@Emory85 That’s a great question and could come into play for my son as well. I don’t think that colleges would notify National Merit, but you could call National Merit and ask them. When I called they were very helpful. My understanding is that they notify colleges from their list of first choices, don’t think there is communication the other direction. If you hear differently, please post!
@Phlipper Thank you!!
My DD16 is a NM at UTD and got the NM school sponsored scholarship (not the $2500 scholarship). She gets $750 per year ($375 per semester) for 4 years and it is disbursed through UTD bursar. She says It usually seems to get paid maybe 1-2 weeks after the semester starts. It is in addition the UTD NM scholarship. It might be different depending on the year you start college though, just because hers was that amount, that doesn’t mean it will be the same for 2018 class.
We are anxiously awaiting hearing from our principal this week that DD18 is a finalist. If I remember correctly, we heard from the principal around the first week of February when DD16 was a finalist. I think the principal was informed at least a week before we got the letter at home.
One more thing, I think we got the letter about the NM school sponsored scholarship sometime in May for the 2016 year but it told us not to tell anyone about it until they published the scholarships which I think was in June 2016.
@shelleee, from the NMSC website:
2018
- February 5 NMSC mails notification to high school principals about the status of their Semifinalists; a Certificate of Merit is provided for each Semifinalist who qualifies as a Finalist
- February 12 NMSC notifies Finalists of their status at their home addresses
Thanks @CGCC20. So hopefully by the end of this week the waiting will finally be over! DD18 has already chosen her college so if she is a finalist (hopefully, and she has no reason she wouldn’t be- always had all As, exceeds the SAT cutoff, etc) she just needs the letter so she can submit it to her college for one of a maximum of 60 NM scholarships the school gives.
Letter day ! Good Luck everyone. Hope the postman has wings this week. I’ll be camped out on my daughter’s principals doorstep. (Actually I emailed him this morning and begged for a quick heads up) FINGERS CROSSED !
So I guess this is another bulk mailing? I really wish they would just put it on a portal or something.
Wow, thanks everyone! I logged on today specifically to see when we might expect letters - and CC once again saves the day. However, if letters are simply mailed to schools today, it could take quite a while for delivery if using the bulk method that NMSC uses - right? DS needs to submit a couple of important scholarship apps next week, so I guess maybe he will have to bug the counselor for news if he hasn’t heard yet.
Once people start hearing news, please post here. Good luck to all!
Agree 1000% with you @LOUKYDAD! NMSC already has portals set up for every semifinalist, it surely would not cost them much to add finalist notification capability. They could still follow up with the hard copy letters and certificates the way colleges do, but just put everyone at ease by notifying all on the same day. Sigh.
This process is certainly overly complicated and bureaucratic
Just to give a plug to my son’s choice: Gustavus Adolphus College in Minnesota gives $7500/yr for NMF and then gives 20 NMF full tuition! So NMF status = big bucks for us!!!
If they mail bulk then even principals unlikely to hear this week other than in Illinois area correct? We homeschool so we should hear with the principal’s letter - will post when we know but bulk not first class going to take awhile…
If the acceptance letters go out the same way the rejection letters went, some people should know by the end of this week.
This time around, there is no good reason why the school would choose not to share the news with the student, correct? The way I understood it with the semi-finalist level, there was the concern that there would be publicity before NM notified the media. Out of an abundance of caution some HS administrators therefore wouldn’t share with students at all until after NM put out the names. But all of that is out the window now, right?
Any idea why they notify the school a week before the student?
NMF certificates were mailed out to the HS principals today, so maybe we’ll hear some news this week if they’re (the principals) willing to release it. Like @LOUKYDAD said, it shouldn’t be some national secret by this point.
I think the only reason that a principal would not share the news promptly is if he/she misinterprets the letter like many do with the Semifinalist announcements. Since there is no formal press release involved in this notification round, I don’t see that happening. Our only frustration should be the delays that accompany bulk mail.
Yep, bulk mail plus school mailroom plus GC/principal schedule equals who knows when students will hear from their schools. Luckily this time around there’s also the letter coming to the house, with the mysterious one-week mailing delay but at least it’s coming. Eventually.
Maybe a USPS corporate sponsorship in the future?