<p>I went to DD's school the other day for her senior conference. GC, DD and I sat in GC's office and discussed colleges, visits, applications, essays, etc. DD told GC she is currently working on applications and wouldn't dare want to list anything on her apps that aren't true, so she wanted to confirm that she is a national merit commended student (213 on PSAT - Tennessee). GC said they haven't received that information yet, so she can't tell her whether she is or isn't. She told her she should send in the applications and then when she finds out for sure, she can send it in as supplemental information. Personally, I think missing the state cutoff (216) by three points would certainly put her in line for being commended. Am I wrong in thinking she should go ahead and include that on her applications? Also, don't you think all schools should already have that information? Thanks!</p>
<p>No admissions rep cares about "commended" status. You can safely leave it off.</p>
<p>I would wait for official confirmation. The downside of putting it in and for whatever reason being wrong is bad. The downside of waiting a short while to find out for sure seems insignificant.</p>
<p>Thanks. I guess she'll just leave it off. She's completing applications this weekend. No sense in waiting for that info.</p>
<p>Splashmom,</p>
<p>As a fellow Tennessean I can let you know that my S2 got his Commended Certificate on Friday in an assembly, and he had a 202 on the PSAT. Think that was the lower-end cut-off, though I am not sure. I am really surprised your school hasn't received the certificates yet. Wonder if they went to the principal instead of the GC.</p>
<p>I do think that Commended is considered a positive at many colleges, and if you wish to wait until you get official word, you can supplement application information later. Certainly they will see her PSAT score and will honor that, at the very least, if she wishes to get her stuff mailed this week. So sorry you are having to wait!</p>
<p>For SplashMom, while it may seem likely that he will get Commended, I do not think you should list any award on an application or resume until it is official. Your two choices seem to be:</p>
<p>1) Try to find out if your school has gotten any word yet as some other schools in TN did (mention that) and hold off on sending the apps another week until you know...unless it is a Rolling Admissions app. </p>
<p>2) In a couple of months, your son can send an "update" letter of any achievement or other significant "news" that has occurred since sending in his application. Hopefully he has at least one more piece of news that he could put in this brief update letter along with the Commended award. </p>
<p>Even without the award listed, his scores stand for themselves. </p>
<p>I disagree with NewMassDad about leaving it off. I think a student should list all of their achievements. Some stand out more than others and some are more common than others. Some students may not have that many awards to choose from and thus putting these down is something worthwhile. It is an achievement of one sort. Obviously the more awards or significant achievments that stand out, the better but that does not discount achievements like this one. This is nothing like putting down "national honor roll" or other things that are a dime a dozen that you do nothing to earn. This one is a recognized achievement. Like NHS, it is not a big boost but it is still worth listing, particularly for a student who does not have lots of HUGE awards. No, it might not make a difference in admissions, but I think it is worth showing academic achievements attained since they do ask for them. Let's not diminish these for their own sake, even if they do not get someone into college, of course. I'd rather see a few things along these lines on an application than NOTHING. Obviously some outstanding achievements that are less common look even better. But not every kid has those. </p>
<p>Susan</p>
<p>I concur with nmd: it really doesn't make any difference to schools; its NMSF or nothing. (I've never seen a school report on how many Commendeds matriculate.)</p>
<p>One of our GC's confirmed that 202 is the national cutoff for commended, but the head GC has has not released the commended paperwork bcos all he cares about is semi-finalists -- and they have been notified. </p>
<p>Suggest you call your GC - s/he could be like ours. Go ahead and list Commended in the award section with comfort. Or, list it as 'pending'....</p>
<p>Didn't she get some paperwork in the spring? I recall my son had some information to fill out and that he could identify two schools that would receive info that he was at the minimum Commended.</p>
<p>I agree with Soozievt. I believe that once the award is official, it can either be listed on the app or sent to the school in a followup letter, or it can be listed as "pending".</p>
<p>I humbly disagree with NewMassDad. IMHO, not all kids receive top honors. That does not diminish in any way the Commended award this girl's daughter may soon receive. Every academic achievement should be honored in some way. While top tier schools may not recognize Commended status (after all they're turning away 1600/2400s with 4++++ GPA and major league ECs), many schools will see her achievement as confirming that this girl is college ready...and they'll be glad to have her.</p>
<p>May I humbly suggest that in making our posts, we show sensitivity to our total audience. A nearby thread was started by a member who is celebrating a first award of this type, and is simply delighted to have it to enter into the college apps. The OP's excitement and pride are palpable and with good reason. This board is not just about the highfliers. It's about the rank-and-file student trying to do his or her best. I feel that it is our role to encourage everyone in their quest to become a better student and a better person. Those who are struggling to reach their dreams need our help, kindness, and support.</p>
