@sherimba03 Point taken. I think I meant to suggest admission nearly anywhere.
@GatorDad305 NMF status matters very little (or more likely, not at all) in admission decisions. While enormously impactful for the subset of the 15,000 kids who pass their states’ thresholds and the Finalist applications and choose to go to NMF full ride schools, and a nice little bump for the many other Finalists who get $500 or $2500 toward COA to other schools, that’s probably it in terms of benefit.
Like you and others pointed out previously, if a kid is otherwise a slacker who happened to knock it out of the park for this one test, the odds of this one test result getting them into a T20/50/whatever are probably very low. And even if they’re not a slacker, I don’t think it would help with anything close to “admission nearly anywhere.”
Case in point my “average excellent” kid - I highly doubt he’d be able to get into HYPS or any of the other tippy tops. He will apply to MIT only because he has a hook there (football, not NMF) that will set his 1560 SAT/4.0 UW GPA apart from the 10,000 other 1550+ SAT/4.0 UW GPA applications in the pile.
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I think some people might not realize that to make NMF it is more than just taking one test and knocking it out of the park. If a kid goes from NMSF to NMF they have to submit an ACT or SAT with a decently high score as a confirming score. They also have to have consistent high grades through out high school. From what I understand even one “C” has been known to knock someone out of the running for NMF. The counselor or principle has to write a letter of recommendation confirming a high level of high school achievement. There are other aspects of the application including an essay submitted by the student. My guess is that this kind of record of achievement is what would make NMFs attractive to University of Florida.
Of the 16000 NMSF, 15000 go on to become finalists. So yes, they have to have the bench depth to back up that one great test outcome. And this absolutely does make them very attractive to state flagship schools such as the ones that reel them in with big merit. However, all this does is confirm that they are “average excellent” students which, as cc folks are happy to repeat to the nth degree, means pretty much nothing with respect to pushing the needle into the green for admission to a tippy top.
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Looks like your son will have great options. Let us know what happens with UF at the end of February. Best of luck to him.
Does anyone happen to know when they would find out if they are accepted into UF with the COA scholarship for being a NMF. We are OOS too and it is my sons #1 school other than MIT which he was deferred as of now .
If your son is admitted to UF and named a National Merit Finalist and names UF as his first choice school as of May 1, 2020, he would get the Benacquisto Scholarship.
@Melissa96 I think that @robnjenn was actually asking when the notification date is for receiving the Benacquisto. My DS is only a junior so I don’t know details of dates to be able to answer the question. (He won’t apply until next year).
The notification would be after May 1st when everything above has been satisfied. It takes a bit of time to get everything updated after the May 1st list is received.
So you need to assume you will get it then. UF would not be an option if he didn’t get it but you still have to commit to find out. I don’t even know how you find out if you’re a finalist. I am assuming my son will be but it’s not guaranteed
Well, you would have to apply - the deadline is Nov 1st every year. You would find out if you are National Merit Finalist sometime in February. The UF decision comes out at the end of February… Once you decide which school you’d attend then you’d let National Merit know which school you’re attending by May 1st when you deposit somewhere.
I’m from Florida and an NMF mom, and I would be shocked if your son isn’t accepted as long as he submits a strong essay. I do think an NMF could potentially be rejected, but your son has the grades, stats, rigor, and ECs to back up the score. I know my daughter’s guidance counselor says that UF isn’t anyone’s safety school, but it’s certainly a strong match for him.
One caution - the funding for the Benacquisto scholarship is renewed annually(?) by the state legislature, so you’ll want to ask if UF will honor the scholarship if the funding is not renewed. I would hope the legislature would grandfather students in, but it’s worth asking about. I know USF and UCF do guarantee the four years regardless, but I believe UF may not. As a single mom myself, I tend to plan for “worst case” scenario as there’s not always a lot of financial wiggle room. (I actually asked one small LAC that she loves if they would pay her full COA if I keeled over. They said yes btw.)
My son is a sophomore in UF, I remember during the campus tour and the UF orientation, they keep emphasizing the importance of Essay. So make sure he writes a great essay and have several people read it. I think he’ll get in, very good grades and especially he’s also a captain of the football team.
So my son is now a NMF and UF is his number 1 school. I know I asked this already but the school would be very expensive if he does not get the scholarship and they say they don’t send out scholarship information until after May 1st when you have to commit by. Do we now just assume he will get the scholarship? I would hate to commit and then not get the scholarship and have to pay for the school plus flying back and forth to NY. He has a 1570 SAT and 35 ACT and almost 99 average. Is that enough?
the First National Merit list comes mid March so they start getting coded then.
@robnjenn if your son is accepted to UF and is NMF and he marks UF as his first choice he WILL get the Benacquisto. It is through the state, not the school. I recommend hopping over to the college confidential national merit message board for tons of info and parents with students in the same boat.
Not demonstrating enough interest can make them think he is not going to accept, something seriously troubling on high school’s discipline record too can get him disqualified. I can’t think of anything else for a high achieving finalist getting rejected there.
@robnjenn congrats on the NMF confirmation! I don’t think you have much to worry about; like the other posters have said, make sure he writes a solid essay and marks UF as his top choice for NM scholarships and he should be all set. The only thing I think you have to worry about is the possibility of Benacquisto being discontinued for OOS students, which is really the only concern that I have at this point. From what everyone is saying, that is not likely but who knows? I agree with @Mamareeb - head on over to the national merit scholarships message board as it is full of fascinating and informative posts.
He won’t be rejected. Don’t sweat it. UF cares about yield, but it cares more about casting as wide a net as possible to snare NMFs. I’d actually say that unless there are hints in his application that he won’t accept UF’s offer, he is going to be fine.
Congrats to him on such an impressive high school career.
@CupCakeMuffins thanks, I’m wondering how best to demonstrate his interest? We are scheduled to attend an official campus tour on April 8th; we are flying in from Southern California so that is definitely a sign of interest, but how do we ensure the AOs even know he was there? I guess he needs to figure out how to work it into his essays, and maybe even be so bold as to write that if he is admitted and given the Benacquisto, he is fully committed to attend? By that time - next year - he will know if MIT will be recruiting him for football, which is really the only other school he is interested in right now. I think I’ve also read a good way to demonstrate interest is to open all emails from the school and check the portal regularly, which I’ll make sure he does after he applies. Oh, and I’ll make sure he submits his application as early in the cycle as possible so they know he is eager - is that a good plan or would there be any reason for him to intentionally delay so they have had a chance to see other applicants first?