<p>I don't really know what they look for, but I'm banking on finalist status. I plan on going to my local college (University of Oklahoma) becaues they offer a free ride to Finalists. </p>
<p>Based on the following stats, what are my chances of NOT getting finalist?</p>
<p>I will be a senior next year, and made a 211 on PSAT (cutoff for Oklahoma was 208 last year, 207 year before that).
I will have a 3.99 unweighted GPA by the end of senior year.</p>
<h1>2 in class out of ~430</h1>
<p>Helped start Republican club at my school
Serve in Mayor's Youth Advisory Council (community service club that you apply for)
1st chair in band and drum major 9th grade
31 ACT (about 4 times... grr..)
Taken SAT once and new SAT once. 1440 and 2060.
Countless APs with average scores.</p>
<p>I really don't know what they look for or anything. Any help would be appreciated.</p>
<p>I think you are probably in. However, I am no expert. My understanding is that if you are nominated a semi-finalist (by virtue of your PSAT), to become a finalist, the school has to recommend you as a finalist, you have to maintain good grades and fill out the paperwork. Those are the guidelines on the NMS website. Other students who have become finalists have pretty much confirmed on this forum that it was no sweat becoming a finalist once you got the semi-finalist ranking. Apparently the few semi-finalists who do not make it fail to do so because of non-confirmation of the high PSAT, low gpa, failure to receive finalist recommendation from their school for disciplinary reasons, failure to submit paperwork, etc. Again, I am no expert, but I believe those are most of the reasons why a semi-finalist would not become a finalist. As you know, the vast majority of semi-finalists do become finalists. If your state doesnt jump up several points, you should be in. I dont think your EC's have anything to do with becoming a NMS finalist, not something they look at.</p>
<p>Check out the guidelines on the NMS finalist website.</p>
<p>I think the University of Tulsa also has a strong program for NMS finalists.</p>
<p>As long as your state's PSAT cutoff doesn't go over 211, which is probably unlikely, you should be fine. If you are a Semi-finalist, you will almost definitely be a finalist, since your SAT was good and your GPA is good, assuming your counselor doesn't really hate you. The application is pretty long and detailed, but I think it is mainly used for the scholarships, not to determine who becomes a finalist.</p>
<p>
[quote]
Other students who have become finalists have pretty much confirmed on this forum that it was no sweat becoming a finalist once you got the semi-finalist ranking.
[/quote]
last year, about 15,000 of the 16,000 semi's became finalists</p>
<p>Wow. Yeah. Okay, if I get NMF, I basically go to university for freakin' free man. Absolutely. Including broad, books, and whatever. Get a new laptop. Holy shiznat! I hope someone replies soon. I'm getting really anxious. XD</p>
<p>So who cares that I'd be going to a #97 school rather than RIce's #17 status. Its free man!</p>
<p>QuiteJaded:
You <em>did</em> mean 'board' in your post#6, right? Otherwise, you can expect email from a lot of (rightfully) p_o'd young ladies... :) .</p>
<p>and you may want add your SAT scores + essay+ any decipline problems you might have.....the 1,000 that are weeded out may have one or more reasons listed above (including yours).</p>
<p>Of the 16,000 semi-finalist, 15,000 make finalist (or something like that). It takes a major blow-out on the SAT or a bad req from the school administration to not make it.</p>
<p>You didn't mention that you got Cs in math. How many? And how did you get a 3.99 unweighted with multiple C's?</p>
<p>I'm not trying to scare you, if it's just a few C's, considering your class rank is excellent, you should still be fine. I'm just more curious than anything. I'm banking on a NMF scholarship to UF, too.</p>
<p>Edit: sorry, i didn't realize you weren't the original poster quitejaded.</p>
<p>I can't remember if I have any Cs (that show up on my transcript that is. XD) freshman year, but I know sophmore year I got a 79 in math. Everything else is As and Bs. My current rank is 35 out of 600. I don't know my uw GPA, but my weighted one is a 4.3. </p>
<p>Oh, I'm not the OP! Hehe, I made it sound that way, but this thread was very helpful to me. I would have made it if this person hadn't made it first.</p>