Huh. @Wolverine that’s interesting. I heard that since it’s a national competition there is no state-by-state determination anymore but maybe that’s just the “party line” and not necessarily reality. But how to they keep from getting a complaint or even a lawsuit? Say two cousins from different states have the same distribution of A’s B’s and C’s and one advances to finalist and the other doesn’t . . . how do they keep the poop from hitting the fan? There is serious money involved.
I can understand disparities from year to year (one class may be particularly strong . . . ) but across state lines seems hard to justify. Unless they argue that some states have better educational systems than others . . which is exactly why there are different cut-offs for the semifinalist round. But for finalist? Huh. Don’t get it.
I don’t get it either. Seems as a national competition with 90% moving forward to finalist, it wouldn’t be that complicated. You’re going to get the students who opt not to move forward. The next exclusion would be SAT scores that do not confirm. Moving to grades, it’s not as simple as the quality of the state’s educational system. If there is a student with two Cs in AP classes, that would, presumably, not be viewed the same as a C in a regular class. It could also be based on the rigor of the student’s curriculum.
I don’t see the merit in any lawsuit. The National Merit Corporation is an entity that awards some merit scholarships as it deems fit. It isn’t required to, and the fact that some colleges use that as a benchmark to award scholarships is similarly completely voluntary. I understand the angst around this - truly - but that argument won’t fly.
I think since NMSC is a private entity they can manage their scholarships and distribute them however they wish. It’s always been an issue with some folks that say it’s not a “National” competition because the qualification criteria and advancement criteria differ from state to state. My guess is that NMSC considers it “National” because they have Finalists and Scholars from all 50 states, but like so many other things about the competition…they just don’t freely publicize details. We’re left to piece factoids together as best we can in forums like these, and our conclusions are supposition at best.
We can try to apply logic and reasoning as best we can regarding the criteria for non-advancement, but every year there are disparities and head-scratchers. A few years back a parent reported that their child did not advance and their only transcript blemish was a C in a PE class. Most of us would think “who cares”, but if NMSC was shooting for a particular number of Finalists from that state that year and the number of self-disqualifiers (no SAT score sent, paperwork not finished, etc.) didn’t achieve the level they wanted…they have to use something else to differentiate SFs.
Is it fair? Probably not, but it is what it is and it’s been that way for a LONG time. People who are new to the process will often be confused, angered, and frustrated with NMSC…but at the end of the day a private entity can use whatever criteria they wish to distribute their funds. NMSC wants students from all 50 states to benefit from their program, and whether we like it or not their method ensures they’ll achieve that.
It may be “as it deems fit” but they do publish their selection criteria so presumably “as it deems fit” isn’t an arbitrary process. Here is what NMSC says:
To qualify as a Finalist, a Semifinalist must:
continue to meet all program entry requirements (explained on page 5);
be enrolled in the last year of high school and planning to enroll full time in college the following fall, or be enrolled in the first year of college if grades 9 through 12 were completed in three years or less;
completetheNationalMeritScholarshipApplication with all information requested, which includes writing an essay;
have a record of very high academic performance in all of grades 9 through 12 and in any college course work taken (the high school must provide a complete record of courses taken and grades earned by the student, as well as information about the school’s curriculum and grading system);
be fully endorsed for Finalist standing and rec- ommended for a National Merit Scholarship by the high school principal;
take the SAT® and earn scores that confirm the PSAT/NMSQT performance that resulted in Semifinalist standing; and
provide any other documentation and information that NMSC requests.
Now, suppose they vary that #4 definition from state to state. THAT would be the basis of a lawsuit. Of course, the burden of proof would be on the complainant - my previous example was pretty restrictive. The point I’m making is that there is nothing here about different state standards, the way they do for the Semifinalist portion. NMSC is very cautious and careful about their criteria. If reality goes off message that just seems very contrary to the organization.
@wolverine86 totally agree with you that they can choose to administer any selection criteria they deem appropriate - it would be the discrepancy between what they represent and what you are claiming they actually do - that could get them in hot water.
I understand from last year that they do not accept appeals on academic performance issues anymore. Perhaps there is a backstory to that
@JBStillFlying … If varying the definition of #4 were ground for a lawsuit, every college in the country would be ripe for being sued each and every year. Just look at how many posters on CC think they attend “highly competitive” high schools and that a 3.x UW from their school is harder to achieve than a 4.0 from an “ordinary” public school. Now imagine trying to find a universal criteria to compare students from thousands of high schools across all 50 states. They’d never find a “one size fits all” model. #4 gives them a generic criteria of “very high academic performance” while leaving them enough wiggle room to apply it differently in different circumstances…just the same as a university does with it’s scholarship monies.
Nah, @Wolverine86. I can’t speak for universities because they don’t publish such detailed criteria. NMSC is a bit different.
A C in any of the AP courses is most likely going to be viewed the same across states. After all, the curriculum is standardized. Probably the same thinking applies to the honors courses that feed into AP ( because the level of preparation has to be sufficient). It’s not hard to come up with some methodology that allows for differences depending on the level of difficulty for the class. My guess is, if they were supoenaed, they’d be able to explain all this quite easily and reasonably.
ok, we’re more than 2 weeks past the date they reject letters were supposedly mailed. Monday notice of Finalist status is either delivered or mailed. I’ve seen it both ways. I expect it’s mailed to schools on Monday so we’ll know a few days thereafter. Funny, we’ve been scared of the mail for a couple of weeks now. After Monday, we’ll be cursing its sloth.
“February 6: NMSC mails notification to high school principals about the stats of their Semifinalists; a Certificate of Merit is provided for each Semifinalist who qualifies as a Finalist.” So it sounds like all that is going in the mail this coming Monday. Seriously hope there is a way for the principals to find out earlier!
Another schematic with a timeline says: “Semifinalists who do not advance to Finalist standing are notified” for January 2017. January-February says: “15,000 Semifinalists advance to Finalist standing; their Certificates of Merit are sent to high schools and selection of Merit Scholar awardees begins”.
Finally, “February 13: NMSC notifies Finalists of their status at their home addresses”. Not sure how that comes about but previous conversation has said it’s by mail. Does it ARRIVE by Feb. 13th or is the letter SENT OUT Feb. 13th?
@3scoutsmom thank you very much. That essay score is like an eyesore, I called the college board if we can just submit the SAT score since Essay is graded separately, they said no. Lesson learned, it’s good lesson for my kid in the long run on the optimistic side.
@newHSmom they will just ignor the essay score don’t worry about!
the about 1K kids that don’t move on:
didn’t turn in app
wrote snotty, disrespectful essay for application
had poor grades (depending on the year and state one semester C is enough to knock you out)
discipline history
bad recogomendation from GC
did not send in SAT score or scored below confirming on SAT
