<p>I am fortunate enough to now have had 2 children who have gotten wonderful scholarships as NMFs. I had never heard of the National Merit Corp. Scholarships or the PSAT until my oldest took the PSAT in October of his junior year. This was an optional test per his school and they only mentioned that if the child did well they could possibly get a scholarship. It was only after my S made NMSF (by the skin of his teeth) that I researched what a NMSF meant and the possible wonderful "non-official" scholarships that are available to NMFs (most of this information came from cc). S1 became a NMF and was able to get an almost full-tuition scholarship to a nearby state's flagship university. </p>
<p>Now that I knew what an opportunity NMF's have, I made sure S2 took the PSAT in sophomore year, and in his junior year he did very well and eventually became a NMF too. Now that I had 2 years of research behind me, I steered my S to apply to those schools that would give him a good scholarship. Although he applied and was rejected to MIT, he had several wonderful options that he could choose and ended up deciding to go to UA with a full-tuition with room scholarship. He will start in the Fall 2012. I can't tell you how wonderful it is to have both of my kids go through school and with a little help from us will be debt-free for their undergrad degree.</p>
<p>S3 will be taking his Junior Year PSAT next year. I don't know if he'll "make it" as his sophomore score was about 30 below this year's needed score but I will have him practice this summer and just maybe he'll do well enough. I have told everyone I know what this test means, and to make sure their kids take this seriously. Most of them, including S3, might not get that needed score but its like winning the lottery if they do. I want to thank all the schools who still recognize and award the NMFs....I know that we appreciate that they do!</p>
<p>Very true!</p>
<p>* he had several wonderful options that he could choose and ended up deciding to go to UA with a full-tuition with room scholarship. He will start in the Fall 2012*</p>
<p>And Bama is thrilled that he’s enrolling!</p>
<p>:)</p>
<p>I agree with you, KJCPHMOM.</p>
<p>S1 came home last November with a PSAT score that will likely name him a NMSF in Aug/Sept. At the time, I thought “nice job, but not really a big deal since it’s only a $2500 one-time scholarship.” It wasn’t until I came upon the CC Forums that I had the “Holy Moley” moment when I found the list of generous full-ride scholarships offered by colleges to NMF.</p>
<p>S1’s high school guidance counselor wasn’t aware of NMF benefits other than the $2500 scholarship. He even counseled my kid not to take the test as a junior because it was a waste of time for anybody with a sub-200 sophomore PSAT score to try to achieve NMSF levels one year later – as if it were some kind of statistical impossibility.</p>
<p>Now that I know what I know, you can be sure that S2 will be well-prepared to take his junior PSAT in a few years. The NMF opportunities are huge, and apparently a little-known secret within the counseling offices – at least at our school.</p>
<p>It’s also hard to bite your tongue (so I usually don’t bother trying 
) when I see posters who say NMF status isn’t really worth anything since “elite” schools don’t offer much, if anything, to NMFs. While I realize the stats of many CC students are above average, it really ticks me off when posters spread the hype that unless you attend HYPSM or some high-priced LAC you’re not getting a quality education. What a load of horse puckey!! There are many GREAT schools that offer NMFs a free/nearly free undergraduate education and provide invaluable relief to those of us in the middle-class doughnut hole of college costs. For those that feel their child’s HS efforts are “wasted” unless they attend a USNWR top ranked school…enjoy the massive hit to your savings and/or the burden of student loans. I’ll happily send off my <$1K per year to D1’s school and grin from ear to ear every time she tells me how thrilled she is with her choice. Smarts and common sense…thank God she takes after my wife. :)</p>
<p>Our HS also does a lousy job of explaining what an NMSF can be worth! They are completely fixated on class rank. Spoke to a mom a few years ago of a very bright kid who felt they were completely mislead - their son worked so hard to be #10 in his class. He and his buddy, who ended up being NMF, both went to OU. NMF had full ride+, her son got 5K per year for his class standing, not much in the big picture (both OOS). Her son was so close on PSAT, if someone had educated their family, he would’ve prepped more and likely would’ve made it. But at our school, it’s all about class rank and those “top 10” kids. They get their own section at graduation - not just the students but their parents. NMSF/NMFs get basically nothing. Huge disservice to the students and their families when it comes time to pay for college!!!</p>
