<p>HS Junior S, who dreams only of Duke, just received his PSAT scores yesterday, and they are comfortably high enough for NMSF status when announced next September. Assuming his other stats (SAT, class rank, EC's etc) are all in Duke's range, how big a deal is an applicant's NMSF status in Duke's admissions decisions? Is it just one more little factor for consideration, like HOBY or Boys State, or is it a much more significant factor in the admissions process? </p>
<p>It's nice, but I got the impression that it's not that big of a deal, especially since Duke does not have special scholarships for National Merit Scholars.</p>
<p>My impression is that while certainly it is seen as a positive, it is not something that will make you an automatic admit by any means. Just another award to put down, which is always nice. It might make a difference if the admission committee is deciding between two equally matched candidates, but isn't something that would put an unqualified applicant over the edge, IMO. Can't hurt though, obviously.</p>
<p>I agree with everyone else. I don't think that NMSF in and of itself will do much to get your son in. The high SAT scores that a NMSF will probably have will be much more helpful in getting your son admitted. </p>
<p>So indirectly it helps, as it's a sign of future high test scores, but it doesn't do much directly. (and this is coming from a past NMF)</p>