<p>Friend in WA with 204 got letter</p>
<p>for the finalist application...do you have to send an SAT score or can u send an ACT score instead?</p>
<p>I'm getting worried that my school screwed something up. 232 in MI and I haven't gotten anything from school or in the mail. Should I call?</p>
<p>"My S got his letter at school yesterday (California). He's puzzled as to why this is a big deal since he was one of over 100 students to make the initial cut-off of 200. That is 1 out of every 6 or 7 students at his public HS."</p>
<p>Good for him and his classmates. A score of 200 is at the 97th percentile, so nationwide it's around 1 of 33.</p>
<p>Tennis, you have to send an SAT score. Dma, you should call.</p>
<p>217 NY, got it. I don't think that's going to be quite good enough for semi though :/. In fact, I'm pretty sure it won't be.</p>
<p>i herd, i got a letter, that i was in the top 50 thou, but it doesnt tell u semi or not. it just says iu have the ability to continue on. basically im garenteed like two letters to colleges, but idk about the rest. i think we hear in september. i know i have to respond by may 28, so u guys better get letters soon. or mabe u didnt make it, srry</p>
<p>219 NY, wat u think?</p>
<p>wait, u guys know to be in the competition u have to check off a box while u take the test. like half of all schools do it for u before u even take it, but some dnt, so if u didnt check off the box, high score wont mean anything</p>
<p>i never got a letter
sigh . in competence</p>
<p>I got the letter. Anyone else having trouble logging in at the collegeplans site? The log-in info is right, but it takes me to the "terms of use" page and then right back to the login.</p>
<p>Ok, I didn't get a letter, but is there any way to check online for your status?</p>
<p>206 in VA (98th percentile) but no letter yet. Does anyone know if that will qualify in VA? Also, will it be coming through the school or to home?</p>
<p>va_catlover, your 206 should qualify you for commended; we're in VA too and my daughter has her letter. My D got her letter mailed to her at home. I think last year's VA cutoff was 217 for semi-finalist status.</p>
<p>Thanks for the response. I called National Merit today and was told that anyone getting 200 or better should have gotten the letter, and that the letters went to the principal. Everyone at the school has told me that they have never heard of these letters in the first place (which really increases my confidence in the school and its output). I will have to have them request a duplicate if it cannot be found, according to National Merit.</p>
<p>va_catlover: discouraging isn't it, when you realize that these are the same people responsible for getting your student's transcript, etc to colleges on time? I had to explain to my D's GC the whole NM thing - how the commended cut off is national, but the semi finalist cutoffs are state-specific, etc.</p>
<p>My GC gave me the name-two-colleges form last week...
and also, for some reason, the letter addressed to the PRINCIPAL. If it helps at all, the letter said </p>
<p>"Your students whose names are listed on the reverse took the PSAT blah blah blah...and met requirements to enter the 2009 NMS program. With a Selection Index score of 200 or above, each of these students is among the 50,000 highest scoring participants of some 1.5 million entrants."</p>
<p>And then it went on to say that of these 50,000 students, 16,000 will be named NMSFs. </p>
<p>I don't know why I got the principal's letter, lol.</p>
<p>PRJ--And it also makes me wonder what is going on academically at the school if they have little familiarity with National Merit procedures. We live in what's supposed to be one the largest, highest achieving school systems in the nation.</p>
<p>Does the letter you can send to two colleges really do much? It's so easy to get on the radar of schools just by logging in online. Won't be applying to Ivies, but is it worth even responding? Son will stop at commended...</p>
<p>Did anyone else STILL not get a letter?</p>
<p>S still has no letter...</p>