<p>Okay, so I took my PSATs last year and got notified in the spring that I was recognized as a top scorer. Cool. So I sent my recommendations, and September rolled around and I didn't hear anything. So I just assumed that I hadn't made the SF cut and kind of forgot about it. (I took my SATs in June, my scores weren't what I expected, I figured that was why. I didn't know much about the National Merit program.) Then all of a sudden a couple schools started sending me emails and letters congratulating me on being a NMSF. And I was suspicious so I started researching and now I'm really confused.</p>
<p>So here are my basic questions:</p>
<p>1) Does everyone who gets recognized as a high scorer get at least a Letter of Commendation? And get notified of it? Because I literally haven't heard a thing other than what those couple schools sent me. It's like I never took them.
2) Do SAT scores factor into someone being chosen as a NMSF at all?
3) It's too late to do anything about it now anyway, isn't it? The deadline was a few weeks ago if I'm reading right.</p>
<p>So I really have no idea what's going on. Is there something that I had to do to qualify to be a SF and didn't?? Help, please?!? I scored a 216 in PA.</p>
<p>Yikes. Looks like (from the list posted here by others who have received word) that a 215 or higher qualifies a student from PA. Sounds like your school might have dropped the ball…the letter comes to them, and they are to get it to you. Yes, the deadline was technically earlier this month, but it’s worth trying to see what you can do, if anything.</p>
<p>First of all, IMMEDIATELY, go directly to guidance or the principal’s office or the secretary and ask if anyone received anything from National Merit for you. (Did you move or change schools between last year and this year?) Second, call the National Merit folks RIGHT AWAY. (847) 866-5100 They can let you know what’s going on from their end, and you can let them know what your school said. Stuff does get lost in the mail/electronic world.</p>
<p>SAT scores do matter, but the deal is that you need to have a score that “confirms” your PSAT scores – generally anything around a 2000 is usually fine. However, National Merit has no way of knowing what the scores are if you didn’t send them. Do that as soon as you get done talking with your school and the National Merit folks.</p>
<p>I don’t know if they’ll be able to extend the deadlines for you…but I would stress (sincerely and politely and maturely!) the fact that your school didn’t get the information to you. I do know that they provide a little “wiggle room” for deadlines for situations where things get a little screwy.</p>
<p>If they do grant you the extension, be prepared to work FAST – there’s a (short, not terribly difficult) student essay for you, a parent permission that your parents must complete, and some work from your school – if they haven’t had a student in the NM competition before, they may not realize their part. It can be turned around quickly, but will take some attention.</p>
<p>Good luck in the process! Let us know what the results of your investigation are.</p>
<p>My student’s guidance counselor has been given until November 1st to have everything submitted (he phoned and asked for an extension). You will need to get an identification number so that you can access your online application, which my student received from her school. Good luck!</p>
<p>You need to sign up for the Nov or Dec SAT so that you’ll have that score to send in. You took the SAT earlier, which is fine, but you said that you didn’t do well. How did you do.</p>
<p>Also, you need to send your SAT scores to NMCorp…code 0085</p>
<p>So we called the National Merit people and I talked to my guidance counselor. I am a semifinalist and they gave me an extension to October 31st. Yay!</p>
<p>I retook my SATs in October and got a 2170. Should that be good enough?</p>
<p>(Also, thank you all for your help. It was very informative and easy to understand. I really appreciate it.)</p>
<p>Hooray!!! Congratulations!! And way to go getting the confirmation and extension. Now…MAKE SURE that your school understands (and does!) their part. If that means you or a parent camping out in the appropriate school official’s office (yes, I did that for my d in 2011…my radar for schools dropping the ball is pretty high…and btw, my d is a very happy NM Scholar in her sophomore year of college). Your SAT scores are fine for National Merit…make sure you officially send them thru College Board to the National Merit folks. Now…have you checked the list of schools that offer awards to NMF? Look on page 17 or so: <a href=“http://www.nationalmerit.org/student_guide.pdf[/url]”>http://www.nationalmerit.org/student_guide.pdf</a> Any of these on your list of schools? If so, check carefully – some have guaranteed awards, some are competitive. Then look at the corporate scholarships – have a parent working for any of these? If so, study that option. </p>
<p>A National Merit Scholarship can range from a “full ride” from a college – which is where the college chooses to supplement the “official” (small) National Merit-sponsored award with more $$$s of their own, to a smaller award from college or corporate sponsors, to the 1-time NM award of $2500 (and NO ONE knows the magic as to who gets those and who doesn’t) to zero dollars. In fact, about half of the NM Finalists do not receive any sort of scholarship linked to National Merit at all. They are often competitive for other awards, if they choose a school that doesn’t participate, and you will always be able to list your National Merit status on a resume, regardless of whether you become a “Scholar” (i.e. "somebody who got official money pegged to NM) or not. </p>
<p>Again, WHOO HOO!!! You should be proud of yourself on so many levels. Now, knock out that essay, get the parent permission “signed”…and be sure your school does what needs to be done…</p>
<p>Ooopsss…congrats to last year’s PA kids…a mis-type. You can probably Google your h.s. or check the archives of your local paper…they often do the press releases school by school in September. And hey, hoorary for the Class of 2012…and also to you in '13!</p>
<p>Our school just recently posted the names of the 23 Seniors who made NMSF (of a class of 439 in NJ), but the title of the release was “23 Seniors Named as National Merit Scholars”. At first glance, I was all excited, thinking my son had made it to the Scholar level (the top 8,400 of the 15,000 finalists) then I realized that it is WAY to early to know that! So it is really just a list of Semi-finalists… Not to downgrade by saying “only”, I was just really excited for a few minutes there! </p>
<p>Reciprocity48 - I’m so glad you were able to work it out!! Good luck in the process!!</p>
Good job!</p>