<p>Does it matter what you put for first-college choice? I heard that certain schools will give you aid only if they are listed as your first choice. Can somebody clarify this? In particular, I am wondering how aid works at top Ivy-league-level schools, if it does at all.</p>
<p>Also, what does the national merit scholarship look at to determine finalist status? I have a 240 PSAT and a 2400 SAT, as well as a 4.0 unweighted GPA, so is that everything they look at? (Plus the information/essay on the application, of course.)</p>
<p>Thanks!</p>
<p>While it is true that some schools will give aid only if you list them as first choice, you have several months in which to do that. In many cases, the date is something like April 27, 2011 (but check the schools in which you’re interested to confirm.) Also, if you put one college now, you can change it later.</p>
<p>I advised my daughter to put undecided on her application. </p>
<p>Schools at the very top are less likely to give NM scholarships than others. The best resource for information about NM scholarshps is a thread originated by Keilexandra in the National Merit section of CC.</p>
<p>The ivies don’t give NMF scholarships so don’t bother putting them down.</p>
<p>You don’t have to decide a first choice now. However, some schools require you to name them by a certain date (usually some time after Jan 1st), so check your schools for any deadlines.</p>
<p>The schools that award scholarships for every NMF, probably don’t require you to name them very early.</p>