<p>I'm confused as to how it's awarded. I heard it's given to the top 25%, but how is that calculated? Is it SAT/ACT scores only, or are GPA, extracurriculars, and other holistic measures taken into account?</p>
<p>Basically wondering whether I have a chance at merit aid with a 2090 SAT, 4.0 UW/ 4.5W GPA (also being valedictorian) and a myriad of extracurriculars, or if the SAT, which I heard they award for 2200+, will screw me over. (Gonna take it again in Oct. though.)</p>
<p>Also, does National Merit Commended get me anything other than a nice title to put under the awards section of the application?</p>
<p>My D received merit with a 2220 SAT, however her GPA was a little lower than yours and while in top 10% of her class it was nowhere near valedictorian. I think you have a shot based on that alone! I do recommend taking the SATs again it can’t hurt. The first time she took she had a 2150. </p>
<p>Hopefully it’s holistic then! I’m going to retake it in October and I’m very very confident my score will increase- I did terribly in writing because I didn’t know how to write the essay. So maybe that’ll give me a boost. Thanks! :)</p>