<p>Am I correct in that the boarding school cutoff for NMSF in the past has been 223?
Thanks in advance!</p>
<p>(You’ll need to scroll down.)</p>
<p>[National</a> Merit Scholarships](<a href=“http://www.collegeplanningsimplified.com/NationalMerit.html]National”>http://www.collegeplanningsimplified.com/NationalMerit.html)</p>
<p>thank you…interesting how the last 2 years the BS cutoff has been 223 but the year before that it was 221 and it appears that years before that there was no separate category for boarding schools?</p>
<p>Not sure, but it’s not an official PSAT site, so it’s possible that they just didn’t report that particular cut-off? </p>
<p>I gather that the cut-off varies every year because it is determined by the top 3% (?) of each subgroup–and that group, obviously, will vary.</p>
<p>My kid says most kids at Exeter just shrug the National Merit thing off because the chance of making semi-finalist is so unlikely, given how much higher the scores are for NE boarding schools. 223 must be a nearly perfect PSAT, judging by the points my kid lost for wrong answers. Still, a nice honor if you get it!</p>
<p>The semi-finalist cut-off is kind of silly.</p>
<p>Your score is your score. If you get a 220 and fail to make a semi-finalist…is that less impressive than someone from, say, Arkansas, who gets a 206 and gets to claim s/he is a semi-finalist? The score will either be impressive or irrelevant to a college admission office. There’s no real reporting pressure – as there is with SAT or ACT scores – to load up on semi-finalists in a matriculating class. If your kid doesn’t make the cut at 223 because of a 222 or a 221, just report the score (although, frankly, the SAT- or ACT-equivalent that the student will likely be sporting will do just fine on the application).</p>
<p>The cut-off can be a good thing in a state (or the boarding school “region”) with a high-end semi-finalist cut-off if you just mention that you received the commendation when you are NOT close to being a semi-finalist in the region. For example, if you received a 208 as a boarding school student, saying you’re a commendation recipient indicates a high score that (by the omission of the semi-finalist award) suggests that it was below the cut-off. How far below is not disclosed – but admissions officers will know that the cut-off is high for your region, so they’ll understand that your PSAT score will be in a range of decent (which is what a commendation score is) to excellent (which is what a score just barely missing the cut-off is in your region). Again, I’m not sure it would be worth the trouble to do that since this all means very little in the face of SAT and ACT score data.</p>
<p>What is the benefit of being a semi-finalist if you do make the cutoff? possible scholarships? From the little reading I’ve done it looks like you have to “prove” your PSATs with good SAT results anyway…and do bs kids ever get really good (like 1/2 or full ride) scholarships from this program or is it usually a $2500 award?</p>
<p>I’ve heard there are some schools that will offer scholarships/merit aid to national merit finalists and, perhaps, semi-finalists. Otherwise, though, it’s just another award to add to a list of accomplishments. As my kid points out, the finalist prize doesn’t really seem worth the effort–it requires more testing and and essay for a chance at being chosen. It’s great for homeschoolers and other students who need more external validation of their ability; I think the average student at bs is better off putting time into classes, sports, ec’s, studying for the SAT, etc. That said, I like D’yer Maker’s method of gaming the system.</p>
<p>Virtually all semi-finalists end up as finalists. Yes there is an essay to write, and the SATs to take, but most are taking SATs anyway and just use their common app essay. Some employers and local scholarship funds offer awards of a few thousand, but I don’t think that is very common. There is a huge benefit at some schools (eg Alabama) that waive tuition for NMFs. For most selective schools it is of little benefit in terms of scholarship dollars.</p>
<p>I found a document on line that clarifies this further:</p>
<p><a href=“http://www.nationalmerit.org/12_MeritSemi.pdf[/url]”>http://www.nationalmerit.org/12_MeritSemi.pdf</a></p>
<p>As 1012 mom states, nearly all students advance to finalist standing, but only half are awarded scholarship money, and a fraction of that offered the $2500 finalist prize, which is what my post was referring to. </p>
<p>It does look, though, like the hoops to jump through aren’t as difficult as I had thought. Still, given the high cut-off scores, it still seems like something worth trying for (good prep for the SAT if nothing else) but not worth too much angst.</p>
<p>Here’s some good advice from Burb Parent on the National Merit Scholarship process for boarding school students:</p>
<p><a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/12619528-post14.html[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/12619528-post14.html</a></p>
<p>And I definitely agree about the 2 colleges letter. Use it for colleges that track interest. In my son’s case, he used it for two colleges that do that and where he knew he would not eventually be able to get there for an interview. Showing them that you think highly of them during your junior year probably counts for something.</p>
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<p>I agree. </p>
<p>I think it’s normal, in this environment, for college bound students and parents to focus on a numerical score but honestly - it may no longer be as significant (for our kids) than other aspects of an application. The exception, of course, are those colleges used to seeing lower scores in their overall application pile. In which case a high but non qualifying PSAT may jump out at them. But if that’s the case - wouldn’t the subsequent SAT or ACT scores do the same? </p>
<p>State averages for NM are much lower than what our children need to reach because of their BS status. But in exchange they are - in most cases - getting a better, and perhaps broader, educational experience. I think colleges will recognize that.</p>
<p>Hey, what did sophmores get on the PSAT this year? The critical reading was hard with a harsh curve!</p>
<p>I guess it’s typical for a test like this. This year, if you get every question right except one wrong in the writing section, your score would be 235. If this is SAT, that’s like 50 points off for one wrong answer!</p>