<p>Hi. I'm new here and have an off-topic question but I thought this might be the place to ask. What does it take to get the Maryland Distinguished Scholar award? I understand that unweighed GPA through the middle of junior year and PSAT scores are included. Would a GPA of 3.95 and PSAT 214 qualify a student?</p>
<p>MD Mom--check out this site:</p>
<p>Elsewhere on CC (check out the search feature), there are lots of National Merit discussions....based on prev results, a 214 score on PSAT in MD isn't quite high enough for National Merit status, but it looks like you can still be considered, even if you're not. Hope this helps!</p>
<p>BTW, welcome to CC! It's an addictive place. Come to the Parents' Forum and Parents' Cafe!</p>
<p>Thanks for the link and the warm welcome. I think you're right that 214 won't cut it for National Merit in MD (probably just "commended"). I know that National Merit kids automatically qualify for the Maryland Distinguished Scholar but I pretty sure that some kids who don't get National Merit are still awarded the Distinguished Scholar award from the state (which is 3,000/year to attend an MD school). I was hoping that cutoff in the "Academic Acheivement Category" would be a little lower than the National Merit. Guess I'll wait and see. Thanks again!</p>
<p>Is your kid going to be a junior or senior in the fall? It sounds like if you don't get it via the National Merit angle, you can get an application form from the guidance counselor, but it looks like you have to do that Junior year....</p>
<p>One must apply for the MDS in junior year. The Guidance Office at school should notify kids of who is eligible (3.7 UW GPA in academic subjects) -- DS got a packet in February. It's automatic if you are a NM, but only if you apply. Cutoff for NMSF in MD is around 224. There is also an application option for kids whose strength is in the fine arts. MDS applies to any school in MD, public or private.</p>
<p>My d will be a senior next year. Based on her GPA she did receive the MDS packet from Guidance in last year and filled it out. As I understand it MDS are announced in fall of senior year. I was just curious about the cutoff in the academic category (she's not a candidate for the fine arts.)</p>
<p>there are still financial benefits to those that aren't finalists, but attain commendable or honorable mention titles.</p>
<p>i rec'd the honorable mention status. i believe that when applying to public schools in md (such as umd) you get your admission fee waived.</p>
<p>Thanks Mellow,
Do you mind sharing what your PSAT score was (or SAT if your MDS honorable mention was based on that)?</p>
<p>my guidance counselor called me down to fill out the MDS form. i didn't even know what it was but they were like "just do it" haha. my psat score was nothing near my sat score and since MDS is based on PSAT i only got Honorable Mention. i don't remember if my admission fee was waived though... hopefully i didnt pay it O_O</p>
<p>MD_Mom,
I'm pretty sure mine was based on my PSAT score:
I rec'd a 190
My GPA at the time was about 3.97/4.6</p>
<p>Thanks Mellow. Good to know about the application fee waiver too.</p>
<p>I had a 3.9, a PSAT score of 214 and recieved honorable mention (so, yes, it would probably "qualify" you, but nominations are made on a school-by-school basis). I don't know that I'm personally familiar with anyone from my school who recieved the actual award for academics (although there were several who recieved MD's full-ride and then some merit scholarship, anyway, despite not being "distinguished scholars").</p>
<p>Yup. Well. Sorry if that wasn't much help!</p>
<p>^^ Yeah same experience here in my school with the UMD scholarships vs. distinguished scholars status. The distinguished scholars thing doesn't take into account your ethnicity, ec's, etc. that colleges do. A person I know got the highest ranking of the distinguished scholars got $5000 a year at UMD (white male, not many EC's), but a person who I don't even think made it into distinguished got a full ride (URM, lots of EC's).</p>
<p>Well, with the distinguished scholar award for music, if you win, you get a full ride. It's extremely competitive, though. Basically like one kid gets it? One or two? Very few people, anyway. I kind of assumed it was the same deal with the academic side. Somebody correct me if I'm wrong; it's just a guess.</p>
<p>^^ I thought that you only get 3k a year</p>
<p>That's what I'd always heard as well Mellow. I think that 3k comes from the state, but maybe merit aid from other entities follows.</p>
<p>I was just notified that I was a MD Distinguished Scholar Finalist. Since my SAT wasn't so high, I didn't really think I would get it (I had 3.98UW gpa and 2220 SAT).</p>
<p>Right...2220 SAT isn't that high. </p>
<p>/sarcasm</p>
<p>the md distinguished scholar award in the fine arts is not an automatic full ride, and there are indeed many people who recieve the banneker/key scholarship, which is the full ride ride scholarship that are not MD distinguished scholars...</p>