<p>i did really well on the psat in october, high enough to be commended for sure. i may become a semifinalist, but it will be close. i already know one of the colleges that i want to have my name sent to by nmsc, but what i really want to know is how important is that referral? </p>
<p>i'm concerned less with finaid and scholarships but more with admissions. how much does it really matter to a college that i picked them as one of my top two choices for national merit? will it help my chances at getting in a lot, a little, or none at all?</p>
<p>Right now it doesn't matter what you say for your schools with National Merit that much.. I think it will just tell them you're interested, but I don't think it will at all make or break something. I mean when you find other schools you like and start applying, you can notify them that you're NM if you've made it to semifinalist, and then some will care and work more closely with you while others (esp ones that get a lot of NMS) won't care as much.</p>
<p>[I've made semifinalist, will find out about finalist in feb, likely will get it I've been told, so if you have any questions about how it all goes feel free to ask]</p>
<p>The referral to two colleges isn't very important. You'll still be receiving lots of mail from colleges with NM scholarship packages. Just be sure to keep your top choice as "undecided" until YOU have made a final decision (bearing in mind, however, that some college NM offers require a "first choice" designation before the traditional May 1st decision deadline).</p>
<p>From geek_son's experience... it puts you on their radar as an "interested prospect" with some qualifications -- i.e., a "hot lead" from their perspective as marketers. That means they may send you more junk mail, let you know about visiting opportunities, and perhaps put you on an email newsletter -- and if it's a small college, you might find that the regional admissions coordinator actually recognizes your name when you meet.</p>
<p>So no, it's not compelling, but it may help to get a little name recognition.</p>