<p>It says Finalists are notified in February. Any idea if it's begining of February or when?
Thanks</p>
<p>The National Merit packet we got, <a href=“http://www.nationalmerit.org/Merit_R&I_Leaflet.pdf[/url]”>http://www.nationalmerit.org/Merit_R&I_Leaflet.pdf</a> , says:</p>
<p>February 2 NMSC mails notification to high school principals about the status of their Semifinalists; a Certificate of Merit is provided for each Semifinalist who qualifies as Finalist</p>
<p>February 9 NMSC notifies Finalists of their status at their home addresses</p>
<p>I’m not sure if the February 9th is a letter, and would therefore arrive later, but they’ll at least mail by then.</p>
<p>Also…on another thread…some people who didn’t make it are getting rejection letters already (they seem to have started a day or two ago). Yeeikes! Scary.</p>
<p>So – if we have not heard anything I take it that is a good thing? And we should hear by February through our high school?</p>
<p>I think the last reported rejection letter on CC was early last week, so it looks like everyone else made it. </p>
<p>The rejection letters seemed to have been sent out around Jan 6th.</p>
<p>Can someone tell me where the thread is regarding the rejection letters? We were wondering when we might here of rejection, or hopefully finalist notification.</p>
<p>^^^</p>
<p>If you haven’t gotten a rejection letter, then your child likely made NMF since rejection letters went out about 2 weeks ago. The finalist notifications go to the school first, I believe, in February.</p>
<p>Schools are also told who were rejected.</p>
<p>Thread… <a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/sat-act-tests-test-preparation/823469-2009-psat-scores-class-2011-a-17.html[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/sat-act-tests-test-preparation/823469-2009-psat-scores-class-2011-a-17.html</a></p>
<p>The correct thread discussing National Merit Finalist “rejection” letters is actually titled:</p>
<p>PSAT Scores for National Merit Semifinalists 2009 (H.S. Class of 2010)</p>
<p>…And here is the link:
<a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/sat-act-tests-test-preparation/696125-psat-scores-national-merit-semifinalists-2009-h-s-class-2010-a.html[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/sat-act-tests-test-preparation/696125-psat-scores-national-merit-semifinalists-2009-h-s-class-2010-a.html</a></p>
<p>I think the posts about this year’s letters re: not advancing from semis to finals starts on page 84, post 1256.</p>
<p>Does anyone know when colleges are notified?</p>
<p>Don’t know the exact date, but did you name a First choice school? If so, that school would likely be notified soon, if they haven’t been already.</p>
<p>What is your concern?</p>
<p>No first choice, because I don’t know where I’ll get in. I applied to Florida and USC, which both give huge scholarships. Also applied to reach schools where NM is relatively a token amount. I wonder if USC waits to see if you made finalist before deciding whether to admit.</p>
<p>lockn, as I understand it, the colleges are not notified until after March 1 because students are permitted to designate or change their first choice college up until that date. Does anyone know if that’s correct? If not, then I wonder what happens if the college is notified before March 1 that it is a student’s first choice, then the student changes his/her mind.</p>
<p>Also, have any of you learned of surprising benefits of being a NMSF? My son visited a college on Friday, and asked about changing his major. He was told that NMFs could freely switch majors and that they were the only students who could do that without having to be “accepted” into the other major.</p>
<p>Check the website. It gives several notification dates when schools will be notified. And check YOUR individual school. My D asked her top two choice schools, those where she might get some money based on NMF. BOTH of them seemed a little confused as to what we meant when we asked about THEIR deadline to name them as first choice school. With further prodding, they also both said that it’s the LAST NMF deadline (May 31 or close to that). So my D does not have to list her first choice until she knows where she’s been admitted, and wants to go. But all colleges aren’t like that. I don’t know how anyone could name a first choice school before knowing if they’re even going to be accepted? I THINK this is MOSTLY not as big an issue as it FEELS like. It’s VERY confusing. But we just have the yellow card taped to the desk in our office so she doesn’t forget.</p>
<p>Barfly - yes, one or two nice surprises. At NYU…National Merit kids get very little money, but TWO TRIPS! As a freshman and sophomore, one domestic and one international (I can’t tell if Italy is EVERY year or was just last year’s selection), at…oh…$300 or so! And, at our state uni, there is a large (and stackable) scholarship for in state kids only,that “gives preference to National Merit finalists”. With the other scholarships a typical NMF would get at this school, it amounts to a full ride. That was a NICE surprise and will probably swing her to have to accept it to due finances. Awfully hard to say no to free. But it’s not guaranteed, so we’ll see.</p>
<p>*I wonder if USC waits to see if you made finalist before deciding whether to admit.
