How can you put National Merit Finalist or Scholar in your common app if the results will come next year after the college applications are sent out?
S22 listed semifinalist as a national award, which it is.
Semifinalist seems like a state award. A 207 makes you a semifinalist in West Virginia. A 223 does not get you to the semifinalist stage in Maryland. Kids in West Virginia are not competing against kids in Maryland, so it isnāt a national award.
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Exactly!
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Although arguments can be made regarding why ānationalā or why āstate/regionalā, in reality, my kid was only competing against other kids in Florida, and the performance of kids outside Florida didnāt have any impact whatsoever in my kid making it to NMSF or not.
In this case, the āstate/regionalā level seems appropriate to me.
For example
A minor distinction but for Americans abroad, the semifinalist cutoff is based on the highest state score. So, in this regard, it is a national honor.
Thatās correct, not an easy task for students abroad.
At the end of the day, I donāt think the state/national designation will matter, as admission officers know what NMSF is.
@LostInTheShuffle Were you able to obtain the login info for your daughter?
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Then just go ahead and call it State Merit Semi-Finalist, then. 
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Thanks for asking but not yet! Itās so crazy - but her US college counselor has assured us that everything is under control. 
Agree that the NMSF state/national label doesnāt matter much - just having a little fun.
If she has everything ready, the application can be done within a few hours, but who needs this kind of stress? I hope it all gets resolved really soon.
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You know, I would argue that NMSF is a STATE award, since itās only offered to the top students in each STATE. Itās just that, in some states, NMSF is more prestigious than in others. Someone in MD, for example, would need a score of 224 to qualify, whereas someone in TN would only need a 215 to make the cut-off. On the other hand, if Iām understanding correctly, National Merit Commended Scholar is a NATIONAL award, since itās offered to the top 3% nationwide, regardless of each individual stateās SF cutoff. Or am I mistaken? I was under the impression that everyone who makes the Commended cut-off nationwide gets recognized, regardless of state of origin.
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Thanks - good to know. My D22 will use her Common App essay and I think her US college counselor has everything in place at their end. Fingers crossed.
Thanks for the link. Does look that there is some official guidance (though I didnāt login to see it myself). This could allow some admission committees to consider the failure to follow directions negatively if the student improperly categorizes the award/honor. But if a school is going to be that picky about it, itās not a school I would find desirable. And itās likely some folks on the admission committee are asking the same question as to why a āNational Meritā notation is being listed in the state category, and thatās if they even pay attention to where itās listed.
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I think where one puts the item will have zero effect. Iām pretty sure AOs know what they are.
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I have been unable to find a list for Minnesota, although I have seen some local high schools list their 2022 scholars. Anyone seen one? I donāt have a child this age, just curious to see the list.
thank you!
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Hi. Is there anybody from NY state? Did you get anything from your school? My daughter is in the NMSF list but school said nothing. Iāve send a letter to councillor but no answer yet. My daughterās friend from another upstate high school is in the same situation and her school answered that they havenāt received any letters from NMFC. Thanks!
All the letters were mailed in the second half of August. We live in NY, and the NMSC letter (addressed to the principal) was delivered on Aug 30. Since the letter came before the school even started, chances are it got misplaced.
I suggest calling NMSC, confirming they sent the letter, and then contacting the school again. The NMF applications are due Oct 6.
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