<p>Okay; I would like to hear the cold, hard facts. Is National Merit Semifinalist a big deal? I know I scored over a 200, but I think I fell 2-3 points below National Merit Semifinalist cutoff for Texas.</p>
<p>Is National Merit Semifinalist a deciding factor in college admissions? If I have a high GPA, I am ranked 1st in my class, I score (prospectively) 2200-2300 on my SAT, have a bunch of very quality ECs; is it still a significant thing?</p>
<p>I really request whoever gives input not to be passive. I would really appreciate sound advice that takes into serious account the potential significance of this status.</p>
<p>P.S. Is it better to take both SAT and ACT, or just submit your better (proportionally) of the two scores?</p>
<p>National merit doesn’t really mean anything except scholarships. Colleges already have the SAT/ACT to measure that stuff. If you did poorly don’t worry about it in terms of college admissions.</p>
<p>Some people find one test easier than the other; take a practice test and see which one you like better.</p>
<p>1) NMSF is a big thing. It’s nice to have this recognition. It is related to other scores within your state. Look for NM site to see if you made it. Did you get a letter? If not, you might be “commended”.
2) NMSF is only one factor in the college decision, and this also depends on the colleges. It is important for scholarship $$$.
3) SAT v. ACT: take them both, then decide. Some schools allow you to forego SAT IIs if you took the ACT.</p>
<p>Being a National Merit Semifinalist is only a big deal to the extent that it qualifies you for National Merit Scholarships (and only half of the semifinalists will actually get a NM scholarship). The NM scholarships given out directly by NMSC are relatively small (a one-time $2500 payment). And if you don’t qualify for a NM scholarship sponsored by a corporation (which are usually restricted to children of employees of that company) or if you aren’t interested in attending one of the specific colleges that sponsors NM scholarships, then those wouldn’t even apply to you anyway.</p>
<p>I can’t imagine that being a NM Semifinalist would ever be a “deciding factor” in college admissions. After all, it represents a student’s performance on one 3-hour test taken on a particular day. Colleges are going to put the emphasis on the GPA, class rank, rigor of high school classes, etc. as those present a 4-year track record that is far more indicative of a student’s true academic accomplishments.</p>
<p>That being said, “National Merit Semifinalist” is a nice addition to your resume, since it does indicate a test score in roughly the top 1-2%. But with the other stats you cited (valedictorian, high GPA, high SAT scores, quality ECs), the absence of that NM semifinalist designation would not be noticed.</p>
<p>One final point: The more selective the college, the less it matters. Harvard could care less if you’re a NM semifinalist; they reject hundreds of them every year.</p>