<p>Here here Wolverine86!!!</p>
<p>Got a letter from Senator Joe Negron today… that was pretty cool.</p>
<p>Wow!</p>
<p>Congrats! Very nice!</p>
<p>We have a new principal this year and he’s still just getting used to things so he just ended up all the semi finalists and commended people randomly during an assembly we were having for another reason, but in previous years (with the old principal), they haven’t been recognized.</p>
<p>Not a complaint, just an observation. Our school or the school district did not recognize the National Merit Semifinalists, finalists or scholars at all this year. Someone told me that they would be recognized at the senior awards program. They were today but in a very matter in fact way. They recognized the high ACT scores, and then added at the end “by the way (name) was our school’s national merit scholar and (name) was the commended scholar.” No one, except those familiar with the program, would even know what an honor this is. However, I know as my S has had great financial opportunities as a finalist and will take advantage of these. Its just ironic that my youngest was recognized by the school board at their meeting for a “great bowling season” yet nothing was done for these high achievers. Reading this thread, I guess many midwest schools are not aware of the significance of this honor.</p>
<p>I’m almost certainly going to be a NMSF, and I don’t see the big deal. It’s a score on a test. It actually surprises me that so many schools give scholarships for it. My school does nothing, which I am fine with.</p>
<p>My duaghter’s school had not had a finalist for years, nor has it had once since (2009). The day the school announced the two finalists was a couple days before an SAT. The entire faculty wore buttons that said:“I’m more than just a number.” Let’s talk about PC BS. I found it offensive. Both girls also got money.</p>
<p>^Wow, that is EXTREMELY offensive. I don’t think NMSF is that big of a deal, but to go out of their way to degrade those student’s accomplishments is immature. Wow.</p>
<p>^It is not a big deal if you don’t need the money. However, for many middle class families that do not qualify for financial aid; and do not have a lot of money to pay for tuitions and expeneses think of it as a very big deal.</p>
<p>I do need the money. I am middle class. I am most likely going to go to a college with a NM scholarship, because my parents haven’t saved a dime for me. </p>
<p>I merely find it silly that one test from the beginning of junior year has so much weight with affordability.</p>
<p>NMS really is a fairly big deal. It is something that you can put on your resume for a long time and it will be noticed by those in the know, so to speak. It is one more thing that might open a door for an interview. My daughter gets her scholarship through her Dad’s company (as did Bill Gates, BTW, no comparison, of course), so she thanks the president of the company each year and updates him on what she is doing. That may open a door when she goes job hunting next year.</p>
<p>On the other hand, DD’s BF was a NMF. He really was not made aware of what it could mean in scholarship money. He will have debt when he graduates because he just did not know. He is first generation in this country and I wonder whether he even checked the darn box to get mail. </p>
<p>It can make a difference.</p>
<p>It’s a big deal to me, considering I’m receiving a full academic scholarship at a private university in an area I love. My parents aren’t rich and it’s essentially 138,000$ for free.</p>
<p>Sent from my DROID RAZR using CC</p>
<p>Our school has 1 NMF out of a class of 700. He got a full tuition scholarship to a top 25 private school. To me that’s a bigger deal than the kid who qualified for the CIF golf tournament, but guess whose name is flashing on the marquee at the entrance to school?</p>
<p>Ours were recognized on the school website back in the fall, and then yesterday at commencement they recognized each student by calling out their names and honor level (finalist or commended) and having them all stand for applause.</p>
<p>I was the only semifinalist, finalist, and scholar in the history of my school and the only one in my district this year. I was awarded a $72,000 scholarship from a University. At our school’s honors and awards night, the principal just said my award without explaining anything about National Merit whatsoever. I was never publicly announced to the school or anything. But my real concern is for the juniors who I know have qualifying scores. They might not get the correct information (I had to ask online) from our counselors and they might miss out on a lot of money.</p>
<p>Lolar, sometimes I think the principal or school doesn’t know the significance of the award (I don’t think our district does.) Congratulations on being a National Merit Scholar, and earning a $72,000 scholarship. If you know those juniors, make sure you share your story with them in case they are fortunate enough to make NMSF.</p>
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<p>It sounds to me like they were criticizing the SAT and its stature in college admissions, which I think is perfectly appropriate, if not a little tactless. But, still: to think you’re better than someone else (not that all high scorers do) because of one test, and a very short one given once, a that, is ridiculous. </p>
<p>In my opinion, the PSAT is a very small sample of the scholastic ability of a student. It follows that giving it once and staking so much financial and congratulatory gain on it is fallacious and wrong. Minimizing the magnitude of that fallacy is the only real way one can oppose the numbers-based admissions process that so many complain about. What I’m saying is that lauding students for their NMSF/NMF status is silly; it’s like congratulating somebody for doing well on any three hour test. </p>
<p>Alternately, I’ll try this more partisan line of reasoning, for those of you to whom logic is apparently anathema: If you can’t derive a sense of accomplishment from within, you’re not worth recognizing.</p>
<p>Sports are so celebrated that it is nice to get a little recognition for having some academic talent, FawkesGoldman. It isn’t that kids live for recognition, it is just nice once in a while for academics to be celebrated in an educational setting. The buttons were in reference to the SAT, the timing was just bad. I don’t think my daughter was offended. She did not tell me about it; I happened to go in to the school that day.</p>
<p>Our school almost seems to marginalize the NMF’s - never any mention, at all.
The area newspaper always publishes a list of the semifinalists/finalists however</p>
<p>If we would celebrate EVERY SORT success, then EVERYONE would enjoy a pat-on-the-back occaisionally.</p>