<p>For the first=choice college card, if you write a college that isn't a national merit sponsor, then does the committee even bother sending ur card to that college? Please help thanks!</p>
<p>wait, do you even have to send out the college choice card if you already wrote what your first choice college was on the merit scholarship application...</p>
<p>The instructions are kinda unclear about this point.</p>
<p>Personally, I would pick the school you are mostly to attend and will get $. You can always change you choice later. If you really haven't decided, put "undecided."</p>
<p>juzam_djinn, where are you applying? It'd be more helpful to know that, methinks.</p>
<p>well okay i have to tell the truth
Stanford is my first choice, but they definetely wont give me any merit aid
A second choice would be usc, and they WILL give me merit aid if i get in and put them as my first choice
so im just trying to weigh my options
if the national merit people will tell stanford that they are my first choice, i will put stanford (anything to help my app, even just a little bit)
but if they wont even send it to stanford cuz stanford doesnt do national merit scholarships, then i might as well put usc so i can get scholarship money....
i kno its not being 100% honest about my first choice, but im low income and i REALLY need money for school, so i cant pass up any opportunity</p>
<p>No offense, but that's a no-brainer. USC offers large scholarships ($15000?) to NM finalists. If you need lots of merit aid, that's the way to go.</p>
<p>15000 would go against nmsc rules. it's a 2000 max per year. If you are ED/Aing to Stanford, put them down on the application, and keep the card. If you get in, you're done. If you don't get in to stanford, mail the card in requesting a change to USC.</p>
<p>Some schools offer up to full scholarships if you put them down as your first choice. I assume this just isn't done directly through NMSC.</p>
<p>thanks so much njpitcher, thats exactly what ill do
actually, on usc's app they say they give 16000 (half tuition) to national merit finalists....i thot it was against nmsc rules too, but it turns out that my friend at harvey mudd gets around 10grand a year for national merit, so maybe those colleges don't do it directly through nmsc like tkb6 said</p>
<p>Schools can offer as much $ as they want as long as it's outside the NM program. Some schools, like UF and U of Oklahoma, even offer full rides.</p>
<p>The GC at my kids' school said NOT to write ANY school unless you're SURE that's where you'll be going. You have until May or so to tell NM which one you're going to attend & need to apply & be accepted anyway. Once a college chooses you for a NM award, if you change your mind, you can't get another NM award (from what I understand).
Check with your GC to be sure.</p>
<p>All semi-finalists should have received the "Requirements and Instructions for Semi-Finalists." College choice is explained in detail there. That pamphlet also has a telephone number for NMS. If you have any questions, call NMS. Don't rely on newsgroups for your answers.</p>