Commended?

<p>Oh no, I didn't score above a 1450 or anything. Far from it. That's not to say that my score might not go up 100 pts ^_^ but I'm not banking too much on it. In the sense of the old SAT a 1310 is a good start for me.</p>

<p>And I definitely need to study, but good ol' IB classes make sure you don't have too much time for anything outside of studying for that class.</p>

<p>I'm foolishly nonchalant about my scores etc. I mean, going to a private college or university is a big step in my family, so even if I apply to Swarthmore, or Yale and I don't get in, I'm sure that I'll get in somewhere, and it won't be the end of the world.</p>

<p>You don't sound at all foolish to me.</p>

<p>well since we are on national merit stuff I have a question..... I was notified that I made national achievement semi-finalist after i sent in a few of my apps and I have already been accepted to a couple of the schools, I was just wondering how can I update the schools (might lead to more money)</p>

<p>You send them an e-mail or letter to the admissions office. I suggest saying something to the effect that you're delighted to be admitted, and you would like to update them about an award that you just received. Also say that you'd like to be considered for merit aid. Dont' be shy about doing that. </p>

<p>If you get any other major awards, update all of the schools that you've applied to or have been accepted to.</p>

<p>What is National Achievement Semi-finalist? What is it based upon?</p>

<p>Thanks!</p>

<p>i had a 214 (massachusetts), does this mean i am a semi-finalist or commended? i got that letter last spring about sending the info to 2 colleges of my choice, which i did, but i dont know what the results are. i want to send in part 1 of my maryland application since its all done and i want to check it off the list, but one of the questions asks whether you are a NMSF finalist, semi-finalist, or none (theres no box to check for commended)... and if you are a SF you get the application fee waived (it says if they can't confirm it you will be billed).. so what do i do??</p>

<p>In Mass a 214 is commended. Congrats, Hilary, it's a great score - it just happens that your state has one of the highest cuttoffs because so many Mass kids are great students. Sorry about the fee waiver, though.</p>

<p>I googled National Achievement and got my answer. Thanks!</p>

<p>brickbreeze, congratulations on both awards. Including both on your applications will definitely make you stand out. </p>

<p>Our high school's graduates that earned the National Achievement status ended up at some great schools. </p>

<p>For those who made it to Commended and did not advance to National Merit Semi-Finalist status:
In my experience and that of my siblings and friends, it's the schools that are trying to raise their profile that are most concerned about National Merit Semi-Finalists. My state's flagship university treats them like royalty, while a Commended Scholar is out of luck.</p>

<p>On the other hand, some of the more prestigious schools recognize that there may be little difference academically between a student who scores at the Commended level and one who scores at the Semi-Finalist level. Obviously, for some, the difference is the answer to a single question. My class's acceptance results proved this to be true. This of course bewildered those who could not understand how schools could make such decisions.</p>

<p>So, if you earned the Commended Scholar, be sure to proudly include it on all your apps. Don't ever say "just a commended scholar."</p>

<p>thanks ASAP and 09Cardinal... i had to go back to school this afternoon to meet w/ a teacher so i asked my gc about it, she said yes i was a commended student. oh well though, its still an honor. one final Q about it: should you include your score or any info when you list it in your awards/honors section? or just "NMSF Commended Student"?</p>

<p>Congratulations! Commended is a very nice honor!</p>

<p>Don't bother including your PSAT score for colleges. The "commended" part is what will impress them. The only scores to bother including are SAT or ACT scores</p>

<p>Hilary,
I would agree to not include your PSAT scores when you list your awards. My school includes them on the transcript with the SAT scores so they would see them there--which, in your case would be good since it's on the high end of Commended.</p>

<p>Yeah. My friend who is Valedictorian got Commended and barely, BARELY missed Semi-finalist, so I know it's not bad. I can tell that it's eating at her though, because the other 3 Semi-finalists are getting things in the mail about full-rides at schools and such.</p>

<p>Terrybhs06,</p>

<p>Just so you know, if you're looking into any HBCUs, they LOVE NA Semi-finalists. You can get a full ride plus a laptop to Howard if you advance on to finalist, and FAMU as well.</p>

<p>At North Carolina Central, for being a semi-finalist, you get the:</p>

<p>"*Soaring Eagle Scholarship
Incoming freshmen designated National Achievement, Hispanic, or Merit Semifinalists by the National merit Corporation and incoming freshmen who have at least a 3.50 high school GPA and scores of 1300 on the SAT or 29 on the ACT will receive the following over four years: Tuition and fees, room, board, books, $500/semester stipend, internships and a laptop. Students must take the PSAT (Preliminary Scholasatic Aptitude Test) in the junior year of high school to compete in the National merit Corporation programs. "</p>

<p>and if you don't make semi, you still can get the Rising Eagle Scholarship, for:</p>

