<p>I may be mistaken, but it appears that the original poster's point is that the op's daughter got into the college of her choice, that the college of their choice was a lot of money, that the OP is disappointed because the college of their choice apparently isn't throwing any money their way and the OP was under the impression she was going to get some major coin because of NM. </p>
<p>Even though the OP has been a visitor to this website for months, has posted more than 400 times and has begun threads beginning with subjects surrounding NM and the college of her D's choice, the OP still seems to be disatisfied with the fact Nm isn't a goldmine for her daughter. </p>
<p>BJM8, I am sorry that your daughter wasted her time on the PSAT, SAT, National Merit essay, and getting good grades. Obviously it was all for naught. I remember that NM essay clearly -- it was a whole half page to fill in. I think my son had to write 3 whole paragraphs. It might have taken him a whole hour to get the paperwork together. </p>
<p>On the other hand my son had the ridiculous idea of choosing to apply to a bunch of colleges that sponsor NM awards. He even responded to unsolicited mail from Macalester and applied there, even though after he saw a tv documentary on mayflies in Minnesota there is no way he would consider going anywhere near that insect-infested state. And he held on to the mail from Barrett at ASU until the very end.... always open to the possibility of accepting their offer of a stipend on top of a full ride to attend their school. </p>
<p>But obviously if your kid didn't get money because she chooses to attend some other school, then the whole process stinks. My daughter is applying to a bunch of schools that don't offer money either, so I'm really glad now that she was out of the country and didn't take the PSAT her junior year, because it would have been so inconvenient for us to get mail from colleges that are beneath her consideration. Except for that last-minute decision she made to apply to Fordham as a safety, given that Fordham is one of those schools that gives full tuition scholarships to NM Finalists. </p>
<hr>
<p>I've posted a lot of criticism of NM above, but I'm not going to criticize it for being short on the promised money. My criticism is that the use of the PSAT as the primary qualifying device is discriminatory against students from lower socioeconomic groups and from many ethic/cultural groups. So NM is one more way of feeding money to the reasonably well-off and leaving the neediest kids out of the loop. Between NM and the state of California, my son netted $5000 for having the foresight to have been born to well-educated parents and inheriting his mother's knack for standardized tests. (There's a trick to it that tends to favor us INTP personality types -- 83% of National Merit finalists are Intuitive rather than "Sensing" on the Myers-Briggs analysis - see <a href="http://www2.gsu.edu/%7Edschjb/wwwmbti.html%5B/url%5D">http://www2.gsu.edu/~dschjb/wwwmbti.html</a> )</p>
<p>But I guess if you favor more programs to send money to those who need it the least, then NM does have the annoying problem of awarding direct funds to only half of the 15,000 kids annually who make make Semifinalist, and definitely gives short shrift to kids attending elite private colleges.</p>
<p>{I may be mistaken, but it appears that the original poster's point is that the op's daughter got into the college of her choice, that the college of their choice was a lot of money, that the OP is disappointed because the college of their choice apparently isn't throwing any money their way and the OP was under the impression she was going to get some major coin because of NM. }</p>
<p>You are very mistaken. I knew the details vividly before she applied to college, and never thought money would be thrown after her. Please do not assume things...because you know what happens when you assume...don't you!</p>
<p>{But I guess if you favor more programs to send money to those who need it the least, then NM does have the annoying problem of awarding direct funds to only half of the 15,000 kids annually who make make Semifinalist, and definitely gives short shrift to kids attending elite private colleges.}</p>
<p>Thanks Calmon...couldn't have said it better. I am not disappointed that my D will not receive funds...let me repeat...I am not diappointed that my D will NOT receive funds. I never expected her to. I am concerned, however, about the short shrift to kids attending elite schools...nothing more. I have said, and I will say again, I am not angry about my D not receiving money from NM, I just cannot support a program that makes kids and schools jump through hoops with the hopes of getting scholarship money, when so little is out there for many of them.</p>
<p>But for those 8,000+ students each year who DO get something - even as little as $1,000...it is most appreciated...and for way less work than 'jumping through hoops.'</p>
<p>Also, please remember that although many of us on CC have a better understanding of the workings of colleges and and details surrounding admissions and financial aid because we have put much time and effort into the process to help our kids, or have gone through it once or twice ourselves; most GC do not (sadly). The majority of parents, for the most part, rely on H.S. GC to help and assist their children, and guide them in the right directions. NM just has this aura about it that if a student does well on the tests, etc then there is money waiting for them. This just simply isn't true.</p>
<p>" I just cannot support a program that makes kids and schools jump through hoops with the hopes of getting scholarship money, when so little is out there for many of them."</p>
<p>No one makes the kids do anything. They don't have to take the PSAT. They also don't have to bother filing the paperwork if they make semifinalist. Participating in National Merit is up to the individual student. </p>
<p>If they decide to participate and get the scores that indicate they'll make finalist, it's up to them about whether to apply to schools that are likely to give them big bucks or to pass on that option and be relegated to the couple of thousand dollars max that they can get otherwise through the program.</p>
<p>National Merit also is not sponsored by the US government and doesn't get government $ to give as scholarships. It's a not for profit organization that can run the program however it chooses. As long as its operating procedures are legal, it can do whatever it and its sponsors decide.</p>
<p>Last year, it gave more than $50 million to more than 10,000 students. That is impressive to me even though no one in my family has ever had the scores to get any of that money.</p>
