<p>1) When will students hear the finalist status decision? How do they get notified?
2) For those of you who are the National Merit Scholarship semi finalists, have you made your first choice decision yet? For my son, there is so much up in the air, he has not made the final decision. To be honest, he has no idea which school he plans to go to yet. We like to hear your thought process to make such a decision. </p>
<p>Thanks!</p>
<p>midwestDad: According to the NM paperwork, it is the first week in Feb. They notify the high school first, and then a letter is sent to the student later in the week. You have plenty of time to make the decision. Many students have yet to decide, so no need to stress. :)</p>
<p>True…</p>
<p>I happened to be volunteering at my son’s school when he was called down and told that he made finalist. </p>
<p>On another thread, I read that those who don’t make it, are notified by mail around mid January (like this week). Don’t know if that’s true, because we never experienced that.</p>
<p>As for the decisions. No rush on that. You can decide in April, just let NMC know. They may call you around March for an answer. This is what we did: son wrote down the school that gave the best scholarship with the idea that he could change it later. NMC will let you change your “1st choice school”.</p>
<p>mom2collegekids, congrats! I didn’t know that they’ve already started notifying finalists. Can’t wait to find out for my son!</p>
<p>They haven’t started notifying finalists; they’ve started notifying people who aren’t finalists. So you really don’t want any type of notification until February 2 (which is the date I believe schools are notified) or February 9th (which is the date I believe students are mailed letters to their home. ) I believe M2CK is talking about a past year, as her kids are already in college. </p>
<p>On another thread, a parent noted that her child got the “you didn’t make it” letter on January 9th (this past Saturday.) Last year’s thread had the same letters arriving on January 10th. Obviously depending on where you live, there can be a few days difference on arrival time. Hoping we don’t hear anything in my house this week!</p>
<p>RobD, thanks for the correction. In this case, I’m with you - I also don’t want to see any National Merit notification until Feb. In the seemingly never-ending rush to send college apps out, S1 almost missed sending the official SAT scores. I caught it when a CC post reminded me to check on it. Lo and behold, he didn’t send it. We were lucky that we caught this in mid-December.</p>
<p>Yeah, I thought M2CK meant the current year for her son. Well, belated congrats anyway :).</p>
<p>Anyone with experience want to comment on this statement, from the instructions to semi-finalists? It appears it would be advantageous to make your “first-choice” before March 1st. (At which point, you don’t know where you have been accepted.) </p>
<p>Schedule specific to college-sponsored awards:
March 1 through May 31, 2010: A Finalist who has reported a sponsor college as first choice by March 1 will be included in the first group referred to that institution for scholarship consideration.</p>
<p>mom2collegekids, congrats! I didn’t know that they’ve already started notifying finalists.</p>
<p>Oops…I should have been more clear. I was referring to the process…that the schools find out first.</p>
<p>However, if it’s true that rejection letters will be received this week, then by default, a person will know if they made it. :)</p>
<p>Has anybody received one of these rejection letters?</p>
<p>I, too, wish the process was more explicit.</p>
<p>@ILoveLA: I noticed that phrase you quoted and wondered if a person would be fatally disadvantaged if the first-choice designation had not been given by March 1. However, others seem to advise not making the choice until after that time.</p>
<p>What I wonder is whether NMSC looks to see which kids have designated first-choice schools that DO participate in the official scholarship program, and then “pass over” those kids for the $2500 NMSC scholarship offers. Meaning, if we wish our kids to have a shot at the $2500, should we wait until after those are awarded to name the first-choice school?</p>
<p>Has anyone here been awarded the $2500 scholarship AFTER having named a first-choice school that participates in National Merit scholarships? (The official kind that is listed in the booklet).</p>
<p>This is so confusing.</p>
<p>^ fatally disadvantaged-- i like that phrase. it does seem a little like a poker game to me.
