Making the Jump From Semifinalist to Finalist

Paying for College National Merit Aid
1

Hello!

I’m in Florida with a SI of 219 - reporting as a safe cutoff for Semifinalist.

I’m worried about making the jump to National Merit Finalist. I have a single C (in a semester sophomore year from - B’s both quarters, failed the final. Don’t think that shows on Transcript) AICE Mathematics), and a lot of B’s. My GPA is 3.47 UW and 4.39 W.

I don’t know what I can do to try and ensure I make National Merit Finalist. I have a fair amount of EC’s, I’m going to work really hard on the essay, and I’m meeting with my GC tomorrow to discuss all of this, but I’m looking for input from here too, cause I know y’all have a lot of insight.

I’m hoping to go to UF, FSU, or Alabama, all of which have full or close to full rides for National Merit Finalists. Any info about good scholarships just for Semifinalists would also be appreciated on here.

Thank you!

2

Congratulations on making semifinalist! I’m not going to lie to you: I would prepare to not make finalist. It’s not just the one C, it’s your unweighted GPA that is the problem IMO. Is there an explanation for the low grades? If so, I’d have the GC go to bat for you and discuss whatever that is.

3

I am prepared to not make finalist, but I’m also trying to do what I can to make up for the UW GPA while I can. If they take first semester senior year into account, I expect my UW GPA to rise, but as is, it’s just under a 3.5. I don’t have a great explanation beyond just difficult classes, a busy schedule, and distraction from school sophomore year.

4

As a semifinalist, Alabama will offer you the Presidential Scholarship if you can pull your GPA up to 3.5 or better. The value of the Presidential is $25K/year. https://scholarships.ua.edu/nationalscholars/

I don’t believe that the National Merit Corporation will see your first semester senior year grades, but I could be wrong.

5

@essemena2000
Congratulations on making the NMSF cut. Also, I applaud you for tackling the next steps head on.

As @suzy100 has said, and you acknowledge, it may be a tough row to make the next step, because of the unweighted GPA. However, we can not predict that.

It is unlikely that cramming ECs will make any difference in this award, so you will definitely go with what you have there. The essay may or may not carry much weight, but you are correct to try to knock it out of the park. Plus, it overlaps with other essays you will need to write. Invest time, effort and resource in nailing that.

Most importantly, you have already aligned a meeting with the Guidance Counselor. Smart move. The gap between your UW and W GPAs is very large, perhaps the GC can help craft that story for you. By that measure, it sounds like you have taken a most rigorous schedule.

Lesson learned (for everyone) is that, much like life, this award is not restricted to performance on one day, but every day, even when we think nobody is watching. Those days add up.

Best of luck, you probably know the State of Florida will offer you some compelling opportunities even if NMF is not in the cards.

6

Alabama accepts weighted GPA for scholarships I’m pretty sure, so from this and my ACT I think I’ve already secured the Presidential there.

7

Also, do y’all know how important SAT is for Finalist? I have a 1490 after taking it once, which I’ve heard is pretty likely to be confirming, but I can definitely do a lot better if I retake. Is is like the PSAT, where there’s just a bar you have to meet and then it doesn’t matter, or does the score matter even after you make confirming? I plan on retaking either way, but.

8

There is a confirming SI that uses your SAT score. It is calculated just as the PSAT SI is, and is used as a bar you must reach. That confirming SI is thought to be at or below the commended SI (211 this year), but is not known for certain.

I’ll leave the math to you, but I am guessing 1490 is well above the confirming SI.

9

My SAT SI is 225 - is it worthwhile to try and bring it up higher?

10

No. The SI confirming score is a benchmark.

11

Sorry for my delay in responding, @essemena2000. It’s good you’ve started a thread on this topic.

I wrote out a long, detailed post…and it’s too long for one CC post! Wow, that has never happened to me before. So I will create 2 posts. This is 1 of 2.

How did your GC meeting go? You were planning to meet w/your GC and hopefully you have that person in your corner when it comes to completing the GC part of the NMF paperwork. There’s a section for your GC to “explain” any Cs or other matters for consideration by NMSC. I don’t know the particulars, but I do know that my older DS’s GC called me in 2014 to discuss his Soph year grades and what was going on with him at the time. A LOT was going on with him at the time, so we talked for a long while about that. His Soph year grades were mostly Bs (albeit in Honors classes), but he did have As in an AP class, debate, and his orchestra class. His one C was in an UW class that should have been an Honors Class (Soph chem) with one of the very few teachers at his HS who did not do a good job presenting material. At least the GC was “tuned-in” to the teacher issue (which was a concern for many parents) and mentioned it briefly, so I knew I didn’t need to get into that topic with her. I just talked about the things that had been happening with DS at school and at home. Whatever that GC said in her explanation probably helped present his case.

