<p>I'm 5 or so points above the highest cutoff my state has had in years. My counselor wants me to list "National Merit Scholar" pretty high up on the awards and honors section on the common app. I'm fine with listing it, but should it really be considered more important than something like qualifying for USNChO (chemistry equivalent of USAMO)? Some question regarding AP Scholar awards: Should I bother listing AP Scholar with distinction when my self-reported AP scores suggest I'd get the award anyway?</p>
<p>Your top two awards are both nice – but nothing is going to reflect badly on you what’s listed 1st and what’s listed 2nd. Think about it.</p>
<p>It’s National Merit FInalist, not Scholar, unless you get the NMSC or corporate or school-sponsored scholarship, which you wouldn’t know until after you submitted your apps. Getting the NMSC sponsored scholarship is something, as it only is given to the best students among the NMFs. But that would be a very late app update, as the award comes in March, I think. In fact, at the time apps are submitted, the award would be National Merit Semifinalist, as even Finalist status is not given until February.</p>
<p>As far as listing NMSF and AP Scholar, not everyone has a lot of awards to list, and they are respectable awards. But if you don’t have room because you have so many awards and more prestigious ones, those could be eliminated, except at schools that give big scholarships for NMF, where you should be certain to list it.</p>
<p>The problem with the Olympiad awards is that they are not participated in widely enough. What that means is that you are great among those who participated, but there are literally thousands of students who are as good or better but simply do not have counselors who are aware of the program. </p>
<p>The National Merit process is a big deal for everyone in the US. Five times the number of students participate as compared to the Math Olympiad and the number who participate in the Chemistry one is really tiny. Only 1000 kids take the test and 20 make it. So, 2% of test takers make the ‘team’. Only have that percentage make Semi-Finalist and it is from a much wider pool of competition.</p>
<p>The Olympiad things are great accomplishments, but don’t think they are more important that National Merit. </p>
<p>National Merit status may get you a good scholarship at some schools:
<a href=“http://nmfscholarships.yolasite.com/”>http://nmfscholarships.yolasite.com/</a></p>
<p>Being a National Merit Semi-Finalist means that you are in the top 1% of PSAT test-takers for the year. Why aren’t you impressed by that? It should be listed on your college applications.</p>
<p>The chemistry thing means much more, the vast majority of students who don’t take the Olympiads wouldn’t achieve anything on them anyways. But I feel tang national merit should still make your list.</p>
<p>@T26E4 I listed 3: AP w/ distinction, National Merit, and Chem Olympiad. To clarify, are you saying the first two are my “top two awards”?
@celesteroberts Thanks for the clarification. What are some of the schools that offer big NMF scholarships? I do have the fortunate problem of not enough room to list all my awards. Which awards would you prioritize keeping?
@Torveaux There’s a huge selection bias in who takes the National exam, though, so, as @theanaconda pointed out, the raw numbers and percents are skewed. Additionally, to establish a less faulty comparison, one would have to weigh the 20/1000 who make camp from the exam against the 8000/50000 who make National Merit Scholar from semifinalist. To elaborate, about 12,000 take the local exam, on which a high score is necessary to qualify for Nationals. Were this step not necessary, though, I would completely agree with you.
@ucbalumnus Thanks! Will look into.
@ScienceGirlMom It’s not that I’m not impressed; it’s that I may or may not have room to list it. Given the limited space I have—I’ve also won a few awards for art and writing and two international ones that, if I listed, I’d practically be telling you who I am—which awards would you list, and which would you cut?</p>
<p>To clarify, I’m not just looking for a yes or no answer, regardless of whether I agree with it; I’d much prefer lots of questions and well-supported answers from both sides.</p>
<p>If there truly is not any space for you to list National Merit, then you’ll have to decide for yourself whether you should trust your guidance counselor or your own wishes on how you want to present your credentials.</p>
<p>@ucbalumnus has already posted the link to NMF scholarships in post #4.</p>
<p>I would say chem Olympiad would be your top award.</p>
<p>This is an abbreviated NMF list that my daughter and I worked with. It excludes HBCUs, most Southern schools, and – except for Fordham – schools with a religious affiliation. Your interests may vary, but it might save you some time.</p>
<p>Fordham University
University of Alabama
University of Tulsa
Drexel University
University of Nebraska
University of Oklahoma
University of Kentucky
University of Arizona
Washington State University
Arizona State University
Oklahoma State University
University of Minnesota—Morris
University of Idaho
University of Central Florida
University of New Mexico
University of Evansville</p>
<p>Right now, you are nothing. You are a likely NMSF. After Sept, you can put down that you are a likely NMF. You won’t find out for sure until Feb of senior year.</p>
<p>Yes, it is a big deal…now and later. </p>
<p>@WasatchWriter your list also excludes LACs.</p>
<p>You are not NMS (yet). Indeed, not all NMSF will be NMF and even less will be NMS. Exaggeration on college application would sometimes give a negative impression to the adcom.</p>
<p>If there is no room, eliminate AP scholar first. Adcoms can count. I suppose your SAT and other test scores are high enough that you don’t need to list NMSF as a way of demonstrating your test-taking ability? If you end up attending one of the schools that gives a small amount of money for NMF, like $2000/yr, you will need to tell them by their deadline and list them as first choice school to get the money. I don’t know if any of those schools limit the money they give so that it is important to tell them as early as possible. You can usually tell from website phrasing, but if not, then call.</p>
<p>@mom2collegekids I understand things! Yay! What makes National Merit _____ a big deal? Is it a bigger deal than the other awards/honors mentioned on this thread?
@Erin’s Dad and @WasatchWriter YES! LACs! What’re they? Financial aid isn’t a huge question for me, but I certainly wouldn’t mind merit scholarships. I know offhand that Carleton does 2K/year. Any other LACs with comparable or better scholarships?
@HappyHelper Can you add to your answer? I’d like to know what brings you to that conclusion.
@billcsho Agreed. On my common app, I have written “National Merit something THIS IS A PLACEHOLDER DO NOT SUBMIT.” Not looking to deceive.
@celesteroberts That (AP Scholar thing) makes so much sense. And, yeah, I guess a 2330 SAT is alright. As for choosing a school, hopefully I can get into some first…</p>
<p>NMSF is basically rehashing the fact that you can do well on the SAT. The USACHO, which is more similar the AIME, would show something new about your talents.</p>
<p>I am pretty sure that I was accepted to college largely because of my performance in similar contests to USACHO (though not that one in particular).</p>
<p>Unless of course you got that AP Scholar thing that they award to 2 students in each state, for most APs with high scores. That is worth mentioning. Or the Siemens, for lots of STEM APs.</p>
<p>NMF is a huge deal for our family because it allows my D to attend an out-of-state university for half the cost of our state school, and which would have been unaffordable for us otherwise. If you have a great SAT and your family can afford good schools without scholarships, it may not matter as much to you. It matters to school districts because it is an easily quantifiable countable brag item. Our school district loves to trumpet that they have the 2 schools that year after year get the most NMFs in the state and the HSs even put it on their home page. </p>
<p>Denison gives full tuition to NMFs. No schools as highly ranked as Carleton give more than the $2,000 or so, except Vandy gives $5,000, and USC half tuition. But there are many lower-ranked places you can go for the price of rm/bd, and some even for free, like UKy.</p>
<p>@HappyHelper Is it safe to assume the college you’re talking about is Princeton?</p>