*</p>
<p>I wouldn’t be surprised if colleges already know. Schools know who the NMSFs are before the students do, so it wouldn’t surprise me if they know who the NMFs are before the embargoed formal announcement day.</p>
<p>Lockn - what is the big scholarship that Florida gives to NMF?.</p>
<p>@ mom2collegekids - The following are all for only NMS:</p>
<p>[Jim</a> Anderson Memorial Fund - University of Florida Foundation](<a href=“http://www.uff.ufl.edu/Scholarships/ScholarshipInfo.asp?ScholarshipFund=001899]Jim”>http://www.uff.ufl.edu/Scholarships/ScholarshipInfo.asp?ScholarshipFund=001899)
[Col</a>. Walter E. Barker Merit Scholarship - University of Florida Foundation](<a href=“http://www.uff.ufl.edu/Scholarships/ScholarshipInfo.asp?ScholarshipFund=006335]Col”>http://www.uff.ufl.edu/Scholarships/ScholarshipInfo.asp?ScholarshipFund=006335)
[Irving</a> and Elna Kallman Scholarship Fund - University of Florida Foundation](<a href=“http://www.uff.ufl.edu/Scholarships/ScholarshipInfo.asp?ScholarshipFund=003389]Irving”>http://www.uff.ufl.edu/Scholarships/ScholarshipInfo.asp?ScholarshipFund=003389)
[Roger</a> Long/W. J. and A. C. Wise Scholarship Fund - University of Florida Foundation](<a href=“http://www.uff.ufl.edu/Scholarships/ScholarshipInfo.asp?ScholarshipFund=006339]Roger”>http://www.uff.ufl.edu/Scholarships/ScholarshipInfo.asp?ScholarshipFund=006339)
[Wilma</a> D. Meyer Scholarship Fund - University of Florida Foundation](<a href=“http://www.uff.ufl.edu/Scholarships/ScholarshipInfo.asp?ScholarshipFund=001923]Wilma”>http://www.uff.ufl.edu/Scholarships/ScholarshipInfo.asp?ScholarshipFund=001923)</p>
<p>On [University</a> of Florida Foundation](<a href=“http://www.uff.ufl.edu/Scholarships/GeneralUniversity.asp]University”>http://www.uff.ufl.edu/Scholarships/GeneralUniversity.asp) there is a list of all scholarships, so there’s a lot more. I just posted the first few. UF heavily recruits NMF’s and all these scholarships add up for quite a lot of money.</p>
<p>My understanding is that the NMF awards from UF pale in comparison to a number of other schools like UCF, Auburn, Alabama, Oklahoma, etc… For in-state NMFs the scholarship is only $5000 for four years ($1000 per year plus $1000 for research grants). Now I do believe the scholarships for out-of-state NMFs is greater, which does irritate me as I pay taxes in Florida as a resident, but whatever the case may be, I do think the NMF scholarship from UF is far better for out-of-state NMFs than in-state.</p>
<p>I fully expect UF to discontinue supporting NMF. It has been reduced to a ridiculous level (as proud_mom said, $1000 for 4 years plus $1000 research grant).</p>
<p>And it’s hypocritical because one of UF’s most prominent recruiting points is the presence of the 2nd most NMFs of any college (behind Harvard).</p>
<p>If UF truly values NMFs so much, they should do something about it more than the $5000 they offer.</p>
<p>I know that UF gives some money to NMF, but the post indicated that they give a lot. </p>
<p>I still don’t know how much UF actually gives NMF. I know that Bama gets a lot of Florida’s NMFs because UF wasn’t giving them much.</p>
<p>I believe that OOS NMF to UFlorida are given scholarships towards the out-of-state portion of tuition, so an OOS NMF would be paying for the full instate COA. Does that sound right?</p>
<p>Boy, if UF only gives $5k TOTAL for instate ($1k per year plus $1k for research), then UF is being very stingy!</p>
<p>OOS NMFs at UF get either $4000 a year+in state tuition+$1000 towards research, or $1000 a year+in state tuition+$1000 towards research</p>
<p>don’t remember which, but both are amazing deals for OOS</p>