<p>Hi there - I am a new member. I am a concerned parent. Our daughter scored 228 PSAT on her junior PSAT this year. She scored 2160 on the first sitting of the SAT. She did not prep for either test. I am not sure what is going on with her but she is not focusing on her academics this year like she needs to. Her rank right now is 11/376. Pretty good but most NMF at her school are 1st or 2nd. I think we are going to see a drop in her rank and GPA at the end of the school year. I know the application notes "significant" decline in academic performance. I am wondering if she stays in the top 10% if she will still be considered for finalist status. I really want her to look at some of the schools that give full tuition scholarships and I am a little worried she is putting this at risk with her lack of focus. Also - given her work ethic (relies heavily on things being easy) I am not sure I want her to even try for an Ivy or anything like that.</p>
<p>Rank doesn’t matter for making finalist. It is grades, GPA, SAT score, no major discipline problems, and getting the paper work done on time. Her SAT score is fine. You need to worry about low grades, more than 1 or 2 C’s, or a D could knock her out. Keep her on track to finish Jr. year strong. Senior year grades do not count for NMF. </p>
<p>Let her know you’re proud of her, but this too important to give up on. There are only 3 more months of school left. A B or 2 won’t hurt her. Let her know that; maybe it will relieve some of her pressures. Bribe her if you need to.</p>
<p>Yankee is right…rank doesn’t matter for NMF. As long as your D keeps good grades (As and Bs), then she should be fine. </p>
<p>However, where does your D want to go to college? Schools with very competitive admissions look very closely at junior year grades…and rank! And, if she’s a Texas kid, her ranking will be a concern for UT and TAMU admissions. </p>
<p>You need to find out where she wants to apply to determine if her current trent of letting grades slide a bit will undermine her college choices.</p>
<p>She will be fine! My S also scored a 228 PSAT, but did prep for SAT and got a 2300 1 sitting (think a prep for honors is worth it in the long run). His gpa is ok, and he is not even within top 10%, but HS doesn’t rank (3.8 gpa, with only A’s and B’s, no C’s ever). He made finalist, so your daughter should be fine.</p>