<p>Thank you for this post. When do students usually take PSAT? My D is just finishing Freshman yr. She was invited, during Jr. High, to take the an SAT test early (the PSAT??), but we really didn’t hear anything about possible benefits from doing so, and there was a fee. D felt she’d rather wait, so she didn’t participate. Now we know that getting a good score then would have given her access to the Duke TIP program and she has some regrets for missing out on that. We, at the same time (partly due to my confusion, thinking they were related), did not sign up for the Jr.Honor Society…still not sure what benefit we may have missed out on there, but she should get invited to the Honor society (no longer Jr) next year. So…we don’t want to miss out on anything else…so I am very glad to learn about the benefits of taking the PSAT! Any more tips will be appreciated!</p>
<p>Being familiar with any standardized test is helpful, so taking it before it counts in the junior year is a good idea. The PSAT also provides the answers with the test results, so students can see what they missed. Shoboemom, your daughter may have been invited to take the actual SAT to qualify for a program for gifted kids ( Hopkins’CTY uses that test, too).</p>
<p>And for those whose counselors think you cannot increase scores, my daughter went from a 201 to a 229 from sophomore to junior year. She did a little self study.</p>
<p>Another nice thing about being a NMS is that it is something you can use on your resume for a long time. Bill Gates was a NM Boeing Scholar though he probably does not include it on his anymore.</p>
<p>@squidge—those “top 10 kids” worked their butts off for 4 years, not just for 1 test. They deserve to be recognized.</p>
<p>I too do not understand why guidance counselors are not promoting the PSAT more. One of my kiddos improved 36 points on the PSAT from sophomore year to junior year. It wasn’t from prepping either- just maturing academically. She is out of grad school now but we have marveled on more than one occasion how fortunate she was to score well that one day her junior year of high school because the school she matriculated to awarded full tuition for NMF for a six year BS/DPT dual degree program.</p>
<p>hoosiermom…Assuming you’re in Indiana, your school suffers from the same regional lack of knowledge as our area does (we’re in Michigan). There is SO much more emphasis put on the ACT than on the SAT throughout the Midwest that most schools here simply view the PSAT as a means to guess-timating the potential score on the SAT. Since they don’t emphasize the SAT…they figure there’s no real benefit to the PSAT. It’s been that way since I was a HS student several centuries ago.</p>
<p>Our local high school pays for all the seniors to take the ACT but offers nothing for the PSAT other than a day off from classes to take it. As far as the SAT goes, all students are completely on their own, and less than 1/3 of the seniors take it. </p>
<p>Now that we know the true potential value of a high PSAT score, the trick is walking the fine line of preparing D2 & S (twins) without them putting undue pressure on themselves. Although they’re only freshmen this year, they know from D1’s experience how many additional opportunities NMF status can present and will pursue them to the best of their abilities.</p>
<p>BTW Peeps28…I don’t think squidge was in any way saying that top 10 students shouldn’t be recognized, but it is incredibly short-sighted of you to think that NMFs are simply “one trick ponies” based on their PSAT score. In order to be awarded NMF status you need to have a solid (though not top 10…granted) GPA, good EC’s, 2000+ SAT score, principal and GC recs…in short, the whole package. The PSAT score is simply the weed-out linchpin in the whole process. Any NMF is equally deserving of recognition, which was the point squidge was trying to make.</p>
<p>As a sophomore son scored 173. He self studied (no tutors/ classes etc), aiming to increase his score by 9 points in junior year, so he could make National Hispanic Scholar. He scored 219 (increase of 46 points). He will probably make both NMSF & National Hispanic Scholar. Therefore, I believe PSAT scores can go up significantly at this point in life. These kids are at an age where their brains that are developing, and anything is possible. </p>
<p>By the way, we did not push S to study much over the summer, since we were just looking for a 9 point increase.</p>
<p>I took the PSAT as a freshman at the same time as my sister, who was a junior, purely for practice. I had prepared a little and both of us scored a 180. As a junior, I scored a 222 with some more studying. I realize that that score is not very high, but 2 fewer missed questions (out of 7) and I would have been around a 228. (sigh…) Anyway, the point is that scores can change from test to test, and the beauty of the PSAT is that you are not preparing for it in the spring of your hectic junior year. Without CC, I would not have known about full tuition scholarships for NMFs or of the generosity of OOS public universities (UA, UO). Well, wish me luck on the SAT next week!</p>
