<p>Some kids seem to be reporting that they are not receiving the old-style NMSF packets, but instead are receiving a sheet of paper with log-on info.</p>
<p>Can someone spell out what they've been given and what students are supposed to do, since some kids are confused.</p>
<p>Does the student print out something from online, fill it out, and return it to their school or does a student just submit his part online?</p>
<p>We got ours today. Yes it was just a paper with login info on it. Kind of a let down as I thought the school might make a bigger deal out of it. Last year they had no NMSF and this year there are 3!</p>
<p>Anyway, you go online and fill out the info and submit it online also. You even have to print out the rules and instructions yourself! The paper they got was also just printed off the internet by the school. I know times are tight but really, this is a big deal. You should at least get a real letter signed by someone!</p>
<p>M2CK - Also confirming that my son received a logon sheet and will be doing the paperwork online. His school was nice enough to print off the rues and requirements and highlight a few of the more critical requirements, but no official packet.</p>
<p>Anyway, you go online and fill out the info and submit it online also.</p>
<p>This part concerns me. In the past, since kids had to turn in their packets to their schools, that action would prompt the school to do “their part” and adding to the the packet will now not happen and schools may forget to meet THEIR deadline.</p>
<p>People will have to be diligent to make sure that their schools do their part.</p>
<p>We are with Debbie except you don’t have to print out rules. You can look them up on line. Parental consent is also done on line. I thought I could spy on my D’s progress on the application but they closed my account as soon as I signed off.</p>
<p>M2CK - Kids may be able to follow School’s progress on line. It may actually be easier to check on school administrations.</p>
<p>As for spying…</p>
<p>Parents…please ask your child to let you see their forms before they submit them. </p>
<p>Two years ago, a friend’s son submitted a rather sarcastic essay about the meaningless of the PSAT test, etc…of course he didn’t make finalist (even tho he had a 240 and all the other right stuff). The rejection letter came with a sentence that his rude essay kept him from making finalist.</p>
<p>Obviously, most of your kids would never consider writing a rude essay, but they may accidentally not fill something out correctly or whatever. So, please ask them to let you review. </p>
<p>Schools are probably going to be annoyed that they can’t review, either.</p>
<p>Yeah, you don’t HAVE to print out the rules but I’m OCD about needing a hard copy of things!
I just hope less experienced parents read the rules because our school didn’t tell the kids anything at all. If you didn’t know to send the SAT score report, you would mess up badly. D and I did the app together. We are nervous about selecting our first choice school because we are trying to leverage a full ride offer into a matching offer at another school. If she ends up at Alabama (financial safety, great school but FAR) I want her to get the laptop…sounds a little greedy, I guess.</p>
<p>According to my son, he only got a sheet of paper with login info. And, in typical fashion, he cannot find it. It probably ended up in the same place as his physics homework.</p>
<p>
You can remain undecided about first choice until April.</p>
<p>[Carleton</a> College: Admissions: Tips for National Merit Scholars](<a href=“http://apps.carleton.edu/admissions/afford/national_merit_tips/]Carleton”>http://apps.carleton.edu/admissions/afford/national_merit_tips/)</p>
<p>And just FYI, here’s a link to a CC thread about naming first choice school that I bookmarked last spring - I think it’s worth a read.</p>
<p><a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/national-merit-scholarships/1103731-how-choose-your-first-choice-college-national-merit-purposes.html[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/national-merit-scholarships/1103731-how-choose-your-first-choice-college-national-merit-purposes.html</a></p>
<p>You can remain undecided about first choice until April.</p>
<p>Not true…</p>
<p>some schools have competitive NMF awards and they want to see that you’ve selected them early…otherwise you won’t be considered for a competitive award.</p>
<p>Thank you all! I have weighed the options with D and we decided what to do for now. We will pick our real first choice and change later if necessary. I sound too involved, I think but D and I are working to navigate this together. It is complicated.</p>
<p>I don’t see any way to check online to see if the school has submitted their part, so I guess we have to follow up with the GC to make sure.</p>
<p>I sound too involved, I think but D and I are working to navigate this together. It is complicated.</p>
<p>Don’t worry about that. Those with involved parents are less likely to miss important deadlines for admissions, scholarships, honors, etc. Sometimes helicoptering is really needed. Senior year is busy enough!!!</p>
<p>*
I don’t see any way to check online to see if the school has submitted their part, so I guess we have to follow up with the GC to make sure. *</p>
<p>Hopefully, at some point, someone will post what the schools’ deadline for submission of their part is. Then people will know when to “politely remind” their schools… </p>
<p>We sent an email to the GC around mid-October and asked for her to let us know when the paperwork was submitted. She did. It was a relief.</p>
<p>What is the student deadline? I imagine the school’s deadline is a couple weeks after that…hopefully someone will know.</p>
<p>October 12th!</p>
<p>@Debbie - UA no longer gives the free laptop… but they give something :-)</p>
<p>^^^For the Class that will be entering in Fall of 2012, it’s now an iPad.</p>
<p>UA no longer gives the free laptop.</p>
<p>Right…</p>
<p>Bama now is giving an IPad…I’m assuming it will be whatever the latest and upper model is. </p>
<p>I think too many kids already had laptops or preferred picking out their own.</p>
<p>oops…missed RobD’s post.</p>