Will being a NMSF help at all in admission to top colleges? If so, which ones? Thanks!
<p>Some schools give full rides and auto admits to NMS finalist. The top 25 schools usually don't.</p>
<p>Yes, it will help</p>
<p>Can you be more specific? Here are the schools I'm looking at: Stanford, Notre Dame, Rice, Duke, Wheaton (IL), Wash-U, Emory, IU, and Purdue. I know it won't help at Stanford (everyone probably has it) but what about some of the others?</p>
<p>It will probably help, but considering 16,000 NMSF are applying to some of the same schools you are (Stanford, Duke, WUStL, Emory, Rice), it won't be an extremely important factor.</p>
<p>You could always use the naming of a college to your benefit. When they ask you to name a college that you are planning to attend, list your first choice school. Then they will be notified that you've listed them--I don't know how much, but I'm sure it helps.</p>
<p>On a side note, does anyone know what the best school is that offers a full or near full ride to NMSF's? I know the University of Florida does.</p>
<p>I know NYU offers some, but I don't know exactly what.</p>
<p>is nmsf a bigger honor or nhs? just wondering...</p>
<p>nmsf is bigger than nhs, although I suppose at some select high schools that might possibly not be true. In general, every high school has a fair number of people who are in NHS, and it isn't very hard to get into. NMSF has only about 16,000 students nationally, and only the very very top students in each state. However, National Merit is based mostly on test scores (PSAT) while NHS, at least at my school, is based on GPA, ECs, and "character". </p>
<p>National merit will probably help with admissions, but less so for the very top schools. It could be used with picking a financial safety--a number of colleges offer full scholarships to finalists.</p>
<p>for certain schools (privates and publics) that are buying better stats (to increase their rankings) by offering full and partial rides to NMF's, it can mean a lot in admissions. For the Ivies, and Stanford, not help.</p>
<p>For top colleges, nearly everyone has similar credentials so it won't help you at all but it might solidify a scholarship at your safety school.</p>