@JBStillFlying For the application, there was no place to enter our senior year courseload. The schools could’ve sent it, but I don’t think it’s part of the transcript.
Thanks @curiouscat319. Couldn’t remember - there have been several college applications since then and they are all a blur at this point . . . .
Still thinking it’s possible that the schools forwarded info. on current course load. Any home school families out there who can verify or clarify?
We homeschool. There was a section for grade 12 course work to be taken. It asked for the course name, whether it was honors or accelerated, and the number of terms being taken. No place for grades, nor were we asked to update with grades.
@binky17 Your posts keep me smiling. We are of the same mind on many fronts. I too am going to be working until I am 90 to fund my children’s education. Have received lots of love from Notheastern as well and are patiently waiting for a late March response from USC. Our Net Price Calculator result for USC was significantly higher than any other school so the NMSF scholarship is the only way USC would be achievable for us. The USC aid calculation gave us startling little benefit during the years that we have two children in college simultaneously.
@RelocatedYankee I too am a relocated Yankee. I too am startled by NPCs. 
Maybe our kids will end up together and we can meet. We will pool together the last remaining pennies for a cup of coffee together. I asked my husband (he does the finances) recently when I can feasibly retire. He was quiet for a bit, then said “Pace yourself.”
@binky17 …I love that response from your husband. Ours are 9 years apart and it still is not any better. Paying for college is not fun. Young S thinks he has a choice on where he wants to go. Little does he know that we will have a huge say in that since we are paying for it. Did anyone get any mail today? I have not been home yet. I sure hope there is nothing in the mailbox from NMC.
"He was quiet for a bit, then said “Pace yourself” =)) @binky17, that response from your husband was great!
One of my sons is a SF and we haven’t heard anything. He got at 1500 on confirming SAT, has a 3.6 unweighted GPA at a highly competitive full IB and STEM school (named most academically challenging school in PA by the Washington Post and 58th in country by Newsweek). Hoping that no news is good news. He only had one school that he applied to that participates in NMS, so his choice for number 1 was pretty easy.
I called National Merit org last week. they said: They notify schools to confirm finalists on Feb 6. They mail letters home on Feb 13. I don’t think anyone will be confirmed earlier than those dates. Nearly all SF become F.
Regarding colleges and who to list first by when - NatMerit told me:
- NatMerit sends out the list of students and their first choice college 5 times between March 1 and June 1.
- Each college may only consider a specific version of the list, depending on their own deadlines.
- You have to call the colleges you are interested in to confirm what date they use.
- It sounded a little complicated but if you keep changing names between March and end May - it sounded like this: if you picked College A as first choice, and they selected you for a scholarship, but in the mean time you tried to change to College B, you'd be locked on College A: Once an award is determined for one college, you can't change to a different one. I don't think they screw you up and leave you with neither choice.
They said some colleges require you to show them as first choice sooner than May, so good to check with each school and confirm, if you are looking to optimize. I don’t know if a school that uses a March list, will care or notice if you change your first choice in April. Probably best to ask each school, although it would be an awkward conversation!
So you can change your mind as long as they haven’t sent your name on a list to the college; but once you put your “first choice” down they may well send it along shortly afterward (because they probably send those off every three weeks or so once March 1 hits). Best to hold off till you know for sure where you are going. Bummer if the deadline is early on some of these NM sponsor colleges.
I’d wait till I knew for a fact I was NMF; however, seems perfectly appropriate to call the schools to get the details once I had that confirmation. Don’t think it’s an awkward conversation because the school understands that their NMF notification deadline may conflict with some other admit decision dates. They may have an “earlier” (than 5/1) deadline in order to compel you to commit right away; however, they must be used to - and appreciate! - the fact that scholars are going to look at more than one sponsor school and perhaps weigh one sponsor school against another. After all, college is expensive and this is real money (not to mention that the scholar may have significant financial barriers factoring into the equation).
The real question is whether by waiting, say, till right before the relevant deadline to name your choice, do you risk them running out of your scholarship? Say a whole lot of NMF’s committed 3 weeks prior - does that mean there is still money for you? That’s kind of what I’d be asking the colleges. Trying to get a sense of a real deadline.
@niki08
For more info on “Cs” you may want to check the thread for 2016- http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/national-merit-scholarships/1847490-2016-national-merit-finalist-thread-p16.html.
susieknits (post #226) did an appeal and her son was later awarded NMF. So, even if your child gets a reject letter, it would seem like a good idea to submit an appeal.
@Tgirlfriend where does son want to go? @paveyourpath It was ominous.
Nothing is the mail last night when I got home. Today it will have been almost 2 weeks since the bad news letters went out. I don’t know about all of you but I hope that is a good sign.
@binky17 …we are looking at OU…Alabama and maybe Rice. My problem with Rice is I don’t think they give anything for NMF.
I just made this page…good luck and please let us know if you make the cut to NMF.
Susie’s post
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In northwest FL here and lots of nailbiting happening. DS had amazing SATs (800 V, 70 math), 5s and 4s in 7 AP classes, GPA of 3.6 UW/4.2 W, lots of ECs, but got a rejection letter in Jan because of a D in a semester of freshman drama (he is NOT a performer). We dd not know about the D being an automatic rejection flag! Called NM who advised him to appeal after discussion of background (first year HS was in UK). Local HS looked at transfer transcript again and were able to change it to a year-end grade version, which pulled that to a C. GC also included a note saying they thought it should hold less weight because it was a noncore class. Praying it was enough, but who knows? <<<
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And they were successful with their appeal
Has anyone ever heard of Northeastern not giving a NMF the 30k? at least the USC 26k is guaranteed. Sticky wicket
Wow - didn’t someone mention upthread that NMSC doesn’t accept appeals on grades anymore? Or maybe that was that a comment from last year.
Worth reading the posts from last year’s class of students and parents that @momofsmartdancer refers to at post #250 When you see last year’s class, there is a successful appeal and those with Cs who make NMF.
So thankful for CC and those parents & students who went before us(like @mom2collegekids). Reading those old posts, I see where they worried just like me & they give such practical, helpful advice. Even read an encouraging Bible verse in the old posts! Thank you!
No letter for us today. still hanging in there.