I think the best thing is to contact each school and get a hard deadline. That way there is no confusion.
D17 would be named a finalist around the same time as the UChicago ED II decision comes out. Fortunately, Deferral is not an option and they tend not to accept many off the waitlist. So unless it’s an Accept, she can comfortably remove that school from her list. She will then contact each remaining school that is a college sponsor (UMN, UW-Madison, NU) and get exact details about what they can offer her and when she would need to notify NMSC. This can be done before 3/1. However, she may still remain undecided until she hears back from CMU in late March. They don’t give anything for National Merit so she would want to be eligible at least for the single-time scholarship
Ok, thank you for all the information! I guess it will be best for me to contact the schools and figure everything out from there… I also understand the the $2500 from NMSC will be lost after switching, but could there be a chance of still receiving the college sponsored awards like USC’s half-tuition scholarship?
HELP PLEASE I have two C’s on my transcript, one in AP Calc AB and one in AP Calc BC. I still have a 3.78 unweighted GPA and a 4.21 weighted. I’ve taken 9 AP classes 9-11th grade and another two this year. I also got a 2160 on the SAT (1500). With the C’s on the transcript it sounds like I don’t have a shot? Do you guys think that’s the case, I haven’t gotten a letter yet thank goodness.
@niki08, unfortunately, all anyone can help you with on that issue is to lend support! If you don’t receive a letter by end of January (coming up quick) then you are probably safe. What state are you in, by the way?
@Katze2964 most are really looking at the college-sponsored scholarships just because they come with all those goodies like half-tuition and so forth. It might be worth just listing a sponsor-college right away to be assured of that, even if there is a possibility you’ll be attending somewhere else. For those who are sure they won’t be attending one of the college sponsors, however, and especially if they are waiting on RD, they may not specify anything till the end of March. Sounds like it’s a bit easier to go “undecided” for a bit rather than change your college and risk voiding all your chances.
@JBStillFlying thank you! I was just wondering if anyone knew anyone with C’s advancing mostly. Also I live in Oregon so I (desperately want to) assume that if the rejection letters were sent out on the 17th, they would have reached me twelve days later
Yeah, I’d think so too! If you read through this thread you’ll find a compatriot or two, though they are in a different state. There have been two(?) confirmed reports so far on this thread of a couple or few C’s keeping someone from advancing. But it’s by no means consistent because there are one or two others in your situation who are nervously waiting for their letters (yet nothing to date).
Yeah, 2 semester C’s here from freshman year (Algebra II and Spanish). In Houston. No letter. I think @curiouscat319 is in a similar boat in Florida. Haven’t seen any report of a letter there either.
Yeah I got 3 C+'s and lots of B’s, no letter yet. I just remembered I also never received a package that was supposed to be delivered to me in December from Anker and my address was correctly listed there. I’m really worrying my postal office delivered to the wrong area since it has happened few times in the past.
I know it’s been said before, but only 6% of semifinalists don’t make it. I am certain a LOT more than 6% have some C’s and C+'s. That 6% (only 1000 people) includes everyone who didn’t complete the application, who did not achieve a confirmatory SAT score, who had a worrisome disciplinary record, who received a poor recommendation, who failed classes, or who wrote a cheeky essay. That leaves very few people who don’t progress due to merely middling grades, and there one wonders about course rigor, class rank or other variables that might give the committee pause. Of course, they have to be stricter in years where there are too many semifinalists period including too many highly qualified semifinalists.
I also think they want to protect themselves from charges of unfairness, and want to BE fair. It would be pretty unfair to eliminate someone with all A+‘s and one C at a rigorous school with amazing extracurriculars, but to allow in a straight-B student with an easy curriculum and no extracurriculars.
@MatzoBall that definitely helps thank you, hoping the nine APs from 9-11th grade help, also would it be wishful thinking to assume that by now if I was to have gotten a letter it would have arrived?
I also don’t think they sit down and say, “Okay, let’s eliminate 1,000 people.” I think they name about 16,000 semifinalists because they want about 15,000 finalists and know a priori that about 1,000 won’t be advanceable.
@MatzoBall My school doesn’t rank and my course load is pretty average if I say so. Since 9th grade I’ve taken all honors classes and 4 AP’s 9-11th grade. I’m taking 4 AP’s this year, but I don’t think they see that.
I hear you, @curiouscat319 . The rigor sounds strong, not average. I’m guessing you are a better student than you think you are, but can certainly understand why your grades have had you worried given reports from previous years of students seeming to be denied for a C or two. This may have been a more lenient year or there may be more to the denial stories than even the denied are aware of. Fingers tightly crossed for you and all the kids here.
Keep in mind that many schools ONLY put a YEAR END grade on the transcript, so a semester C+ for one semester and a B in the other semester could mean a B- year end grade.
Since many never see their actual transcript, many here may not know how their school reports…