I’ll keep reading to see what others say.</p>
<p>It is very confusing - my daughter submitted her first choice to NMSC a couple of weeks ago to play it safe (she really has only one TOP school and she was admitted).</p>
<p>Please post any communication you hear from NMSC - suspense is killing us …</p>
<p>I don’t know if naming a first choice school by March 1 will mean you won’t be considered for the $2500 scholarship. However, I do know that you can name a first choice school and then change it later. You need to make the change sometime before a specific date towards the end of April, but it is after students know where they have been admitted. If you think that naming a school will give you advantage somewhere, you don’t need to worry that your choice is irrevocable.</p>
<p>S got his “you were not qualified to be a finalist” letter on Tues. He thinks it was soph year grades… I think it was sarcastic essay he wrote. And I think that if he goes to a school where the NMF scholarship would have applied, the $2000 is coming out of his savings account. … but it is doubtful he will go where it would have applied anyway. </p>
<p>I miss all the “slacker son” threads that used to abound…</p>
<p>*What I wonder is whether NMSC looks to see which kids have designated first-choice schools that DO participate in the official scholarship program, and then “pass over” those kids for the $2500 NMSC scholarship offers. Meaning, if we wish our kids to have a shot at the $2500, should we wait until after those are awarded to name the first-choice school?
*</p>
<p>When we went thru the process…this is how it worked.</p>
<p>Corporate and university scholarships are awarded FIRST. Therefore, NMCorp already knows who those kids are. The $2500 from NMC are awarded later (in June??? I know it’s later.). </p>
<p>That way, NMC knows who’s getting a university or corporate scholarship (which are usually larger), long before they award the remaining $2500.</p>
<p>All NMF’s that receive a scholarship (whether it’s corporate, university, or from NMC) are named NM Scholars.</p>
<p>ILOVELA…it’s a complicated process. Most who’ve studied it believe that you should go “undecided” until you know where you’ve been admitted and where you’ll accept, then send it in. I know I’ve verified with my D’s colleges that their deadlines are not until May 1-31. There are several deadlines with NM…and it’s VERY confusing. I don’t think the colleges are “buying into it” though. Their deadlines, as I stated, are AFTER you’ve been able to review your offers (at least those that I researched…IU and NYU). There has been MUCH cyber-discussion about this, and the bottom line seems to be that it’s a no-brainer. Wait. I know at our house my D has “undecided”, and the yellow card taped to the desk in the office so she doesn’t FORGET to turn it in by the deadlines. </p>
<p>MPABON-yes, there is another thread with some people that are starting to receive the letters. Seems to be mostly GPA, they’ve had 3.3 or maybe 3.4 UW.</p>
<p>^^^</p>
<p>Needed to add…</p>
<p>If your child is being considered for both a corporate and university scholarship, this is how it worked for us…</p>
<p>Our son was awarded a corporate NM scholarship for $2500 per year, but he also wanted his university scholarship (which is full-tuition, housing, plus $1,000). NMC only lets you choose ONE “official” NM scholarship, but the university will let you forgo the $1,000 (the “official” NM scholarship) and still get the free tuition and housing. </p>
<p>So, NM called us to advise how to do that. Therefore, my son selected the corporate $2500 per year as his “official” scholarship and still get the majority of the university scholarship.</p>
<p>Esobay: I’m so sorry that your S received that news. If you don’t mind me asking, did he receive the letter today Tuesday or last week Tuesday? If you look at the thread in the SAT area, some people last year were able to petition successfully to have the decision reversed.</p>
<p>Your S is the 3rd person mentioned here on CC that got their letter this week.</p>
<p>RobD … ahhh that would be Tuesday as in Monday, which was yesterday, but I’ve been thinking today was Wednesday all day. Clear? LOL</p>
<p>
The answer to that question is no. Both of my kids who got the $2,500 from NMC were accepted ED to their colleges, and had their ED schools reported as first choice. (one school was on the list as “participating in NM program”, the other was not. The “participating” school extended the scholarship for all 4 years, making it $10,000 total)</p>