<p>"incoming freshmen who have scores of 1200 on the SAT or 27 on the ACT and a 3.50 high school GPA will receive the following over four years: Tuition and fees, room, board, and if Pell Grant eligible, a $500/ semester stipend. "</p>

<p>HBCU's aren't the only institutions that like National Achievement semi-finalists. Remember, there are only 1600 NA SF's and 1300 will achieve finalist status. You'll see that the lists for both scholar awards are very similar.</p>

<p>UF will give a full ride to NA Finalists that designate UF as the top school choice.</p>

<p>I found this information on the University of Florida website:</p>

<p>January 3, 2005</p>

<p>UF RANKS NUMBER ONE IN PUBLIC UNIVERSITIES’ ENROLLMENT OF NATIONAL MERIT AND NATIONAL ACHIEVEMENT SCHOLARS </p>

<p>GAINESVILLE, Fla. (January 3, 2005)--The University of Florida has moved to the top spot in public universities’ enrollment of both National Merit Scholars and National Achievement Scholars, as announced by the National Merit Corporation. Overall, UF ranks second nationally in National Merit Scholars and fourth nationally in National Achievement Scholars within its 2004-2005 freshman class. </p>

<p>With 259 National Merit scholars recruited, UF is behind only Harvard University in recruiting more National Merit scholars in 2004. In 2003, UF recruited 224 National Merit Scholars and ranked fourth nationally; in 2002 UF recruited 186 National Merit scholars, placing it fifth among all universities and second among public universities. This year, there are 8,258 National Merit Scholars enrolled nationally at 375 institutions. </p>

<p>“UF's remarkable educational and social opportunities attract some of the nation's most talented undergraduates,” said Dr. Joseph Glover, Interim Provost and Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs. “UF's ranking as the nation's top public university in enrolling National Merit and National Achievement Scholars is due to the rich academic environment created by an outstanding faculty, staff, and student body.” </p>

<p>Merit Scholars are selected from more than 15,000 semifinalists nationally by the National Merit Scholarship Corporation. The students scored in the top one-half percent of high school seniors in their state on the Preliminary SAT-National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test. The top-ten ranked participating schools, followed by the number of recruited Merit scholars, are: </p>

<ol>
<li>Harvard University--312</li>
<li>University of Florida--259</li>
<li>University of Texas--242</li>
<li>Yale University--224</li>
<li>Stanford University—217</li>
<li>University of Chicago—198</li>
<li>Washington University at St. Louis—197</li>
<li>Princeton University—192</li>
<li>University of Southern California—183</li>
<li>University of Oklahoma—170 </li>
</ol>

<p>In National Achievement Scholar recruiting, UF ranked fourth this year out of 166 participating schools across the country and first among the 76 public institutions. UF recruited 40 National Achievement scholars, ranking behind Harvard University, Yale University, and Stanford University. Due to a change in the methodology at the National Merit Scholarship Corporation, college-sponsored scholarships are no longer counted in the total number of National Achievement Scholars. </p>

<p>The National Achievement Scholars Program recognizes minority students who place well on the Preliminary SAT. The top-ranked participating schools, followed by the number of recruited Achievement scholars, are: </p>

<ol>
<li>Harvard University—85</li>
<li>Yale University—61</li>
<li>Stanford University—57</li>
<li>University of Florida—40</li>
<li>Duke University—35</li>
<li>Howard University-29</li>
<li>Princeton University—27</li>
<li>Washington University at St. Louis—27</li>
<li>Massachusetts Institute of Technology—22</li>
<li>Columbia University—19</li>
<li>University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill—18</li>
<li>University of Pennsylvania--18</li>
</ol>

<p>Most of the colleges that give $ to National Merit scholars also will give $ to National Achievement and National Hispanic scholars. </p>

<p>Many colleges that give diversity colleges also will favor National Achievement and Hispanic scholars for those awards.</p>

<p>National Achievement semi-finalists and commended and National Hispanic commended students also are favored for scholarships and admissions.</p>

<p>A lot of this thread is devoted to what we call in the legal field the "admissibility vs. weight" argument. A piece of evidence is offered, a lawyer starts arguing about how little it proves, and the judge says, Well, maybe it doesn't carry much weight, but it's still admissible.</p>

<p>Commended status isn't going to carry much weight: it's not going to get you into Harvard or be a major factor at any selective school. But it's still a nice honor and should definitely be listed on the application along with any other nice honor.</p>

<p>you can't be national achievement and national merit commended.</p>

<p>Sure you can be National Achievement and National Merit Commended. You also can be a National Achievement Finalist and National Merit Finalist.What you can't do is accept a scholarship from both programs.</p>

<p>If your selection index is high enough to get National Merit Commended, then you will be a National Achievement Semifinalist not National Achievement Commended. People who get National Merit Commended usually have a 200-215 (depending on their state of residence), which translates to National Achievement semifinalist status in pretty much every state. That's why you can't be commended by both programs. However, you are right when you say that you can be a semifinalists in both programs.</p>