Is a 224 high enough for semifinalist in Massachusetts?

Paying for College National Merit Aid
1

<p>I know it varies from year to year, but generally is this that enough?</p>

2

<p>Here’s a link to last year’s numbers.</p>

<p><a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/sat-act-tests-test-preparation/696125-psat-scores-national-merit-semifinalists-2009-h-s-class-2010-a.html[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/sat-act-tests-test-preparation/696125-psat-scores-national-merit-semifinalists-2009-h-s-class-2010-a.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

<p>MA was 221 last year. A move of +3 is a little unusual, especially when the cutoff is so high to begin with.</p>

<p>It is my opinion that you are a semifinalist.</p>

3

<p>There may have been a year where it went it up to 224 (not sure if it has ever gone up to 225), but as pointed out by joefrommiami, a three point shift is unusual, let alone a 4 point of shift. Even if it a three point shift, you are still in as the cut off would be 224. You will not be in if it goes up to 225, which is unlikely. Good luck, but I think you are OK</p>

4

<p>You’re looking good.</p>

5

<p>What you seriously need to start doing is to look at this thread…</p>

<p><a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/national-merit-scholarships/649276-nmf-scholarships-updated-compilation.html[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/national-merit-scholarships/649276-nmf-scholarships-updated-compilation.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

<p>There are probably a lot of schools in this list that you haven’t considered before that, in light of your probable Semifinalist status (and likely Finalist status), you might want to consider.</p>

<p>You’ll find out about being a Finalist a little late in the process and when the unsolicited offers from the schools start coming in, it will be getting close to too late to do much in the way of visits.</p>

6

<p>Yes.</p>

<p>The highest qualifying score in the last couple of years has been 221.</p>

7

<p>^^^</p>

<p>I think the highest cutoff in recent years for any state has been 223.</p>

8

<p>Seriously - do your homework. There is a mountain of scholarship offers that are available to you at this point. (Close to $1M total scholarships from numerous colleges isn’t unusual.)</p>