National Achievement Seems to Help ALOT

Student Lounge African-American Students
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<p>Agree with Shrinkwrap. The NASF status caused a flood of mail, with the Harvard application (book) coming 1st. (Can you say over-whelmed child?).</p>

<p>My daughter and 2 of her friends were Nationall Achievement Finalists. My daughter opted out of applying to any of the competetive schools, save Univeristy of Michigan. The 2 friends however, are now attending Harvard. Keep in mind, that although they were finalists, the academic records of the friends were stellar. </p>

<p>The psat/sat got them noticed, but I suspect it was the full package that sealed the deal.</p>

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<p>^^^That's very much it. I only took the PSAT because my school gave us the examination (surprising because we are in a ACT-biased region). And when my scores came back, I started to get a lot of information from colleges all over. In many cases, that will be enough to get into a school with scholarship money. For competitive privates (Ivy, Stanford, MIT, Chicago etc.) and liberal arts colleges, you will need a great academic profile and extracurricular activities to truly maximize your opportunity. </p>

<p>And yes, Shrinkwrap, it is definitely more important to do well on the SAT than the PSAT, but for National Achievement and National Merit you have to break certain scores depending on your state. That's why the status is not as important as it may seem, but it appears that way because students with it usually have such strong resumes. </p>

<p>And yes Dbate, I'm enjoying Penn a lot. Good luck with Yale!</p>

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<p>First of all. I'm so pleased with this forum! It's great!</p>

<p>Second, I think that the fact that I got National Merit Semi really helped out my application. Because first off, it made me stand out amongst black applicants (I know that very very few get merit) and then it made me stand out amongst even white/asian applicants!</p>

<p>Basically it was yay!</p>

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<p>I wish there was an ACT equivalent to national merit. My 197 on the PSAT is a lot worse than my 34.</p>

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<p>I know what you mean eatingfood. I missed the National Merit cutoff on the PSAT by a point. That was before I realized it was a <em>somewhat</em> important test. I was a little later, but it didn't matter in the long run.</p>

<p>Dbate, it doesn't matter if there is an ACT equivalent because that 34 will be all the admissions counselors will need to consider. It is in the top 25% for all Ivy League schools. Funny, it was my score too.</p>

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<p>if you call NASC office, they will tell you if you are a finalist.</p>

<p>Good luck everyone!</p>

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<p>What is NASC? And what is the number?</p>

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<p>Nat'l Achievement Scholarship Corporation - ?</p>

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<p>"if you call NASC office, they will tell you if you are a finalist.</p>

<p>Good luck everyone!"</p>

<p>If we call this early, do you think they'll get upset?</p>

30

<p>Past notification dates indicate that we'll know by this week; be patient.</p>

31

<p>
[quote]
I know what you mean eatingfood. I missed the National Merit cutoff on the PSAT by a point. That was before I realized it was a <em>somewhat</em> important test. I was a little later, but it didn't matter in the long run.

[/quote]

lol, that basically describes my situation as well. i forgot my calc the day of the test, and i still ended up not too far from the state cutoff. i wish i had been on top of that, because National Merit Semi would have definitely made me standout.</p>

32

<p>My cousin was a Nat'l Achievement finalist, and her 2 friends were semi-finalists. One of her friends got into Havard ( not sure of the other one) and my cousin got into 14 schools: UF, PENN, WashU, Tulane,Rice, Cornell, Princeton,Brown,Duke, G-town and too many more to mention..so maybe it does help. But, she went to a private school known as a feeder to top schools..</p>

33

<p>Wow, that is quite an impressive list!</p>

<p>I'm sure and her friends had not only the test scores, but the academic rigour and involvement to aid in their success!</p>

<p>Mind if I ask where she chose to attend?</p>

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<p>^ oh yeah, she got rejected at Yale Ed :(. She's attending Princeton now...but she got waitlisted there[ she was the first person to get off of the waitlist]. However, she wanted to go Brown, Upenn or Duke...but her parents made her go to Princeton. Basically, her mom was like the asian parent lol.</p>

<p>Oh yeah, she got into Northwestern too :D</p>

35

<p>well, if you're gonna end up getting rejected by Yale...getting rejected with all of those amazing schools to choose from is the best way!</p>

<p>i'm crossing my fingers in hopes i have that many options. and that i'm not forced to go to a school! one of my friends was basically pressured into going to princeton and hates it! what a coincidence</p>

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<p>DD was a National Achievement Finalist (NAF) two years ago and got into a number of schools. I am not sure, though, how much it helps. The one school where she was wait listed and ultimately rejected, Brown, did not seem to be too impressed by her NAF status.</p>

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<p>Anyone else find out if they're a finalist?</p>

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<p>I am still waiting.</p>

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<p>same here i heard we can call tom though to find out.</p>

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<p>Sorry to bump this thread but…
Does such a correlation mean I’m screwed for top colleges if i’m not a national achievement finalist? I never checked the box but i got a 206 (NJ) and im pretty sure i would have at least been a semi-finalist. My SATs (2190) and my GPA (4.1 W) were pretty much in line with the PSAT score so i might have even had a chance to be a finalist. If top colleges see that I’m not a National achievement finalist am i automatically secondary to those who are?</p>