<p>So, I got the letter notifying me today that I am among the 50,000 highest scorers, and to pick 2 schools to send it to. </p>
<p>My score (a 202...lower than my sophomore score and my real SAT) I'm assuming is too low to be anything but commended, especially in my state (NY).</p>
<p>Does it matter much which schools I choose? Do any/a lot of schools offer any sort of scholarship for commended or will I just have to rely on my real scores?</p>
<p>Schools I'm looking at by the way
BU
Northeastern
NYU
Pitt
UMD college park
Fordham
(not necessarily in that order.)</p>
<p>None of those schools give anything for commended. </p>
<p>You might want to choose two schools that are known to give big merit for (non-NMF) stats.</p>
<p>BTW…unless your family can pay $50k+ for NYU, take it off your list. They give MEGA huge loans in FA packages…just awful…because most parents can’t/won’t borrow that much, and students certainly can’t borrow that much.</p>
<p>Is UMD your financial safety school? Can your family pay full freight for that? If not, you need to choose a couple financial safety schools. :)</p>
<p>NYU must give other merit aid though. I know a kid who was admitted last year (not NM, but had a 2250 sat) who received a $24,000 a year for four years scholarship.</p>
<p>well, I have a few others, a couple SUNY’s and a few local privates (Adelphi and Hofstra) where I’m near guaranteed scholarships/low instate tuition. But these are the ones I’d rather attend that seem like it may be possible.</p>
<p>Really, the purpose of this thread, is basically does it matter which schools I put, or should I just choose 2 of my favorites and hope for a tiny boost in admissions?</p>
<p>NYU gives a few kids merit who are targeted for various reasons…but even those lucky FEW who get - say $24k - they are also often expected to borrow the other $26k+ per year to go there. NYU isn’t worth $100k in debt - no way.</p>
<p>Go to the NYU board and you’ll see horror stories of many kids with high stats who got horrible aid from NYU. Keep in mind, most parents won’t/can’t take out big loans for school, and students can’t borrow much on their own.</p>
<p>OP, my daughter also got the “you’re in the top 50,000” letter last week. We were at a college recruiting event over the weekend, and I asked the Admissions staff:</p>
<p>"How does she figure out which 2 colleges to notify when she has more than 2 “favorites” on her list at the moment?</p>
<p>Their reply: Pick any 2. It doesn’t matter because we’ll all find out by the time she applies."</p>
<p>I asked if it didn’t give some indication of serious interest in the school if they are one of the two named, and they said: “Maybe, but we know she can only pick 2.” It’s not a big deal at this point. It will carry just as much weight if we find out next fall on her app – even more, because then we’ll know if she’s a semi-finalist."</p>
<p>Hope that helps.</p>
<p>When you apply for schools, you have the opportunity to mention your NM status. It could come in many forms (awards and honors, your GC recommendation etc.) so colleges will know when they look at your application. The only advantage is that a school knows that you are interested in them, but any advantage is marginal. My S did not even remember to send it in and in the end it did not matter. The college he has chosen does not even give their own NM scholarships. Any many schools that give NM Scholarships have sent letters and e-mails asking him to apply and offering all sorts of inducements (like an iTouch -:))</p>