<p>Schools like Bama benefit from OOS’ers with high stats. It helps their numbers in USNews (for those who care) and probably helps a bit with retention rates, which in turn both help with USNews rankings. Not saying that a handful of students in isolation will significantly increase these numbers, but over time, these numbers will slowly increase.</p>
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<p>Part of the mission of a public u is to attract / retain the best and brightest to their state - and if dangling free tuition in front of smart OOS students does that (a la Alabama), then more power to them. Look, let’s face it - did any OOS student ever consider Alabama a few years ago? No. It’s really upped its game by attracting smart kids from other states. What’s wrong with that?</p>
<p>Which posts do you consider “whining” and which posts do you see someone saying that the PSAT is a measure of “pure achievement”? I do not see it. That said, I do agree that if a student tests well, it is a predictor of success in college (whether you like it or not) and the goal of schools is not just for a kid to be admitted, but to succeed, graduate, make lots of $ and donate a lot of $ back to the school as an alum.</p>
<p>It seems to me that by recruiting many top students to enroll at a school like Alabama that the citizens of the state of Alabama benefit in many ways. First of all it could very much improve the level of discourse and research for all students attending Alabama. As the school’s reputation increases, then Alabama natives that attend Bama will possibly enjoy better job prospects or graduate school opportunities. I have read the Bama forum for a couple of years now and that school seems to be on the move.</p>
<p>“Did you know when your kid took the PSAT in October of junior year that it was used for scholarship potential?”</p>
<p>Of course I knew but that is not it’s purpose, imo, nor should it be. It’s a learning tool.</p>
<p>“Schools like Bama benefit from OOS’ers with high stats. It helps their numbers in USNews (for those who care) and probably helps a bit with retention rates, which in turn both help with USNews rankings. Not saying that a handful of students in isolation will significantly increase these numbers, but over time, these numbers will slowly increase.”</p>
<p>And this helps students who are citizens of Alabama how?</p>
<p>Read pizzagirl’s and freein2012’s posts for the answer to your question in #86. And well, if you have unilaterally decided that the PSAT is just a learning tool, well, thats your opinion, though it seems myopic to me, especially if you were interested in keeping all the merit $ options open. To me, the blue book and other practice SAT tools are what should be used to practice or gauge SAT performance. Colleges use the PSAT, if the student checks the right box, as one method of marketing/targeting students. You are welcome to dislike any scholarship tool that any school uses. But again dont offend posters who do not feel the same. </p>
<p>I am still convinced you’d be singing a different tune if your kid was a NMS.</p>
<p>“A rising TIDE lifts all boat”</p>
<p>Then maybe schools like 'Bama should give the free rides to the B and C students from Alabama so they can get a good education, graduate debt free, and then get a good job in Alabama so thatall the citizens of Alabama benefit from educating their citizens who will pay more in taxes to the state which in turn can increase spending at all levels of schooling.</p>
<p>“I am still convinced you’d be singing a different tune if your kid was a NMS.”</p>
<p>Ummm…let me think on this a sec. OK, that would be a no.</p>
<p>Yeah, and I have a bridge I’d like to sell you.</p>
<p>I’m done. This level of response reminds me of someone sticking their fingers in their ears and shouting.</p>
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<p>Do you live in Alabama? I don’t, so I don’t think I get to weigh in about what Alabama chooses to do vis a vis OOS students. If you live in Alabama and your kid didn’t get a full ride then I could understand being peeved. </p>
<p>As others said, Alabama and other public U’s offering big OOS merit money may be thinking that it best serves their residents to have a public university with a strong reputation, and they’re bootstrapping their way there by luring high-stats students. Or that it encourages college grads to stay in the state and contribute to the state’s economy. That’s their call. If they want to accept more B and C students, that’s their call as well. </p>
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<p>NYU probably didn’t award much NM money; they don’t award much merit money anyway. So I don’t think anyone posting here is upset because of NYU not offering money through the program. There are a few CC posters (generally the newer ones) who are stunned to learn that schools do consider more than test scores for admissions and merit aid. Then their children go off to college and happily thrive wherever they end up, and the parent’s subsequent postings don’t worry much about test scores. :)</p>
<p>I’m a little confused here…the scholarships at U of Alabama are NOT based on “one test” only. The big scholarships there are based on a combination of SAT/GPA. IF a student happens to become a NMF (yes the PSAT is used for that…but it’s NOT the only criteria), then there is an additional monetary award.</p>
<p>There is nothing wrong with colleges trying to get the best possible students to attend their universities. There is a benefit to having strong students on the roles.</p>
<p>There are college opportunities in state for residents of Alabama as well.</p>
<p>I think there are two different discussions going on here.</p>
<p>1) Should there be any merit awards?
