<p>^ Just wondering, is there a source for that?</p>
<p>I was always under the impression that if you listed “x” college for your first choice that gave out NMF scholarships (like USC), you would get that college’s scholarship for sure. Which means that you CAN’T get the $2500, since you’re already getting another NMF scholarship from the college. It makes sense to do it that way because then they can maximize the number of people getting money - no point in giving a student BOTH the $2500 and a college tuition scholarship.</p>
<p>I don’t know if there is a source for any of how the NMCorp scholarships are given out. I guess we would need someone out there who received a College NMF scholarship (minus official) and the the NMCorp.</p>
<p>The reason I don’t think such a person exists is because the NMCorp scholarship is for a ONE time $2500, while the “official” part of a school scholarship is at least $1000 for 4 years. </p>
<p>However, there are some kids (like my son) who was given both the corporate scholarship $2500/yr and the school scholarship (minus the official $1k per year).</p>
<p>Not sure exactly what you’re questioning, fuzzyfirebunny, but here’s a couple things to note:</p>
<p>1) from the NMSC website:</p>
<p>"National Merit® $2500 Scholarships</p>
<p>Every Finalist competes for these single payment scholarships, which are awarded on a state representational basis. Winners are selected without consideration of family financial circumstances, college choice, or major and career plans."</p>
<p>[National</a> Merit Scholarship Program](<a href=“http://www.nationalmerit.org/nmsp.php#winner]National”>http://www.nationalmerit.org/nmsp.php#winner)</p>
<p>2) As for getting multiple “NM scholarships”, you can only get one scholarship through NMSC - a $2500 NMSC scholarship; a corporate-sponsored scholarship; or a college-sponsored scholarship. However, for schools which offer large awards like full or half tuition, they can and do give out those awards EVEN IF AWARDED ONE OF THE NMSC SCHOLARSHIPS. As mom2collegekids points out, getting a NMSC award typically just reduces what the college itself has to award, so they LIKE applicants to get those scholarships, as it means $$ they bring in (less for them to have to award). Again, you should verify how each school handles NMSC scholarships, as there is no rule saying they have to do it one particular way.</p>
<p>So there’s some sense to how they award the scholarships, but as noted, it isn’t to maximize the number of people getting the money. NMSC scholarships and the large school awards are separate things (though seemingly the same) - that may be the source of the confusion. DS got the $2500 award last year which was subtracted from the amount of his full tuition award from the school for being a NMF. Made the school $2500 they wouldn’t have gotten otherwise, but did nothing financially for DS.</p>
<p>Knowitsome - Thanks for your helpful replies. While DD listed USC as her #1 choice she is now leaning towards attending another school which does not offer scholarships to National Merit Finalists. </p>
<p>I was trying to determine whether:</p>
<p>1)the NMSC folks award $2,500 scholarships regardless of the school listed as #1 choice (especially since they don’t know yet whether the student will attend that school) and then, as you suggest, the school provides the larger of the two offers to the students;</p>
<p>OR</p>
<p>2) the NMSC folks factor in the school listed as the #1 choice when making the $2,500 scholarship determinations, avoiding giving the scholarships to students with an expressed interest in a college or university with a generous program of its own for NMF.</p>
<p>If the practice of NMSC is consistent with my first example then there is no need for her to change her #1 college designation, but if it is consistent with my second example then she should change her #1 choice to the college she is leaning towards attending (which does not award scholarships to NMF).</p>
<p>I understand you to be saying that the first example is the correct one. Is that right?</p>
<p>^^^</p>
<p>To be sure…call NMCorp…they are super nice and will tell you what is best to do.</p>
<p>Nat’l Merit Corp 847-866-5100</p>
<p>Option #1 is essentially correct. NMSC, knowing students will change their minds, don’t factor in college choice in their selection of $2500 winners.</p>
<p>For your daughter (or any other NMF), there’s typically no reason to designate a school as their first choice until the last possible opportunity. Only when a potential school with great NMF benefits has a deadline to designate them as a first choice (and those deadlines vary greatly between schools, often being very squishy) is it necessary to make a choice. Most deadlines DS encountered were in April, so his college decision essentially got pushed forward a couple of weeks from the May 1 date. He also made a “temporary” designation when NMSC requested he make a choice in mid-March for the awarding of his $2500 scholarship. He still could change it prior to the deadline of the other full tuition school he considered and still get school #2’s package, or he could change it to potential school #3 (with no NMSC scholarships) at any time if he decided to attend (he stayed with #1, his original designation).</p>
<p>When would a college have an earlier deadline? Perhaps if they offered competitive scholarships to NMFs and wanted to entice their most desired NMF applicants to choose them knowing they’d get the scholarship package.</p>
<p>At this point, if your daughter has only two schools she’s considering, she should name the one offering NMF scholarships and not worry about any adverse effects.</p>
<p>To the OP (and all other NM finalists, for that matter): Don’t get your hopes up unrealistically. </p>
<p>Only half of the finalists will actually get a NM scholarship and half of those who do will get only the one-time $2500 grant from NMSC (which is nice, but doesn’t buy much – even at a State school). The other NM scholarships are sponsored by individual schools (and therefore only students applying to that particular school are even eligible) or are sponsored by corporations (and those are usually restricted to children of that company’s employees).</p>
<p>That being said, good luck to all of you!</p>