<p>Information about the whole National Merit process is kept so minimal--and I'm not sure why. Many CC parents first discovered CC as a place to find out info about National Merit--nothing like having a webful of kids/parents who have gone through the process. You can access prior threads in the archives. The same questions get asked every year, for the most part.</p>
<p>As for the semi-finalist forms, I think that most of them get sent to the principal's office, rather than get mailed directly to the semi-finalist. There were horror stories last year about the school administration not getting the packets to the semi-finalist in a timely manner. </p>
<p>One thing you should know, there is an essay component to the form--archives would have the exact topic question--but it is on the lines of tell us about yourself. If you could convince your S/D to write that essay in August, you'd be miles ahead.</p>
<p>As for when to designate your number 1 school, my D put down undecided until she knew which school she chose to attend (April of senior year? It was late, that's all I remember). If your child wins a scholarship from a school which is given to NM finalists, the school will ask you to designate it as your #1 school. This can be done without any problem with the filing of simple form.</p>
<p>The Carleton College website has a good National Merit component to it. They aggressively pursue NM semi-finalists.</p>