<p>At 213 she is commended, given the other evidence. Your school's GC has a problem if they don't understand that being one of the top 50,000 students in the country matters. Congratulations to your daughter.</p>
<p>My D received a merit scholarship offer from Lewis and Clark on the basis of her commended status combined with her SATs. I think you should put it on.</p>
<p>I found this chart fascinating. <a href="http://hseagle.sas.edu.sg/hscounseling/Tests/NMSCindex.htm%5B/url%5D">http://hseagle.sas.edu.sg/hscounseling/Tests/NMSCindex.htm</a></p>
<p>Note that it says the commended cutoff is 202.</p>
<p>If you received the National Merit information last spring, but aren't a NMSF, aren't you automatically commended?</p>
<p>Commended status is NATIONAL - so the same all over the country, unlike NMF status. If your daughter has a 202 or above she automatically qualifies as commended, or even possibly SF. The state cutoffs for NMSF/F can change yearly, though not usually more than 1 - 2 points up or down. Yes, go ahead and include that she is commended. If you get lucky and the SF cutoff drops to 213, later she can send an update to the college saying that she is a SF!!!!</p>
<p>Picking up on what OrangeBlossom wrote......at an elite school, commended might seem like just another award. But at some schools a tier down, less applicants will have it and it is worth mentioning. My kids listed their various awards. Some of their awards were more outstanding than other awards and so they listed their more accomplished ones first. So a state or national award would come before a school award or NHS. Still, they listed academic achievements. In that light, list what you have. For elite schools, an award like this one will not stand out and won't get you in. But it is better than no awards. Even without this award, the score stands for itself. I don't see a reason to leave it off unless you have a full page of awards and this is a filler. But if you have ten academic awards or less, surely this has its place. And it is all relative. For some kids, this may be IT! See another young poster who just posted this was her first award. For some others, this will be at the bottom of their award list. And it is relative to WHICH schools you are applying. It does not stand out for elite admissions but it does for schools less selective as DMD points out happened at Lewis and Clark.
Susan</p>
<p>PS, I stand corrected in my advice on waiting if the 202 cut is a national cut then you can list it already.</p>
<p>Thanks all! I appreciate the advice. DD was disappointed when she didn't make NMSF, but she got over it quickly. She's a great student as well as a great kid and she'll be fine wherever she lands. She's narrowed down her list to a final three to which she'll apply. She's already been guaranteed a scholarship from one of the schools and has received some promising information from one of the others. The third, a state school (safety) would pretty much be free with matching of the HOPE Scholarship. </p>
<p>Thanks for the reminder about the letter ... I had forgotten about it. I just got it out and read it again. It talks about 16,000 top scorers being named semifinalists and goes on to read, "Approximately 34,000 other high scorers will be designated Commended Students. We will notify Semifinalists and Commended Students of their standing in Septebmer 2005 through their schools." I'm taking that to mean she's commended.</p>
<p>Thanks again, all, and congratulations to those whose students got NMSF and Commended. IMO, either is an accomplishment.</p>
<p>My son would have received an extra $1000 a year in merit aid from Lawrence University for his Commended status. Put it down. It does count for some colleges.</p>
<p>Also, have seen many Commended Scholars get into "better"
(or more selective, is that the right term?) college choices
than some NMS Semifinalists.
It's not true that "Adm rep does not care about Commended Scholars" ...</p>
<p>I agree with Susantm. Every little bit helps. And a 213 is something to be proud of. A friend of mine insists that her son's scholarship to the U of Fla was based on his commended status. I know U of F gives almost a free ride to NMFinalists, but she said nope-- he was commended only. He is a junior there now, I believe. The $$ they got was purely merit $$.</p>
<p>I agree with the posters who say "Include it"! I am also puzzled by the elitism displayed in some of these posts. National Merit Commended kids are among the top 50,000 scorers in the country. While its not the same as discovering a cure for cancer, it is certainly not a run of the mill achievement. I think some perspective is needed.</p>
<p>fbc wrote: "Also, have seen many Commended Scholars get into "better"
(or more selective, is that the right term?) college choices
than some NMS Semifinalists."</p>
<p>I will add that my kids were not ANY of these things and got into selective schools. One is attending Brown and one is attending a very selective program at NYU/Tisch. The first child did not score as high on the PSAT as she did on the SATs and the Merit things are for the PSAT. Her SAT scores were well within range for very selective schools. She did not have these Merit program awards (had other achievements though). Second child never even took the PSATs. She had to miss them in tenth grade due to family emergency out of state. In spring of tenth grade she took the SATs and was done with testing. She scored within 30 points of her Ivy League sister but as a tenth grader. She applied to college in fall of junior year and never took the PSATs that year as she was done with SATs and SAT2s at the end of soph year and just stopped. She did fine with college admissions at selective programs. So, I am sure Commended is also a worthy status/award for SOME colleges and we have to remember that not everyone is going for elite schools AND some who do get in them, did not even HAVE this award!
Susan</p>
<p>PS, I totally agree with WJB's post above which I had not seen when I just posted this.</p>