@Tgirlfriend I’m rooting for your student!
@Mamelot Thank you very much. This would be a huge difference in where my S could and would go. The unknown is hard right now. What schools do you visit and what schools are off the table because of lack of scholarships? I do not mention a lot of this to my S, he has enough on his plate right now.
I’ve been following the general NM cutoff thread and checking this one as well–quite often! @Tgirlfriend , My D is in much the same situation as your S. Hopeful and fingers crossed for them both! Thanks to CC, we know she is commended, and anxious to know NMSF status in the fall. Her school doesn’t share any info until SF are announced, so I’m thankful for any info that is shared in these threads! I figured I’d stop lurking and jump in. Thank you to all of you who share info! D is my oldest, so this is all new to us!
@Momof2TX Glad to see you jump in. Please feel free to post any input you have and we will as well. We are all in this together. What is your D’s SI number? My fingers are crossed for everyone to get NMSF. Honestly this was the only way I knew about the commended letter for 2 weeks before the school got it.
@Tgirlfriend My D’s SI number is 223. She took the ACT and old SAT right after PSAT and wants to be done with testing. Hoping if she does make NMSF that old SAT will qualify for verification. She basically doesn’t want to think about NM right now, since there is nothing else she can do to determine status. I’ll do the stressing for her, as I’m sure you’re doing for your S. We also just found out that her GC left last week, and we have a substitute for the remainder of the year, with no word on next year. I may get to know all the GCs until things are settled. More stress! I think everyone here will probably be much more informed than I will be, but I’ll definitely share anything I think may be relevant. Fingers crossed for all these kids who have worked so hard!
@Momof2TX …that is a wonderful SI number she should have no problem in Texas with that SI number. I will help you anyway I can. We are all in the same boat on here. I know my principal pretty well and I am going to stay in close contact with him though all this. I will give you any and all information that I have. Rooting for all the hard working kiddos here!!! What colleges are you looking at? We might be able to help each other out with that also.
So 215 is definitely out of the range? 
@neoking …I wouldn’t say that. We all have to wait until September to find out about NMSF. 209 in Commended :-j
@Tgirlfriend D is looking at UT Austin, and Alabama right now. She wants to major in Radio/TV/Film or a variation of it. That has narrowed things down tremendously. That darn 10% rule (7% for 2017 for UT) will make it hard to get into UT, and there’s no guaranteed $. Even with great grades and test scores, she most likely won’t crack that % at her hs to auto admit at UT. She wasn’t totally sold on Austin after a visit last year anyway, so she was willing to look at Alabama, and loved the media facilities. After realizing OOS scholarships and possibly NM $ were so generous, Alabama is in the lead! If NMSF or F happens, it could open up some other possibilities, though. This fall could be interesting for us and y’all as well! Definitely need to keep in touch here!
@Momof2TX it’s kind of crazy that UT doesn’t participate in NMF and gives very little merit aid. I regularly speak with people from Ds school who think their little snowflake is going to get merit aid at UT. Only a small handful get the 40 Acres scholarships… And those are insanely competitive!
@Momof2TX …from what I have heard about UT Austin they do not give many if any at all for merit based. I don’t think they give anything for NMF even. Fortunately, when we visited there last year for UIL state my S said he didn’t like all the congestion. We are planning a visit to OU soon if he gets NMF I think that will be his top college. If not then he will end up staying in state. What most concerns me about Texas Tech and A&M in the 3.5 GPA they require to keep the scholarships. Not a fan of that at all!!!
@carachel2 …exactly!! I am amazed at the students that want to go to UT Austin no matter the cost. That is just crazy!! I am sorry but a degree is a degree as long as its from an accredited college and for Engineering it has to be ABET. As a parent it is all about getting them a good education with little to NO debit. Student loans are no fun at all!!
@carachel2 and @Tgirlfriend I agree that it’s crazy that UT doesn’t offer much aid. I guess they have so many kids who are willing to pay full price, why bother offering aid!? We have a lot of family who would be thrilled if D kept UT on the list, but unless they’d like to pay for it (if she is admitted!), D will be looking at other options! She didn’t even want to go to the 40 Acres scholarship reception for information after looking at profiles of current recipients. I would like her to look at OU, but she’s resisting! I agree that some schools have incredibly high requirements to retain the scholarship. That’s a lot of stress to add on to a freshman.
@Momof2TX … Have you seen the bios of those 40 Acres kids? Ohmyword! I’m in my 40s with a graduate degree and those kids bios are so amazingly competitive they intimidate me! Lol!!
I agree that for a lot of kids this next year is going to be an eye opener… Especially the kids in Tx who think NMF is going to give them a full ride at UT.
D is kicking herself at our house. She will not make NMF. But I met a likely NMF last night (SI 220) who just took the ACT and whose ACT score is lower than my D! I told D that last night and she was both glad to hear it and sad.
UT used to offer NMF scholarships back in the day when, like OU is now, they were trying to build their brand, especially among out of state students. They no longer need to do it so they don’t. It’s a shame they don’t offer more scholarships. Their endowment is one of the largest in the country. I fully expect OU will at some point drop their NMF scholarship as well. The scholarship amount has decreased as their numbers have grown. Same with Alabama.
@carachel2 …glad to hear that you think 220 in Texas will make NMSF. We are hanging out with a 221 and sweating it!!!
@carachel2 The 40 Acres bios were amazing! Definitely intimidated my D! Sounds like your D will have lots of interst from test scores. What is she wanting to study?
D is not expecting a full ride anywhere, but will go where the right program is offered, and hopefully a great financial aid package:) That probably eliminates UT!
@Momof2TX if you make NMSF plan to visit OU over President’s Day weekend. The scholars office puts on a special program for prospective NM students and OU even pays for a night’s stay in a hotel. It’s nice because all the NM kids get to interact a bit. The scholars office plans personalized visits for the kids and they get to meet with department heads and sit in on a class. My D16 is NMF and will be attending OU in the Fall. I have a DS18 that is a potential NM kid (SI 224 but only in10th grade) and he’s eyeing UTD:-)
@3scoutsmom Thanks for the heads up. I’ll have to work on her to consider OU!
Congrats on your D NMF and prepping for another soon after! I have a friend with a son at UTD and he loves it. He missed NMF, but still received an excellent scholarship package.
My daughter received a somewhat ominous note yesterday telling her about a meeting with counselors this morning before school. It said “Please plan to attend” at the bottom. Turns out that they let the kids know that they are “still in the pool” for NMSF. Her school usually has about 30 finalists, so I guess they know the process. They didn’t tell them that they’re officially commended, but at least we know D is verified and moving on. September can’t come soon enough!