<p>I got a letter that says I am among the 50,000 nation merit scholars. With an index score of 211 I will probably only be a commended memeber. Semi finalist is usually at least 215. Anyways, if I project a SAT score of about 2150-2200, will sending the PSAT scores help or hurt me? The letter gave me a password and login name and said that I had the option to send my scores to two colleges.</p>
<p>I got 212 last year, and was a Commended Student also. However, I don’t remember having the option to send in my score. If I were you, I’d go ahead and send it. How could it hurt? Those colleges will know you’re interested and that you’re a high-achieving student.</p>
<p>@88Beast, when did you get this letter?</p>
<p>You will not send your PSAT score to schools. However, you can mention in your application that you are NM commended. And the cutoff score for being a semi-finalist varies by state. </p>
<p>The 2 college thing doesn’t really send your scores. It just lets those 2 schools know that you are interested in them and that you are a at least a commended scholar. It will not make a difference in the final admissions picture but it does show interest. If you are planning on selecting 2 Ivy caliber schools, it will make no difference whatsoever.</p>
<p>What state are you in?</p>
<p>If you turn out to be a Commended scholar, it’s just a little award to put on your application. It’s not very impressive but it’s certainly better than NOT being commended.</p>
<p>Shennie’s advice for sending is spot on- sending the scores won’t help in any way other than showing interest. Interest is a good thing to show at mid level schools, though the top tier schools won’t even notice.</p>
<p>Don’t limit yourself to a 2200 on the SAT just because your PSAT score. Personally I’ve found that every SAT test is so different that you can’t make perfect comparisons. You might get tripped up by 3-4 math questions on one exam and know them all on the next SAT; same goes for vocabulary, tough grammar questions, etc. Personally I scored a 207 on the PSAT, a 2070 on my first SAT (perfect prediction), but then a 2270 on on my second try at the SAT.</p>
<p>like shennie said: send the scores only to colleges that track demonstrated interest. Emory tracks interest, for example. The Ivies won’t care.</p>
<p>The letter was sent April 12. IT says “Dear Student: Your selection Index score on the …places you among the shoghest scoreing 50K…We are now offering you, and all others in theis group, the opportunity to be referred to two colleges or universities of your choice by the College Plans Reporting Service (CPRS)…CPRS will provide your name, home address, highschool name and address, 2010 PSAT/NMSQT scores, and the tenative college major and career choice…response deadline is may 25” So it does send scores. I am in PA. and the schools that I am interested in do include ivy’s. but i can’t hurt?</p>
<p>I am interested in</p>
<p>U of Washington-- seattle
Carnegi Mellon
Johns Hopkins
University of Chicago
Penn
Cornell
MIT</p>
<p>The purpose of sending the scores is just so the colleges can start flooding you with mail, basically. It can’t hurt to send the scores anywhere. Just know that it’s not going to help at all. </p>
<p>All sending your scores can do to your profile is show that you are interested. Though many schools (on your list: U Washington, JHU, maybe CMU) like to see interest, top tier schools don’t really care at all, because everyone who applies to a UChicago, Penn, Cornell, or MIT is interested, whether or not they’ve shown it.</p>
<p>Are you a junior getting this letter? To the OP or anyone else who would know, should we be getting letters about this soon? I got a 229 so I was expecting to be at least a semi-finalist, but it’s making me a little nervous that I haven’t heard anything…</p>
<p>Yeah you may want to send it to your safety schools or match schools. This way by showing interest you are affecting your application next fall (unlike ivies) and it may guarantee you some scholarship money. Congratulations by the way.</p>
<p>smwhtslghtlydzed: You will at least get commended, so by not having received the letter (I haven’t yet either) it just means… well, it hasn’t gotten to you. Wait patiently and check your mail :)</p>
<p>yes smwhtslghtlydzed, whose screename is obnoxious and looks like a hidden message with all the vowels dropped except the letter “e”, I am a junior. Wow 229, defninitly expect a semi-finalist at least! Actually the letter I got didn’t tell me whether I am commended or other (it is just obvious that I am not more than that). You will officially find out in September if you are a junior like me.</p>
<p>You’ll 100% sure be a semi-finalist with a 229. The letters don’t come out until a few weeks into your Senior year.</p>
<p>I got this letter this afternoon from my counselor. Thanks for the insight; I almost wanted to pick my TOP TOP colleges that I wasn’t even sure that I was applying to because I’m so insecure about them (Harvard and Brown). I think that I’m going to send them to University of Maryland and Hopkins instead… Does anyone have any other opinion about what schools out of these I should send the scores to?</p>
<p>Reach:</p>
<ol>
<li>Harvard </li>
<li>Brown </li>
<li>Johns Hopkins U </li>
<li>Washington U St. Louis </li>
</ol>
<p>Match:</p>
<ol>
<li>University of Maryland</li>
<li>George Washington University </li>
<li>UNC Chapell Hill</li>
</ol>
<p>Safety:</p>
<ol>
<li>University of Mass. Amherst </li>
<li>University of Alabama </li>
</ol>
<p>P.S. I am a 2150/3.9 student and will have completed 10 AP courses. I want to go into Pre-Med. I should probably be doing this on a separate thread, but it would be awesome if you guys could tell me if my list is a little off (for example, I was very hesitant to put UNC Chapel Hill as a match school, but my counselor insisted it was a match and not a reach. The same with University of Mass. Amherst [ I thought it was a match, not a safety]) Please inform me if there are any other schools out there that might be good for me as well! Thanks :)</p>
<p>@88beast, i can’t tell if you’re joking or are actually confused/annoyed by my username…just to defend myself quickly, by dropping the vowels i was trying to get around the character limit, and it just refers to an early bowie song :)</p>
<p>and to everyone who responded, thanks for letting me know- it’s a huge relief!</p>
<p>DS2 had this last year. He notified his two top schools. The Ivy couldn’t have cared less, but the other (a top 35 university) definitely took notice. He was called for an interview before he had even submitted his application and got into the big merit scholarship pool. He also got an acceptance letter from that school about 6 weeks before official notification. So it’s worth it if there’s a safety/match you like a lot.</p>
<p>When and where did you guys get this letter? I haven’t received one yet with a 214</p>
<p>So say if I was a commended scholar…should I send my top two choices letters?</p>
<ol>
<li>University of Southern California</li>
<li>University of California Los Angeles</li>
</ol>