<p>Hi, My S just got his packet yesterday and the administrators want it back tomorrow, and he has no essay yet! His grades have been very good, but could a poor-ish essay get him dropped from finalist consideration?
Maybe he can turn his packet in on Monday to get him a little time to write and revise.</p>
<p>Anyone have experience with this? Thanks very much.</p>
<p>You'll want to make sure the essay is good, but not necessarily amazing. 15 out of every 16 semi-finalists make the cut so I don't think the essay is that big of a deal if his GPA and SAT are up high. Then again, everything is less stressful once it's over and done with. I am not a strong writer but it all turned out well for me. Congrats to your son and don't worry too much! :)</p>
<p>Of the 16,000 semi-finalists, about 15,000 become finalists. The most common reasons for not making finalist are:</p>
<ul>
<li>SAT score didn't correlate w/ PSAT score, indicating one hit wonder,</li>
<li>Poor grades, indicating candidate is a slacker,</li>
<li>Didn't complete finalist application.</li>
</ul>
<p>Those three reasons probably account for most of the 1,000 or so who don't move on, which leads me to conclude that the essays eliminate very few candidates.</p>
<p>The essay topic is very straightforward. I think they are just looking for a snapshot of activities and accomplishments, as opposed to a college application "personal statement in your voice" type of essay.</p>
<p>Good luck to your son. I think he'll be fine.</p>
<p>Thanks for all the information. I will make sure he gets everything in on time, and I think his English teacher would be willing to proofread his essay, so that should help.
Thanks again, and good luck to the other students facing this process!</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 who can actually get money. 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>