2) Should the PSAT be used to award them.</p>
<p>“Which posts do you consider “whining” and which posts do you see someone saying that the PSAT is a measure of “pure achievement”? I do not see it.”</p>
<p>Post #10 and #19 for example.</p>
<p>"Then maybe schools like 'Bama should give the free rides to the B and C students from Alabama so they can get a good education, graduate debt free, and then get a good job in Alabama so thatall the citizens of Alabama benefit from educating their citizens who will pay more in taxes to the state which in turn can increase spending at all levels of schooling. "</p>
<p>How does it benefit the U of Alabama to have more B and C students from the state of Alabama enroll there? One would think that they would want to shunt off the B and C students to any directional schools, non-flagship campuses and / or the community college system, and strive to make Alabama a strong state flagship with strong students, competitive with other strong state flagships. Sample of one, my opinion of the U of Alabama has increased now that I know they are attracting smart kids who otherwise would go to elite schools by dangling some good money in front of them. It sure has increased more than it would if I heard Alabama was now encouraging the state’s B and C students to go there free of charge.</p>
<p>“Yeah, and I have a bridge I’d like to sell you.”</p>
<p>Lets see, my son is at a top 25 LAC and gets $41K/year in institutional aid and I care that he wasn’t a NMSF? If you believe that I have to ask what you are smoking.</p>
<p>No, I don’t live in Alabama or any other state which gives free rides to OOS NMF’s. </p>
<p>“How does it benefit the U of Alabama to have more B and C students from the state of Alabama enroll there”</p>
<p>Are you saying that B and C students are not capable of handling the academics at 'Bama? I am sure these “dolts” can manage to muddle their way through somehow. <em>sigh</em></p>
<p>It benefits the state of Alabama by offering the best education to the citizens of Alabama who will eventually live, work and raise a family in Alabama. </p>
<p>B and C students are capable of being educated. 'Bama is not MIT you know.</p>
<p>I think you are entirely misreading posts 10 and 19, but I agree with Freein2012. This is beginning to feel like nothing more than spitting in the wind. Waste of time to someone with clearly very closed ears and a very big, yet narrow-minded opinion.</p>
<p>And as for the above post (#97), I think thou doth protest too much. Just one more opportunity to brag about your kids merit aid (and given all the bragging its really not hard to believe if you had the other $ trophy you would be showing it off as well). Time to take the Febreeze to this thread.</p>
<p><strong><em>Edit</em></strong> Love your post #91, Freein2012!! LOL</p>
<p>Just curious-- which of these “top 25” schools is your kid attending? Ithaca College, Hartwick College, Allegheny College, SUNY Binghamton, University of New Hampshire, Juniata College,Hobart and William Smith Colleges, St. Lawrence University, Bates College. Looks like Bates is the only one that made it into any top 25 list (being in the LAC list).</p>
<p>“And as for the above post (#97), I think thou doth protest too much. Just one more opportunity to brag about your kids merit aid (and given all the bragging its really not hard to believe if you had the other $ trophy you would be showing it off as well). Time to take the Febreeze to this thread.”</p>
<p>Well since you insisted that I was somehow jealous that my son wasn’t a NMSF despite my simply saying I wasn’t I was left with having to post the facts which would prove otherwise. </p>
<p>And what I was trying to show is that there is a lot of merit and institutional out there for high achieving students and that doing away with NMF $$$ isn’t going to prohibit the best and brightest from being unable to afford college. </p>
<p>Not only was my son not a NMSF, he didn’t graduate in the top 10% of his class (28/63) and he didn’t even get above 2000 on his SAT. He wasn’t recruited for anything nor was he a legacy at any school he applied to</p>
<p>He is at Bates.</p>