<p>@skateboarder
I think the sarcasm and mockery is aimed at showing how silly it is to be down in the dumps over being “just commended” though to the uninitiated the responses might seem overdone.</p>
<p>Wow, I’m sorry to say this, but this is pathetic. You realize that you are one of 50,000 top scorers on the PSAT, right? One and a half million students take it…you’re in around the 97th percentile. Honestly, you should be extremely proud of that, not sulking about how you aren’t a semi-finalist.</p>
<p>Being a semi-finalist means nothing anyway.</p>
<p>I reccomend taking a break from CC. It’s giving you a warped view of what a good student really is.</p>
<p>Chill!</p>
<p>“what other failures would i have in high school?” Well, you haven’t solved that world hunger problem or cured cancer yet! Think bigger, there’s more to life than bubbling in.
:-)</p>
<p>Look people, the thing is I took practice tests and i scored well into the high 220’s and low 230’s. When the time came to step up on test day, I was a No-Show. On the SAT i am above 99%. and i guarantee you if i take the PSAT today i would make semifinalist.
I just wanted to make sure that this failure would not be that costly for me when college apps rolls around this fall. I come from a small crappy school and i want to prove myself on a national basis, and i feel like tests that everyone takes are one of the few ways to do that.</p>
<p>First off: you people don’t even know this kid so give him a break!
Second: Don’t worry about the PSAT, if you did well o the SAT then that in and of itself will reflect that you had an off day</p>
<p>the only thing nmsf is good for is getting a ton of really, really annoying letters from decent colleges offering u full ride scholarships and ridiculous perks like a maid service for your dorm and access to the faculty cafeteria. if money’s a big factor in your college search and you would be tempted by a full ride w/ interesting perks, then yes you missed the boat by not making semifinalist… but if you’re gunning for a top 25 school, then it’s really not a big deal at all</p>
<p>the scholarship is sweet…I mean they just handed me a check for $2500 and I spent maybe 20 minutes filling out the application. :p</p>
<p>IM023, when I said that there is more to life than bubbling in, I was echoing a sentiment others here have expressed as well. It isn’t worth worrying about as much as you seem worried. As Mvingi said, if you did well on the SAT colleges will recognize that PSAT day was an off day. </p>
<p>Have you seen on any admissions websites for colleges of interest to you that they take NMF or NMSF into consideration as part of the admission process rather than part of a scholarship consideration process? Most colleges are looking for a bigger picture of the applicant than any single test can provide. And for colleges that apply a more quantitative rather than qualitative approach to admissions, I’m not sure any of them even figure the PSAT into the applicant’s admission score. </p>
<p>I don’t think even the College Board website draws any correlation between PSAT scores and college admittance. Here’s what they say:
"The most common reasons for taking the PSAT/NMSQT are:</p>
<pre><code>* to receive feedback on your strengths and weaknesses on skills necessary for college study. You can then focus your preparation on those areas that could most benefit from additional study or practice.
- to see how your performance on an admissions test might compare with that of others applying to college. [NB: this means that you compare yourself to other test takers from your year, not to others who want to apply to the same specific colleges or others who were admitted to colleges of interest to you in years before you.]
- to enter the competition for scholarships from the National Merit Scholarship Corporation (grade 11).
- to help prepare for the SAT. You can become familiar with the kinds of questions and the exact directions you will see on the SAT.
- to receive information from colleges when you check “yes” to Student Search Service.
</code></pre>
<p>"</p>
<p>You took the PSAT for the chance at some free money from the scholarships, but you mostly took it as preparation for the test that matters more–the SAT. (3 out of 5 reasons to take the PSAT relate to preparation after all.) And if you want to do well on future standardized tests, you will want to be able to remain calm and focused on the test rather than focusing on your fear of not scoring as well as you think you should on the test.</p>
<p>Please continue being a well-rounded and happy person instead of fretting about this.</p>
<p>I know you’re disappointed, but you should treat yourself with greater kindness.</p>
<p>My daughter got Commended and is going to U-Penn next year – her first choice. Also got accepted to Northwestern and wait-listed at Yale. She got a 2320 on her SAT. We know plenty of kids who were National Merit finalists that did not get into top schools.</p>
<p>wrong. your biggest failure is actually lamenting the fact you were only commended. If only i could have suffered such hardships…</p>