’s HS had 6 NMSFs but 1 student did not become a Finalist. This student was a great test taker but his transcript did not mirror his high test scores.
But this year, you just never know. Good luck!
Mathboy, do you know how your SAT score was converted to the PSAT score? Thank you.