<p>Hi, I was named a National Merit Semifinalist last fall, and submitted the application in order to be a NM Finalist.</p>
<p>However, I was wondering if other fellow Semifinalists were receiving any notifications from colleges saying things like, "Congratulations on being a National Merit Finalist!" or whatever.</p>
<p>This is because last fall, before I officially found out that I was a Semifinalist, I had been receiving mails and emails from colleges congratulating me and asking me to apply to that college.</p>
<p>Thus, I was wondering if they were doing the same for Finalists?</p>
<p>I haven't received much from any college regarding my Finalist status...</p>
<p>I know the official status is going to come out in a few weeks, but I was just wondering (:</p>
<p>Yes, it happens. A couple of years ago my daughter received a letter from Texas A&M congratulating her before she received finalist notification.</p>
<p>They mail the notifications to your principal on February 1st (aka tomorrow), so depending on where you live (and the relationship you have with your principal), you should know early-mid next week. They mail the notifications to your house on February 7th. There's a link for that page in one of the other NMS threads. Good luck!</p>
<p>Hoping the HS will notify the kids today...
Since my S didn't list a school on his postcard (he put "undecided"), will the colleges still get his name on the list of NMFs? I though there was something different about notification to the colleges when you do vs. don't list a first choice school, but I can't recall. Does anyone know?</p>
<p>there is two pools for getting the college scholarships. To be in the first pool you need to submit your postcard thing by March 1 if I remember correctly.</p>
<p>i'm a sophomore, and I got 191 on the PSAT. 69 math, 63 critical reading, 59 writing. If i take an SAT preparation class over the summer, is it possible to raise my PSAT score up to 225 when I retake the pSAT as a junior? b.t.w. I got an 800 on SAT2 Math2C, so i screwed up on the pSAT math section :|</p>
<p>Maybe, study hard, but 34 points is a really big improvement to make. </p>
<p>My advice is to take the prep class and also buy yourself the kaplan or princeton review books that come with the 10 practice tests and try to do all the sections (except the essay). Especially on the writing section they repeat the "tricks" they use, so if you can learn them you will be in better shape.</p>
<p>Squelchy,
Big jumps are not unheard of. My s's PSAT increased about 18 or so points (I am guessing-- don't recall the exact scores offhand) between Soph and Jr year. But I agree-- 30+ increase will take work. Not impossible, but it will take work.</p>
<p>You can't compare the Math 2C score to the PSAT math score. You can miss many items on the Math 2C and still get a perfect or near perfect score. The PSAT is not so forgiving (the math 2c curve is big).</p>
<p>Any reason you are aiming for a 225?? What state are you in?</p>
<p>i went from a 177 sophomore year to a 222... and with not too much studying either. I guess what did it for me was the first time i took it i was unfamiliar with the format and the second time I had practiced so much that it was almost second nature.</p>
<p>I got the letter that told me I was a Finalist on Monday, I believe.</p>
<p>Sometimes I wonder if those schools just send those "Congratulations on making it to finalist" to everyone who made semi, because the vast majority of people who are semis will advance. Though I suppose that would be really cruel to people who didn't make it, I guess.</p>
<p>I got a letter from a school congratulating me at the same time as my letter from NMSC, but I knew what they were so I opened them in the right order.</p>