<p>@wolverine86—I know what it takes to be NMF. But you get money! Top 10 kids get a seat up front (unless you are a NMF and top 10). I would rather have the money!!!</p>
<p>A few thoughts:</p>
<ol>
<li> Without the energetic posters on cc I also would not have known about all the tuition opportunities that come with NMF status. I check this site every day.</li>
<li> Both kids go to a private school where they take PSAT in 9th, 10th, and 11th grades. If not for these earlier 9-10 scores we would not have had an inkling where S1 stood on college entrance standardized tests. If your school doesn’t make this a requirement, you need to sign your kids up for the PSAT yourself, and preferably from the time they begin high school</li>
<li> Interestingly, despite the otherwise excellent college counseling service in their school, there is not a strong emphasis on preparing for the PSAT. When they send out the scores to Sophomores, they include a letter saying that if they score over 185 the kids might want to consider reviewing for the PSAT over the summer in preparation for junior year. Knowing what I know now, I would tell all the kids to study their butts off over the summer, because…</li>
<li> …after seeing S1’s 177 as a sophomore we thought “better sign him up for a review course now and give him plenty of time to get ready for the SAT”. So he worked hard all summer and got a 222, making him pretty much a lock as a NMSF in GA.</li>
<li> And finally, know your child. Some students will do just fine reviewing on their own. Others need a teacher/tutor. It might be expensive, but the $3K we spent will look like a bargain if it leads to a $100K scholarship.</li>
</ol>
<p>DD’s sophomore score was 202. I got her a set of PSAT study FLASH CARDS and a set of 2000 SAT VOCAB WORDS Flash Cards, punched them, put each on a ring and she kept them in her backback and looked at them when she had a few minutes.</p>
<p>As she got closer, she started sub-rings of the cards she needed to practice.</p>
<p>Her score improved more than twenty points, and SHE DID NOT MISS A SINGLE VOCAB WORD…</p>
<p>When it came time for the SAT, SHE DID NOT MISS A SINGLE VOCAB WORD.</p>
<p>She is using these purchased flash card sets for her upcoming AP EXAMS for APUSH and AP Spanish. I can only anticipate similar sucessful outcomes.</p>
<p>People learn differently, but we owe a lot to FLASH CARDS.</p>
<p>I bought my son flash cards. I agree that they could improve scores. Unfortunately, DS never took them out of the box.</p>
<p>The AP cards were Baron’s</p>
<p>The VOCAB cards were EXAMBUSTERS (these are the BEST I think) We played one-on-one contests at the dinner table keeping score as to whom knew the most words…kind of like HORSE, but with VOCAB…it was mildy diverting for DD from just reviewing them alone.</p>
<p>The rest were Kaplin …</p>
<p>If they don’t come pre-punched, I do it myself. Then each ring goes in a small ziplock - or they get ripped off the ring, and, at home, they all go in a 2 gallon zip lock to keep them together. … or that is the plan, lol</p>
<p>Just search SAT FLASH CARDS or AP FLASH CARDS on amazon… everyone and their brother makes them…some support specific review books, but we mixed and matched.</p>
<p>@peeps & wolverine - of course I’m not taking anything away from top 10! But I can tell you that the mom and student I referred to would’ve much rather had the $$ when it came college time and both felt they were misguided - her son would’ve had more opportunity with NMF and he was a kid that was capable of achieving it. Also, at our school, the top 10 is based on weighted GPA, so there’s a big “game” to begin “auditing” non-weighted classes by your junior year. This can also come back to bite you at scholarship time - many schools academic scholarships are based on UNweighted GPA’s - so those A’s in band and athletics that were “passed” on turn out to really help in some cases. Being top 10 is a great accomplishment, but frankly isn’t the most valuable at scholarship time - and at our school especially, most kids NEED the money to give them options.</p>
<p>But back to the topic - as far as prep, start by taking the test at every opportunity! D took the SAT in 7th, a mock ACT in 8th, and PSAT starting Freshman year. Just taking it can improve your score! From Freshman to Junior year she improved 34 points and is on the bubble for our states expected cutoff! She did some prep, and she knew which areas specifically she needed to improve based on taking it prior to junior year.</p>
<p>I totally agree with taking the tests. The score reports that we received really helped pinpoint where to brush up.</p>
<p>On the other hand, we knew going in that DD had a great vocab, and even better, she actually enjoyed studying the weekly vocab words her school included in the ciriculum since lower school. So we decided to try to maximize on this strength and get perfect scores…and her perfect english scores pulled those nasty 98.5 percentile math scores right up!!! lol</p>