<p>i got a 238
is that an automatic finalist?
does that automatically mean i win a scholarship?</p>
<p>No, no score is an instant NMF, you’re going to be a NMSF but you’re going to need to take an SAT and get a similar (probably within 100 points) score in order to ascertain your PSAT score. You’ll be notified if you’re a finalist in your senior year.</p>
<p>i also got a 2380 on SAT for information’s sake</p>
<p>yup, you’re pretty much guaranteed to be a finalist. i would say you ARE guaranteed but i’m superstitious. </p>
<p>congratulations!!!</p>
<p>Remember, though, that being a Finalist and being an actual National Merit Scholar are two different things–and the competition for Scholar is insane, no matter what your score is. You’re more likely to get merit money through the college you end up attending (which in some cases is more than you’d get as an actual Scholar).</p>
<p>I’ve never really thought much about there being two different things at the end of the competition…National Merit Finalists and National Merit Scholars. I thought they were pretty much interchangeable terms. I think I’ve seen them worded different ways on colleges web sites that are giving scholarships for this status. I suppose you have to really see how they word it, instead of thinking scholars include all the finalists that are notified each February? Anybody have any insight on this?</p>
<p>^Right. For example, a college might renew a Scholar’s one-time $2500 award for four years, but also offer an annual $2000 award for Finalists. If a college’s website is unclear, you can always email the Financial Aid office.</p>
<p>You are more likely to get 2500 a year if one of your parents work for a corporation that is a national merit sponsor AND you have need…judged by the national merit corporation.</p>
<p>The big NMF money is usually coming from college scholarships. Many colleges recruit NMF’s with big merit scholarships. As a NMSF you will be hearing from most of them pretty soon.</p>
<p>The money isn’t nearly as important as the recognition though, it would still be amazing to be a finalist even without the scholarship. Might some more selective colleges turn applicants away if they weren’t at least commended?</p>
<p>Your SAT score is more important. It’s nice to be a Merit Scholar, but recall that this is primarily based on a single test you take as a junior.</p>
<p>Actually, to make NMF takes more than just a qualifying PSAT score and confirming SAT. You and your school also have to fill out the application and, most importantly, you have to have had “very high academic performance in all of grades 9 through 12”, as noted here:</p>
<p>[Requirements</a> for Becoming a Finalist](<a href=“http://www.nationalmerit.org/Merit_R&I_Leaflet.pdf]Requirements”>http://www.nationalmerit.org/Merit_R&I_Leaflet.pdf)</p>
<p>About 15,000 of the 16,000 semifinalists make NMF.</p>
<p>As for scholarships, about half the finalists end up with one. They are National Merit Scholars, while the others are “mere” National Merit Finalists (as noted earlier, still prestigious, but no $$). Of the scholarships, the most prestigious are the 2500 from NMSC itself and are for the finalists “judged to have the strongest combination of accomplishments, skills, and potential for college success.” These are a one-time $2500 awards which can be used at any college.</p>
<p>The other scholarships are from either colleges themselves - you normally have to name that school as your “first choice” (BTW, there is no second choice offered:)) - or from corporations which award scholarships to the children of their employees. These can actually be larger dollar amounts than the NMSC-sponsored ones.</p>