<p>BJM8,
Yes, they had an option: They could have stayed home or they could have sat there and not bothered to fill out anything. No one could make them take the test.</p>
<p>Northstarmom...although I cannot argue with your statement, please understand that all students in their junior year are given the test on the same day in my D's school. Could some just sit there and do nothing? Sure. Could some decide to stay home? Sure. If that's what you call an option, it's a lousy one. The vast majority of the students in her class took the test seriously that day, and the results of the tests have been released and were very good indeed. So, what's your point?</p>
<p>I don't see how NM involves a "lot of work". My kid recycled one of his college essays and spent less than an hour filling out the NM form. The school recommendation that went into NM was the same counselor recommendation that went to all the colleges. Bottom line, he took a 3 hour test one Saturday morning (which was good practice for the SAT too) and he won a $1000 a year. That's a great return on a very small investment of time.</p>
<p>BJMS,
My point was really not focused on you. I referring to this post by someone else. "" I just cannot support a program that makes kids and schools jump through hoops with the hopes of getting scholarship money, when so little is out there for many of them."</p>
<p>No one is forcing that poster or their kids to support the program by taking the exam. It's not a government-required test (as is the case in some countries in which to go to college in that country, students have to get qualifying scores on a nationally-administered exam). </p>
<p>If anyone thinks the NM competition is disreputable, they don't have to participate in it. If they prefer to apply for scholarships that they believe are fairer, that's their option.</p>
<p>A lot of parents around these parts pay $750 for an NMS prep course. One would be better off going to the local casino! But if a kid chooses to study at home for free, I always make the same recommendation: sign up for the SAT that is always offered either the previous or following week. That way your studying bears fruit on both tests. If you're lucky, you can get one or more parts of the SAT out of your life at that point. Makes the rest of junior and senior years a lot less stressful.</p>
<p>Before I say goodbye to the original poster, allow me to show clearly the points the OP made in his/her earliest posts in this thread:</p>
<ol>
<li><p>Don't get me wrong, that's a wonderful accomplishment; just wish there was some real money tied to it, that's all.</p></li>
<li><p>And isn't that what everyone thinks, that if you become a semi or finalist you get lots of money for college?</p></li>
<li><p>And for what?? My D scored very well, will be named a finalist in a couple of weeks, has been accepted early to Smith, is Salutatorian, has received numerous academic awards, and won't receive Jack!!</p></li>
<li><p>However, many bright kids don't ever get that chance because of their parents employment. Now, that stinks!</p></li>
</ol>
<p>All through the thread, the OP is making complaints about the way NM doles out the cash, including clearly complaining that D wasn't receiving cash. Then when the OP is called out on that, the OP responds:</p>
<p>"You are very mistaken. I knew the details vividly before she applied to college, and never thought money would be thrown after her."</p>
<p>Fine. Then why keep complaining? If you never thought you should have gotten any money, it isn't an issue, is it?</p>
<p>Although all through your posts you were making money the issue...including a complaint you weren't receiving "jack", you may have finally got it right, BJM8. Its not all about the money. </p>
<p>
[quote]
As the OP for this post, let me reiterate something I said much earlier; if you have a bright kid who scored well on the PSAT, got to commended status, took the SAT's and did very well, wrote a great essay for NM, had their Principal write a great recommendation to NM, maintained superb grades,became a semi-finalist...
[/quote]
</p>
<p>Not to nitpick, but I just wanted to point something out in case a parent takes it the wrong way. Commended students do not progress to semifinalist and finalist. Their honor is in being a commended student.</p>
<p>BJMB, just to spare you further embarrassment, my comment about "if you favor more programs to send money to those who need it the least" was meant as sarcasm. You weren't supposed to agree with it. Although from the tenor of some of your other posts I can kind of see why that one flew right over your head. Sorry. I'll try to be less obtuse in the future.</p>
<p>Let me try to deconstruct my own statements: You are very fortunate that your daughter has the grades & test scores needed to gain entrance to an excellent, elite LAC college like Smith, where your daughter will no doubt find herself in the company of many other students with very high test scores. You are also tremendously fortunate to apparently be able to bear the costs of sending your daughter to Smith. Please don't begrudge the money that goes to students who need it more and are very grateful to attend lesser institutions where the "aura" of their National Merit status is enough to win them full scholarships.</p>
<p>WoW!!! Angry folks attacking me, heh! Well, I guess I'll just put my tail between my legs and stop the discussion. Which, BTW, I wasn't doing. I would never begrudge anyone who is receiving money from NM, and am quite happy for them. Hard for you to believe I guess, since it appears almost everyone who answered to this post read something quite different into my responses than was intended. :( </p>
<p>Perhaps my wording was not succinct enough, or my purpose of posting not made clear. There's no need to be so defensive about the topic; I'm happy for you and your children, and thank you for the kind words about mine. If by chance my D receives the title of NMS, we will be ecstatic for her, and certainly will not turn down the $2500. Any little bit helps. But my posts have not been about our receiving monies from NM, simply about the perception that many H.S. students have regarding the process vs. award.</p>
<p>I'm sorry if I hurt anyone's feelings, that was not my intent. I have been posting on CC for a few months now, and this is the first time I have received such indignation. My fault, I'm sure. With that being said, may I wish all of you a great end of the school year for your children, and best wishes for college admissions and scholarship money to help pay those dreaded bills.</p>