<p>Hey everybody. I wasn't sure where this thread would go so I just stuck it here!</p>
<p>It seems like many people are receiving those National Merit letters that say you're in the top 50,000 scores of people who took the PSAT.</p>
<p>Just wondering -- is sending your scores to the universities like they offer worth it? It seems to me that with 50,000 students to each send their scores to two colleges, many colleges would be swamped and wouldn't be able to look very closely at them.</p>
<p>If you do send your scores, what do the colleges do? And is it smarter to send the scores to reach schools (which probably receive many of these scores; i.e. you're a small fish in a big sea) or to a 50-50/safety school where they might give you more attention and be more impressed by your scores?</p>
<p>I would send them to schools where "demonstrated interest" might make a difference. In other words, not the Ivys or other very competitive schools.
It may not make a difference anyway, but what do you have to lose except a 37cent stamp?</p>
<p>I've always believed the best stategy would be to send the scores to schools where those scores could give you consideration,that is,schools with merit aid where PSAT or SAT scores are part of the criteria.
An example would be University of Florida, which awards scholarships to National Merit Finalists. A waste of time would be Harvard, which doesn't.</p>
<p>Thanks for the help. Is there a list of schools who give a lot of money for National Merit out there? How would I find out whether or not a school gives scholarships to NMFs? I've tried looking on school websites and while some say so explicitly, many do not.</p>