<p>How important is it? Do you have to do the best you can do, or does it just have to not be awful?</p>
<p>We have heard different things, D did a solid job on hers and go it, whether it was her best effort or not I am not sure.</p>
<p>Should we treat the essay just like any other college application--whether it's creativity, grabbing the reader's attention, unique, etc.--or is it better to just answer the prompt in a straightforward manner?</p>
<p>It would be great if a previous National Finalist, or anyone else, could give some advice/input.</p>
<p>I wouldn't worry about it too much; 15k/16k semifinalists go on to be finalists. Probably the only way you wouldn't get finalist is if either you didn't do it or you did an extraordinarily terrible job of it.</p>
<p>Thanks for the responses.</p>
<p>Does the essay make a difference after you become a finalist?</p>
<p>^ That's exactly my question...No one seems to know</p>
<p>essays won't matter much (as long as it's there) for making finalist. It's mostly grades and an SAT to match the PSAT.</p>
<p>when it comes to actually winning the money, however, it pretty much comes down to the essay.</p>
<p>My high school counselor read NM finalist applications to choose the the Merit designees. Depending on which state the finalist lives in, they have a 1/2 to 2/3 chance of getting cut. She said that since most applicants have great activities and leadership positions, the essay is what really separates the candidates from each other.</p>
<p>Thanks esquiar</p>
<p>I disagree that it actually comes down to the essay about winning the money. NM tries to spreadout the scholarship money so for those who qualify for corporate scholarship that's what they usually get. In NM the big scholarship is not the $2500 nor the corporate ones but the ones offered by some of the schools that recruit NMF heavily.</p>