Hello everyone. I am likely a semifinalist with my index but I am a bit worried about my chances at finalist because of my grades. As a junior, I currently have 12 A’s 3 B’s and 1 C. Will these grades hinder/ prevent me from becoming a national merit finalist?
Hey, I’m also a senior NMSF waiting on the finalist decisions :). I honestly don’t think that you will be excluded from finalist status just because of one C. B’s are acceptable and not glaring red signs, and one C will not be a major issue. I think to exclude 1000 people from the process to become finalist, the committee really looks at people who have a lot of C’s or D’s, almost no extracurricular engagement, or poor disciplinary records. As long as you depicted on your application that you are engaged and intelligent, you will be fine. Good luck!
Hello! Thanks for replying, hopfullly you’re right. Good luck to you in the coming weeks as you find out if you made it or not.
@HSstudent12333 we only have anecdotal evidence to go by on this forum, but many people have reported that one C does not stop you from getting NMF. But does it take 2 C’s, 3? Who knows.
My NMSF son is having a rough fall semester and I called NMSC last week in a panic. What I learned that may be relevant to your question, OP, is that yes a C may cause them committee to take a closer look, but they will look at your overall record and rigor as well as the rest of the application. She said most kids who don’t advance have serious issues with their academic record, disciplinary issues, never applied or clearly didn’t want to apply (e.g. an essay that states they’re being forced against their will to apply). And if for some reason you are notified in January that you did not advance, you can call them and appeal and they will listen. I bet you’ll be fine, and good luck!
About 90% of NMSF advance to NMF, BTW, so the number who do not advance is not very high.
For those that don’t advance, Ole Miss has a full tuition plus scholarship for semifinalists.
Good to remember - most colleges with good merit money have about 50% off for NMSFs, and reserve the full ride/full tuition scholarships for NMFs.