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<p>A necessary, but not sufficient condition. </p>
<p>j/k. I know it’s not necessary either.</p>
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Right. This is sort of like asking if being in All-State Orchestra will get you into Julliard.</p>
<p>As many have already said, NMSF or NMF status in no way guarantees acceptance to a top school.</p>
<p>It does, however, guarantee a full-tuition or full-ride scholarship to some school, some of which are quite respectable. That, I think, is the real benefit.</p>
<p>I spent way too much time today trying to understand the reasoning for kids taking the PSAT and I came up with only one…to qualify for the NMScholarship. So it seems like every year 1.5 mil kids take this test for the sole purpose of the NMScholarship worth $500 to $2500 for 15,000 kids. I don’t mind that the kids take the test, but I am curious as to who pays for this. If it is the state gov’t, I will be ticked off. If it is privately funded than so be it. It just seems like there would be a more cost effective way to hand out the scholarships. Like - top ACT/SAT scorers from each state.</p>
<p>I am in a cost savings mode…</p>
<p>Hunt, actually many of the Julliard-bound musicians in the NY area don’t bother with All-State because the rehearsals conflict with their participation in pre-college programs.</p>
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<p>My son is a NMSF - he is well aware that it means nothing at the top schools unless you have the stats to back it up. BUT he has been bombarded with mail from schools all over the country including every single Ivy League school (and all of these have send him multiple letters, emails, brochures, class catalogs, etc). We literally have boxes of this stuff. I was a little surprised that he got a letter from Chicago recognizing him as a NMSF as well as saying if he gets in, he will be eligible for a scholarship if he picks Chicago as his first choice on the NMF application. That was the only Top 10-20 school that sent a letter with that offer - even though other top schools do participate in the NM competition. He has gotten some really nice offers from not Top 20 schools that he hasn’t even apply to. As mantori.suziki said - it does offer some very real benefits at some schools.</p>
<p>It’s got to be confusing to kids who don’t realize that while being a NMSF will earn you a few brownie points with the top schools, it’s not going to ensure your acceptance. I’m not sure I would have understood that without CC. The reason I say it’s got to be confusing is, some days, it seems like practically every school in the country is begging my son to apply. We’ve even gotten voice recorded phone calls. Of course, no one says ‘you’re in’ but, still, it does leave the impression that they are dying to have you as a student.</p>
<p>Definitely not. I know one NMSF who’s at Providence College - it was best school to which she was accepted.</p>
<p>Kajon, the purpose of the PSAT is supposed to be a practice opportunity for the real SAT. It’s low cost, if not free. The score doesn’t show up when a student sends their score report when applying to a school. It gives a preview of what it’s going to be like sitting for the actual test. All good stuff! The scholarship program piggybacks on the PSAT. Many of the students who read CC, or whose parents read CC, already are prepping for the SAT, so the practice/assessment aspect might be of limited value, and then the scholarship aspect looms larger. </p>
<p>The money comes from colleges and private firms. Many scholarships are only for children of employees of certain companies. The total pot isn’t evenly spread around. Many (most?) of the 15,000 finalists get no money whatsoever. Some finalists get major money from a few schools, most famously half tuition at USC IF admitted. Many other schools have a few small NMF scholarships.</p>
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<p>Among “top” schools, that is. Many lesser schools offer a lot more than half-tuition.</p>
<p>I think it’s appropriate to mention that some of those “lesser” schools have honors programs in which the quality of undergraduate education is said to rival that of top schools. For example, the University of Arkansas, thanks to the Walton family, put $200 million into its honors college a few years back. I doubt that many top schools are wasting that kind of money on undergrads when there’s research to be done.</p>
<p>Nope, not top schools. One I know got into CSLB(free tuition) and I believe she’s currently attending there.</p>
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<p>Well, that is not such an awful reason for many people. While it is true that some of the so-called “Top 20” universities offer no money for NMF status, quite a few do. My son gets 2K per year at the school he attends; he would have received between 1K-2K per year at several other “Top 20” universities. For kids who expect to do well on such a standardized test (and most know going in whether or not they are in that group), the cost is $15 and part of a Sat. morning.</p>
<p>If you KNOW you are headed for no-merit Ivy and similar, or if you don’t do well on standardized tests, it may not be worth $15 and a Sat. morning.</p>
<p>My son got one of the $2500 scholarships. I think it’s great that the first ten days or so of college was paid for by somebody else!</p>
<p>DH was a NMF back in the dark ages; got into an Ivy, but did not get any $$.
S1 was a NMF two years ago; did not get into an Ivy, but got the $2500 NMC one-time award, some excellent acceptances and other merit $$.</p>
<p>Forgot to mention – at least in Maryland, an in-state student who makes NMSF automatically gets a $3,000/yr. Maryland Distinguished Scholar award for any MD school, public or private. For most in-state students, this is in lieu of a NMF school-sponsored award (UMD only gives out 15 of those). The $55 UMD application fee is also waived!</p>
<p>For a kid who gets a full Banneker/Key award plus MDS, this amounts to tuition, room, board, books, fees and personal spending allowance. Nice deal.</p>
<p>OP: To put things into perspective just from pure number basis this is the order of importance in college admissions</p>
<ol>
<li>AP National Scholar (After Junior Year) ~ 650</li>
<li>Presidential Scholar Candidates ~ 3800</li>
<li>NMF ~ 15,000</li>
</ol>
<p>Get all 3 and the chance is more than 50% of acceptance at an Ivy or any top 10 school.</p>
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So was Stephanie Meyer. 'Nuff said.</p>
<p>NMSF have to have a great GPA, high SAT scores and other involvement to become a NMF, but even so, not all NMFs are not equal. Some will have SAT scores in the low 2000’s, others will have over 2300. GPA, class placement and curriculum can really vary. I don’t know if there are specific minimum EC requirements, but those also vary. A NMF with great stats and EC’s have a much better chance than a NMF without those and I believe that GPA, course curriculum tend to weigh heavier than test scores.</p>
<p>Anyway, my daughter is planning on using her NMF status to get a free ride to undergrad so she can save money for grad school. Even with this, she took the SAT a couple of times to get over a 1500 CR,M so she could qualify for additional scholarship money. I think her SAT, GPA in an IB program and EC’s will help her more with getting additional money after the NMF award is given.</p>
<p>DS is a NMSF and a NASF and is certainly basking in the attention received not only from his school but also all the congratulatory letters and offers from colleges. He has gotten letters from several top schools including the big envelope from Harvard. None of the Ivy’s are on his radar since cold weather and dreary winters are a downer.</p>
<p>There is no achievement that guarantees acceptance to even colleges below that top 20 ranking. Perfect test scores and/or perfect grades still do not get students into top colleges. Think supply and demand- the top private schools are relatively small and the top publics have a mission to serve their states. There are far too many NMF’s for the numbers of students at top colleges.</p>
<p>I would caution people about settling for a lesser school that offers money for being a NMF- not all state flagship schools are of the same caliber, the better ones can also have strong Honors programs as well. The top schools don’t need to entice the best students and the overall student body will be a better match as a peer group.</p>
<p>I would like to add that I know a bunch of non NMF who got into great schools. One thing is not indicative of the other.</p>
<p>the mailings don’t mean a thing. we’ve gotten mailings from Ivies, and my kids are commended, not finalists. We were tempted to use the application from Harvard, just to frame the rejection letter right next to the solicitation letter, but we didn’t take the bait. Interestingly, Harvard was the only school to send an application unsolicited in the mail, and I imagine that many people respond to the flattery, poor things.</p>