Oh, @DiotimaDM, you might have given me the justification I was looking for! “So, uh, NMSC, I just wanted to confirm that you did receive my S’s June SAT score report and matched it to his file, which of course already exists…”
@traveler98 I haven’t felt the need, but only because I communicated with our HS counselor when NMSC sent the list to the school back in the spring of students who were moving on in the competition (at least commended). If you know this wouldn’t you know he was good to go?
@LOUKYDAD, S’s school doesn’t inform the students until the actual NMSF notice arrives in the fall. I could probably have asked the GC but was trying to play it cool.
But I may or may not have just called NMSC, ahem, just to check that they were able to match up the SAT to his file…
You guys will all have plenty of opportunity to contact NMSC once September starts (I post from experience LOL). Check for for exact September press release date - if not posted somewhere on their website, call and ask for it. They really can’t answer anything too specific till then. Once that date is past, call them and get confirmation on your child - do they have the SAT score? etc. What will the minimum score be this year (it was in SI form last year so you can ask if that will be the case again and what will that # be). Once your student gets the login materials from his/her high school they’ll be able to access the portal and complete their online application and essay (VERY IMPORTANT - make sure the essay fits in the box provided. If it’s longer, it may cut off). Check the PDF sample of everything before you submit. You will be able to check the portal to see when the school submits their portion as well (transcripts, recommendation, etc.). Once the school submits everything and it appears that the application should be complete, call them one more time to get verbal confirmation of that.
They are very gracious and helpful on the phone. They will verify that you are “authorized” to call (i.e. you are the student or a parent) so will ask for some identifying info. like an address or perhaps your child’s NM ID # when that becomes available.
Last year I prefaced everything with “I’m a nervous parent and I just have a couple of questions . . .”. Hopefully they didn’t ID me when I said that! (if they did they pretended not to 
)
Good luck to everyone!
@JBStillFlying, do you remember what the essay prompt was and how long it had to be? And do you know if it changes much from year to year?
Last year, the NMSF were released on Sept. 14th!
Last year’s NMF essay was the following:
“To help the reviewers get to know you, describe an experience you have had, a person who has influenced you, or an obstacle you have overcome. Explain why this is meaningful to you. Use your own words and limit your response to the space below.”
Sorry there is no word count! I recall that hers looked to be about the same approximate length as the Common Ap. essay so hopefully that provides a decent guideline. You can also play a bit with fonts or paragraph spacing, most likely. Just make sure it fits in the space below - if it doesn’t you seriously risk having something cut off. That might not eliminate you from finalist but you don’t want to take the chance and I understand that they look at essays more closely for scholarship consideration. You want everything to read perfectly, of course (and there might be mega bucks riding on Finalist status depending on where you are applying 
).
While I have no idea how often the essay prompt changes, I think this one has been around for a year or two at least.
Thank you!
@Winky1, the NMSC press releases happen in mid-September but the schools know at least two weeks before that. The state cutoffs will be unofficially aggregated in lots of places including here on CC well before September 14. Some schools wait to officially notify semifinalists until the press release day, but many notify almost as soon as they get the info.
Yes we typically have many. It’s a city school for the gifted so at least 10 or so a year. I did mention I wasn’t sure if she was either or. She is definitely at least commended. Maybe that’s is why he responded that way. Would be nice to know so she can include it in apps. Is 211 definitely the number for commended? Then is it appropriate to claim on apps submitted prior to official notice?
Oh thanks all! After post above…I went back and read all the responses. Came back to edit I’ll make the call and that should be in plenty of time
@Veryapparent, if your D is close to your state’s 2017 NMSF cutoff she should probably hold off on submitting applications except for schools where it will not make a difference. For instance if she’s applying to Alabama, UNM, UTD, or other schools with automatic NMF scholarships and primary focus on GPA, SAT, and class rank for admissions, it doesn’t matter if she knows her NM status before applying. Or if she’s auto-admit or assured admit (like the Texas public auto-admit program), NM status has no impact on admissions. Waiting until mid-September to submit won’t hurt her for holistic admissions colleges, and if she is NMSF it could help her to be able to add that to the applications.
Waiting for NMSF should not keep one from applying anywhere before mid-September. If you are 211 or higher you can specify that you are at least commended. You can also contact admissions or the NMF liaison as appropriate to get on their radar about the possibility that you might be NMSF. They can give you further directions (most likely to let them know when you’ve made it). When you are confirmed, shoot them off a follow-up e-mail. In other words, stay in touch and be the first source of information for them. That way you’ve established a relationship and a paper trail of correspondence.
Last year we informed the liaison at UMN as soon as my daughter was confirmed at her high school (about a week prior to the mid-Sept. “press release” from NMSC). She had already applied by that time and her transcripts had been sent around the same time. She was accepted in the earliest rounds and was included in the first round of scholarship notifications (including the $10,000 Gold Award). Would she have been included at some point anyway if she had waited? Maybe or most likely. But another poster whose NMF kid was accepted to UMN was waiting into the spring for a notification about any merit aid - no word from the university before then. Not sure what happened there or what the outcome was. You don’t want the chance of falling through the cracks. Apply early if such is allowed and encouraged - and contact those liaisons early on if you think you might be NMSF.
My kid (likely NMSF) just got a couple of fee waivers by e-mail. One was Tulane, which is an excellent school. Anyone else getting these? Tell your kids to watch for them.
FYI there is no application fee for anyone for Tulane. It’s marketing.
Agree about Tulane. Mine keeps getting a special email about applying mentioning “specials perks” which upon further inspection are perks for anyone applying.
My D is on the bubble. Let’s say she doesn’t make the cut to NMSF and instead is Commended. Does being Commended get you an admissions boost or anything? I’m thinking that if you don’t make the Semis, then the schools won’t really care what your PSAT score was and will only look at your SAT score. Am I right?
Commended is probably on par with the lower level AP Scholar awards. It’s still a national level recognition, but there are 34,000 Commended students so not likely much of a boost for most colleges. Assuming there’s room on the application though, I’d still list it.
Commended is certainly worthy of noting on one’s application as are the “lower level” AP Scholar awards.
Its true yes but in some states where the cut off is high the difference is pretty slim. I think college admins know this. Mine is likely commended but went on to near perfect SATs. In most states she would clearly be a NMSF. The likely commended status really pushed her into high gear so I can’t complain.
Thanks!