Here’s what I personally believe helped my DS advance from NMSF to NMF: UW GPA was something like a 3.75 by end of Jr. year; Courses were rigorous (not “most rigorous,” but they were all AP/Honors in applicable subjects); Highest state-level awards in music for all years of HS; Lots of ECs beyond music; GC recommendation; SAT was high via old scale (equal to a 33/34 on today’s ACT); and our state (KS) may have been a factor - because maybe KS didn’t have as many high PSAT scores that year, so NMSC didn’t have to cull as much - who knows?; DS didn’t have any disciplinary action on his record and there was a student at his HS who did not advance to NMF because of that; He had a good essay and worked on it for a long time before submitting. He wrote a complete essay and went almost right up to the word cap (maybe 500 words? I can’t remember how many words, but it was a well-written, complete essay).

12

And here’s 2 of 2, if it will all fit…

My advice to you for the Labor Day weekend and beyond:

  1. Start with your resume or activities list (whatever you’re using for college app purposes). What on that list makes you stand out? Do you have school, district or state-level awards? Or maybe you have a record of community service and one particular cause you care about/volunteer for? Maybe you have a job during the school year or care for a younger sibling after school so your parent(s) can work outside the home? Make sure your resume or list of activities is complete and that you aren’t leaving out anything important. You will need this info for your NMSC application.

  2. If you didn’t meet with your GC yet, set up a meeting. Only you will know how to best handle the situation, but I suggest you consider being open about your C and about your grades. Express your desire to advance to NMF, express your concern about that C on your transcript (try not to give “excuses” for the C unless your GC asks specifically) and hopefully you can also express that you’ve grown a lot in HS and your more recent grades reflect this. I am actually more concerned about your UW GPA than I am with that one semester C. That C was in an advanced math class, correct? I think you have a better shot with a semester C in a class like that than you do with your UW GPA - which is not a bad GPA by any stretch, but IS below a 3.5. That does concern me a bit, but it is NOT a reason to throw in the towel!

  3. Your SAT is at 1490 (correct?) and you think you can bring it up? IF you believe you can, and you can sign up for the next SAT available (whenever that is), it may not hurt to try (with some preparation). However, IF this will add undue stress for you, impact your schoolwork or your overall happiness in senior year, I would not mess with it. NMF is an important thing, but it is not THE most important thing. Your health and happiness are more important than any award or test score, which hopefully you already know - but is worth repeating (I am a mom. I repeat stuff like that.)

  4. Now comes the part about completing your portion of the application. If I recall correctly, there’s a character limit for each section. Abbreviate if you need to: Nt’l Honor Soc instead of National Honor Society, as one example. If you have the legit activities, honors, awards - whatever - to fill those spaces…do so. If you run out of room, use abbreviation when you can. My DS could not begin to list all the things he did in HS, but he ran out of room quickly - so we talked about using abbreviation and he fit a lot more in that way. His abbreviation was consistent: Nt’l Honor Soc, Nt’l Spanish Honor Soc, Nt’l History Honor Soc (you get the idea). When you are finished, have someone trustworthy proof your work after YOU proof your work. Always proof and re-proof.

  5. For the essay: Some people suggested that my DS write about his Soph year and how he overcame some obstacles that caused him to have that semester C and a whole bunch of Bs. For one thing, that would have taken waaaaay more than 500 words. For another thing, the matter was just too complex. Instead, he wrote about someone who had been a lifelong role model for him, the demonstrated work ethic of that person, and how DS was only now beginning to understand how almost nothing in life is achieved without hard work (that was the gist of it). His essay was well-written and heartfelt (it took a long time to write). Only after he had a good solid draft did he and I realize that he was sort of addressing his situation in a round-about way. But he did not mention his C or his GPA in his essay.

While we’re on the topic, a single C in high school does not define you. Your HS GPA does not define you. I hope you know that, but it bears repeating.

  1. Make sure all your paperwork is submitted on time, without errors. Touch base with your counselor to confirm that he/she has submitted the GC portion of your application (this is tricky and must be done in a delicate way: “Hi, Mrs. Smith. I submitted all my NMSC paperwork by the deadline, so that’s taken care of. Just wanted you to know I got that done.” If “Mrs. Smith” hasn’t completed your GC paperwork, this should remind her. Also, NMSC will follow up with those GCs who fall behind, so I wouldn’t stress about that.

