<p>congratulations!</p>
<p>I got my letter today. I am officially a finalist.</p>
<p>yay! i'm a finalist! the letter was so thin, i almost tossed it aside. i guess i learned a lesson about that.</p>
<p>I'm a finalist too! This week just keeps on getting better.</p>
<p>Got my letter today...I am a finalist...Didn't know that there were 1300 other kids just like me thought but I am happy.</p>
<p>Here's another thread of celebrants</p>
<p>awesomeness =] congrats to all! yeah sgtpepper08, I know what you mean. Thinest envelope ever, it was.</p>
<p>Okay, so I get home early today and the family is wearing long faces. My wife said she couldn't take the suspense any longer and called to find out D's status. She said they told her she wasn't on the list :-( . So, I'm sitting there wondering how D is going to deal with this. Then my wife says her back is really itching and asked D to scratch it for her. She's just scratching away until she finds something odd. Her fingers ran into an envelope down my wife's back. My wife pretends to be oblivious, "Oh, how did that get there?" Then D pulls it out, reads the envelope, opens it, and the celebration begins!</p>
<p>So my school gave me the certificate today...and my mom tried to surprise me with it when I got home but I already knew lol...anyways I guess I'm an official finalist :-D</p>
<p>I think I read about this somewhere but I can't find it now. How should we notify schools of our status? When is the deadline for changing our first choice? If it is not too late, what kind of form should we use?</p>
<p>finalist :)</p>
<p>Congrats all! Party on - and start planning those spring break college visits! LOL @ FLVADAD -- that's what you get for being a helicopter parent like all the rest of us CCers! Great story!</p>
<p>To the poster who asked about changing 1st choices - I think it's a pretty simple process. I'm willing to bet its very similar to the National Merit process outlined here: <a href="http://www.nationalmerit.org/Merit_R&I_Leaflet.pdf%5B/url%5D">http://www.nationalmerit.org/Merit_R&I_Leaflet.pdf</a></p>
<p>I'd google a number for the Nat. Ach folks and give 'em a call!</p>
<p>Made finalist :) found out in mail yesterday, but the certificate is lost somewhere in my lazy school :(</p>
<p>i'm a finalist too :)</p>
<p>How does one become a finalist for national achievement? Did you guys have fill out paperwork after you were notified you were a semifinalist?</p>
<p>I was notified of my semifinalist standing in August. I had to write a short essay and fill out a basic application.</p>
<p>" LOL @ FLVADAD -- that's what you get for being a helicopter parent like all the rest of us CCers! Great story!"</p>
<p>So right! I have one in graduate school right now so you'd think I would've learned something by now, Lol.</p>
<p>Counselor just informed me that Stanford gives half tuition to National Achievement finalists. She said that it is un announced so I would not be able to find it. Is this just a rumor or is it true? Do we need to notify the colleges or make them our first choice or something?</p>
<p>smartguy907, I can tell you that last year Stanford did not give half tuition to National Achievement Finalists (NAF). DD was a NAF, accepted to Stanford SCEA, and received an $8,000 ($2,000 per year for 4 years) NAF award. She did not, however, receive a half tuition scholarship to Stanford. Remember that Stanford, with the exception of athletic scholarships, is a needs-based financial aid school.</p>
<p>My D just got a letter from the National Achievement folks asking that she designate a 1st choice college. She was hoping to put off choosing until after she visited several colleges later this month.</p>
<p>I called and they explained the following:</p>
<p>They need a college on file to offer a scholarship.</p>
<p>You can change your choice at any time by submitting the change request in writing. "In writing" includes the post card that comes in the packet, or a letter faxed to them.</p>
<p>Making/changing your 1st choice should not negatively impact your college choices as a roster of scholars/choices isn't sent to schools until mid-march.</p>
<p>Even after the initial roster is sent, a choice may be changed; an updated/subsequent roster is sent later in the year as well (June, I think she said).</p>
<p>My D is really torn about her #1! Not sure what she's going to do.</p>