<p>even without being one of the $2500 winners, just being a finalist means my school is giving me free money :)</p>
<p>anybody know of any NM scholarships from the university of pittsburgh?</p>
<p>Do not wig out…you all can still get the college sponsored awards from your first choice college. I think most of those letters have not gone out yet! Many (perhaps most) of those awards are actually higher in total value than the one time award “National” $2500 award. But the $2500 is totally portable- even to Ivies and nonparticipating schools.</p>
<p>Greenery I think you will be safe with your PSAT score- remember that the class of 2009 is supposedly one of the largest ever college-bound classes, so lots of competition here.</p>
<p>Are all the $2500 offers out yet? :/</p>
<p>^wondering the same thing</p>
<p>I called NM corp. today, and want to correct and clarify my earlier posts on this thread. about their selection process and announcement timing.</p>
<p>The press releases of the corporate winners went out yesterday. The releases about the $2500 national (portable) winners will go out on May 6. The release about the first round of college-sponsored winners is on May 27, and the second round on July 13. So winners and their families should look for announcements in their area’s major newpapers. Also, check on the NM website for a sample press release for your local paper.</p>
<p>Re the selection process, NM assembles a selection committee of college admissions counselors and guidance counselors to select the $2500 winners and an alternate list. If any of the $2500 selectees are also eligible for a corporate award, then they will get the corporate award (determined by this NM committee, NOT the corporation), and then NM replaces them on the $2500 list with candidates from the alternate list. The $2500 awards are made regardless of whether a student had indicated a sponsoring college as first choice; in fact this information is not available to the committee when they review applications. Unfortunately this selection process can leave winners shortchanged if their first choice sponsoring college would have awarded more than $2500…but being a Scholar is still a great honor and any scholarship is a help. Anyway, after this selection phase is completed, National Merit forwards the applications of the remaining Finalists who named a sponsoring college as their first choice to those colleges. The colleges decide which of these Finalists get their award(s). I suppose there is some shuffle what with waitlisted students, so hence the 2 rounds of releases on the recipients of college sponsored awards. Maybe this information can help clarify a confusing process.</p>
<p>The press release date is not connected to the date that the students are notified. The National winners received their notices a few weeks ago and do not need to look in local papers to see if they won this award. Also, National winners had the opportunity to accept or decline the national award so if they indeed intend to attend a participating college that provides additional money to NMF, they can decline the National award and accept the college sponsored award. So they are not “short changed”. They were given a deadline of April 6th. National winners also have until April 29th to change the designated college.</p>
<p>D received $2500 ‘national’ award. Called NM today about changing college choice deadline and was told that those type of awards could be changed until around July. Anybody else think the deadline is still April 29? If the info is going to the press, would like for college choice to be correct anyway.</p>
<p>Interesting. The letter states April 29th. Probably individuals should call and get direct permission to delay just to be safe. I would hate to lose the scholarship. But after May1, mostly it would only be kids going to a waitlist school that would be need to change anyway.</p>
<p>Has anyone received a confirmation after they sent in their acceptance of the $2500 scholarship?</p>
<p>$2500 for me too!! yay!!</p>
<p>no confirmation here- I was thinking of calling the school to find out if they’d been informed.</p>
<p>S received no confirmation of receipt of his acceptance of the award either. But they did not say they would confirm. Since the letter said “confidential notice” I do not believe the schools will be notified yet.</p>
<p>The original information stated April 29 as the notification. The money is sent directly to the school, so you want to make sure to notify National Merit of the final school. Students indicated a first-choice school way back in September when they completed that application. There was a form to send in to change it.</p>
<p>Also, I think that anyone who receives an “official” award is considered a National Merit Scholar. Students whose parents work for a sponsoring corporation and receive that money are not allowed to receive the $2500. I would guess that those students’ names are withdrawn from consideration once National Merit is notified that he/she is receiving corporate money (not all sponsoring corporations give all children money). Anyway, I think that I spent way too much time on that site!</p>