  2. Sounds like you’re already doing this, but be sure to create a list of colleges you can/want to attend WITHOUT NMF that will give you a good scholarship. Alabama is on your radar and that’s good. There are many colleges you can attend on a scholarship without NMF. My DS had 2 lists: 1 for NMF and 1 if he didn’t advance. He applied to ALL colleges on BOTH lists. Yes, it was a ton of work, but he did it and there was some overlap between the lists. Applying to colleges can be expensive, so use your best judgement in where you apply. (My DS’s list was longer because he was pursuing some music scholarships at non-NMF schools.)

  3. Keep your grades up. For some reason, I think DS’s first semester senior year grades went on the report to NMSC, but I may be wrong about that. Regardless, keep them up - within reason and being mindful of avoiding undue stress - because a higher UW GPA will help you in college apps overall.

Above all else, your NMF application is your chance to put your best foot forward to NMSC. Use every word, every character, to explain who you are and what’s special about you. As a mom, I can say that my oldest DS at your age would not have shown the maturity to be following his NMF advancement closely and would never have been proactive enough to search out CC…let alone post! I really hope you advance to NMF - and I’ll be cheering you along all the way - but somehow, as a mom, I feel you are going to do really well regardless. You already have a leg up on most young people your age.

If I think of other things, I’ll post again on this thread. Good luck and please keep us posted on your progress.

13

Thank you for the thoughtful advice! I’m definitely trying to do all of that - I’m worried about my UW GPA as well. I have a fair amount of EC’s, but nothing super spectacular - mostly religious and a few athletic, community service type tthings. I have a job now, but I’ve only had it for a month.
Met with one of my guidance counselors already, but it wasn’t much help, and my school called us in about the official letter confirming my NMSF status yesterday, so I set up a separate appointment with a more savvy GC for early next week.

There were some things going on in my life Sophomore year (probably my worst year GPA wise) that definitely affected my grades and could potentially be written about on the GC portion of the application - however, it’s a lot of family type stuff that also is very politically charged, so while I’m not exactly worried that would have an impact on the application, maybe I am a little concerned about discussing it and how the reviewers might see it. I know I’m trying to be vague and it’s confusing, but. Hopefully you understand what I’m saying.

As for the essay, I’m having trouble deciding about what to write about! Right now, I’m thinking about writing about the recession and how it impacted how I see the world (hit my family pretty hard, my dad was a financial advisor who suddenly got no commission, my youngest sister, the fifth child of the family, had just been born, we had just moved into a nice new house) by teaching me to appreciate my blessings, be a little thrifty, and respecting my dad’s hard work and commitment to providing for the family, etc - but I haven’t actually been able to write it out yet and I’m not sure if it’s a good idea. I’ve also considered writing about a role model of mine, or something else, if I have more ideas.

I definitely plan on registering for the October SAT. I got the 1490 without studying, and a lot of it was because I just didn’t know the math material, which I have already studied for the ACT and can study more for again by October. I’ve heard the SAT confirming score is just a benchmark, but I feel like it must have some kind of subliminal impact if the score is much higher, ie in the 1500’s.

Also, is there any letter of recommendation section of the application? Guidance counselor mentioned that in the meeting with all the NMSF kids from my school, but I didn’t know that was a thing before, and don’t see a place for it on my application.

My two top schools are Alabama and FSU (tonight’s game is a biggie!), so there will definitely be scholarships for either school, NMF or not - but not having to worry about covering any expenses, really, would be nice. But also, and this is a little silly but also very true, I just don’t want to disappoint everyone by not making it to Finalist when it seems to be expected of me now. A couple of close friends at my school are also Semifinalists who will definitely make it to Finalist, my parents seem to expect it of me, my teachers and other friends, etc, that I don’t want to let down/not measure up to. Silly, but still.

Anyways, thank you for taking the time to write on this thread!! I really appreciate it.

A note - apparently there is no difference in GPA between a B and a B+? I’ve been confused about that for a while. I’ve heard that a B is a 3.0 and a B+ is a 3.5, and I’ve also heard that they both count as 3.0s. I have more B+'s than B’s, especially second semester Junior year, but it didn’t help bring my GPA up above a 3.5, as I feel like it should have if it was weighted differently. Just curious as to if you think that matters? Will B+'s printed on a transcript make any difference over B’s?

14

I made Finalist!! Thank you to everyone who contributed here! @GoAskDad @flatKansas @DavidPuddy

15

@essemena2000 YAY!! Congratulations! Your stats may not have made it clear you would pass on but your commitment to doing and being your best definitely shows. Good luck in all you do~

16

Congratulations @essemena2000! I was following this thread and hoping things would work out for you.

17

Congrats @essemena2000 !

18

Belated congratulations, @essemena2000! I haven’t been on CC in some time, but I was hoping it worked out for you and I’m so glad it did. Thank you for letting us know and best of luck to you in these last weeks of high school and then in your college life. You have a big, wonderful world in front of you! Keep working and doing good things.