<p>can one be denied admission to ivy leagues if they don't become a national merit scholar when they take the PSATs?</p>
<p>uhh......no? </p>
<p>...</p>
<p>you must be pretty worried about the PSATs to ask this question.</p>
<p>actually the answer to this question is ... yes!
(hint: read question carefully...many people who don't become a NMS get denied, in fact, even those that do get NMS often get denied too!)</p>
<p>Yes... but not for that reason!</p>
<p>So are the PSATs more important than SATs? So if I do well on the PSATs and bomb the SATs it won't matter?</p>
<p>lol...PSATs really aren't that important at all...National Merit is great, but it really does not play a HUGE role. If you do well on the PSATs and bomb the SATs...you're screwed, because they won't consider the PSATs for admission</p>
<p>If you do well on the PSATs (and check the right box on the registration form), you will get more mail than you ever have in your life from colleges you have no interest in (and some you do). A few colleges have special application procedures for NMSFs, a few offer very good scholarships to NMSs, and many have relatively small scholarships for NMSs. It's nice to brag that "I'm a National Merit Semifinalist" then "I'm a National Merit Scholar" (very few who make it to the first step fail to make it to the last).</p>
<p>But that's about it. Great PSATs and lousy SATs won't get you accepted anywhere (and may prevent you from advancing past the NMSF stage). If you have to screw up one set of tests, you will be much happier if you screw up the PSATs.</p>
<p>National Merit awards look nice, and they do help, but they don't make or break your application. Many people who didn't come close to NMS or NMSF go to Harvard, Yale, Princeton, MIT, Caltech+ all the other ivies and Northwestern, Duke, Rice-caliber schools as well. Many who DO get National Merit status from their PSATs DO NOT get into HYPSMC and their peer institutions. Colleges don't see your PSAT, National Merit stuff is just one tiny piece of your application.</p>