<p>My D just picked one randomly knowing it was probably going to be changed anyway. I think she will try to land on something more solid by the first week of March though.</p>
<p>You really don't have to worry about changing your choice of schools. We changed my son's last year and it was easy to do. The hardest part is remembering. Also, Stanford does not offer half scholarship to NAF winners. It truly is need based.</p>
<p>So hey there National Achievement Finalists!</p>
<p>Let's hear where you guys have applied or been accepted! Post your news here! </p>
<p>D was accepted w/full ride at Brandeis today. She also got nods from UMass Amherst Commonwealth College ($5K), Iowa State (full tuition/free ride), Loyola Marymount (zippo), Fordham U (full tuition), UMD College Park (Honors) & URochester (invite for Renaissance full tuition scholarship interview weekend). She has two decisions still outstanding.</p>
<p>This thread could be awfully useful to future finalists!</p>
<p>Did she apply early to Fordham or RD?</p>
<p>Early Action for pretty much everything except WUSTL, Rochester, & Yale.</p>
<p>How much does National Achievement help? I am 16/526, 3.87GPA 5.49W and hopefully about a 1400 on SAT. With National Achievement could I get into good schools i.e Duke and also does it help with Ivy League, i mean on the website there are like 100 or more NA finalists who go to Harvard, I was wondering if I had a chance and if I should apply. Will it help?</p>
<p>Oh and I have ecs like band, football, track, debate and 3 honor societies.</p>
<p>Dbate, what website says that there are 100 or more NA finalists who go to Harvard?</p>
<p>Well the only list I know of that talks about where finalist go is on the website for the contest...I remember that it is a pdf page but I am not sure how to get to it. As for Dbate, your stats are pretty good for a finalist. No one can tell you if you are getting into Harvard except for Harvard (This year will be super tough as I think the admissions rate will be less than 7%). You also have to factor in competitiveness of your school and any other hooklike qualities like knowing multiple languages. I feel that Duke on the other hand would be crazy not to accept you.</p>
<p>I looked it is:<a href="http://www.nationalmerit.org/07_annual_report.pdf%5B/url%5D">http://www.nationalmerit.org/07_annual_report.pdf</a>
on page 34 it is actually 74 which is still statiscally a high number for a group of 826, 252 go to Ivy League schools that is greater than 1 out of every four. So hopefully National Achievement does help.</p>
<p>Dbate,</p>
<p>I think the deal with the ivys is this: winning a national achievement semi-finalist nod gets you noticed/courted by them. </p>
<p>You'll get letters and emails inviting you to apply. Once you apply, you may even receive the fabled "likely letter" they send to top-notch candidates, letting them know they're likely to be accepted so that they won't waste $$ depositing at other "lesser" competitors.</p>
<p>While they don't "do" merit aid and won't give you a dime for actually achieving finalist status, they DO have huge endowments. So income is no object. If a National Achievement Finalist comes from a family with low to moderate income, they're likely to enjoy a free ride. That's a sweet inducement to go.</p>
<p>THEN, if you look at the African-American GRAD statistics at places like HYP, you'll find that ivys graduate almost 100% of blacks who matriculate. What's not to love?!</p>
<p>So the only National Achievement Finalists who'd rationally choose NOT to attend an ivy, are those whose incomes preclude much help in the way of financial aid, but who still can't afford to go (read: "high consumer debt").</p>
<p>Those Scholars still don't get a raw deal though -- they tend to go to other top-ranked schools who DO offer merit, often on the same free rides offered to their compatriots by the ivys. THEN they go to GRAD school -- at an ivy. <em>grin</em></p>
<p>That is something that i am wondering about I mean should I attend my state school (UT) and then an Ivy Law School or attend an ivy or comparable school for both undergrad and law. Which do you think is better, and I may have to take debt my parents make about 120K, but there is four of us and two will be in college. Considering the situtation which would you recommend?</p>
<p>hmmm . . . . <em>rubbing chin in what she hopes appears to be a scholarly and authoritative manner</em></p>
<p>Well, since you asked my OPINION (puffed w/importance)</p>
<p>Dude, I don't have a clue! :-) But here's what I learned from my own law school odyssey:</p>
<ol>
<li><p>Many Law schools consider your parents' incomes - even when you're married w/kids! :-(</p></li>
<li><p>It sucks to get into the law school of your dreams (Georgetown) when it offers no $$</p></li>
<li><p>Some law schools offer untrumpeted free rides based on merit! (Yippee!)</p></li>
<li><p>When you're seeking an internship/job, WHERE you went to law school often matters a LOT less than your GPA, class rank, and service on law review. Where you went to UNDERGRAD matters, like, 0.00001000%.</p></li>
</ol>
<p>Soooooo . . . like I told MY kid: I'd avoid debt and opt for the free ride at "Really Good School A", even if it's not an ivy (unless one wished to teach @ the college level). </p>
<p>That said, depending on which ivy you had in mind, your folks' income and family size sounds like it might qualify you for significant ivy generosity. If you got to choose between ridiculously low ivy debt and a free ride, that's a MUCH harder choice.</p>
<p>Isn't that just a PERFECTLY unclear response? :-)</p>
<p>A friend told me that she won the $2500 dollar scholarship.</p>
<p>Congrats to your friend smartguy :) I just got a letter yesterday saying I won it myself, so I'm pretty darn happy. Good luck to all!</p>
<p>Congrats fightingdreamer! Any plans on where you'll be going this fall yet?</p>
<p>Can both of you post your score on the PSAT, I got a 197 and I pray to GOD that I get it, I live in Texas, I think that is a factor bc in the NE there seems to be higher grades, but I would appreciate it. :)</p>
<p>Dbate, if you're an AA male w/the kind of stats you've posted -- AND you do even modestly on the SAT (2000 or higher, 1200+ MV), I think you're a shoo-in for AN ivy. It may not be HYP, but don't forget Cornell, Dartmouth & UPenn!</p>
<p>Just got a call from my D -- she's a scholar! Happy happy, joy joy!
And Dbate, she had a 204 PSAT in Maryland. I'm sure you'll do just fine in the competition. Are you class of 2008? or 2009?</p>
<p>Congratulations to you and your D!</p>
<p>Notified as a Scholar today, got into Stanford, with no FA. Although the 2500 is nice, I still need roughly 47500 lol. Does anyone know of private scholarships National Merit and National Achievement finalists would be a near shoo in for?</p>