Just wondering - have any of you/your kids made a decision and notified NMSC of their first choice school? Pretty sure my son has made up his mind. I think he just wants to take a college visit day off of school and is therefore feigning the college choice dilemma.
@Barfly My son has narrowed his decision to two schools, both with large NMF awards. However, while I am very certain that the award at one school is automatic, I am not completely convinced about the other. Therefore, he has put down the latter school as his first choice so that they will get his name as soon as possible beginning March 1st. Hopefully that will generate a scholarship offer from them. If he does not get that scholarship or he decides to attend the other school anyway, he will switch his first choice before their May 1 deadline and accept their scholarship offer.
@barfly yes. My son identified Alabama as soon as he was sure he was going (so, as soon as he was accepted). The finalist letter included a section that confirmed it as well. Roll Tide!
Some schools require an earlier first choice designation, for example Boston University. They give some (they are not clear on how many) $20K/year scholarships for NMF that designate BU as their first choice by March 1. This does not have to do with NMC giving the $2500 one time award. Or at least that is how I read their website.
http://www.bu.edu/admissions/apply/costs-aid-scholarships/scholarships/merit/
Scroll down to the heading National Scholars.
Alabama requires you to send a copy of the finalist letter via fax or email to the scholarship department. My husband scanned the letter and emailed it today.
Sorry if I missed this earlier, but is advancing to finalist worthy of updating and informing all schools?
When js the Alabama deadline again? Thought it was 1 May.
Just found out that as a Finalist, I can choose any layout of housing I like at WSU except for the single room option. I can even choose to live in the dorms that usually students can’t until they’re sophomores! Transportation costs to and fro are mounting though … it’s not free college once you factor in visiting, attending orientation, and getting to and from the campus at the start and end of the semester. But that housing option is better than I originally thought!
For over a month now, our neighbors have been watching their mail for a letter from National Merit Scholarship Corp., with the understanding that we did not “want” the letter, but needed to know if it arrived in someone else’s mailbox by mistake. I thought I’d taken everyone off High Alert since DS was told he’s a NMF last week, but I’d regretted that lately - since we now needed the NMF “Confirmation Letter” delivered to our home.
So just as DS & DH were leaving for yet another college visit this afternoon, along comes one of our neighbors looking very distressed. She approached us on our driveway and called me over - away from DS & DH. I thought she might cry, she looked so upset, and I asked her what was going on. THEN…she handed me a letter and said, “My mail just came, and this is for [DS’s name.]” Imagine her surprise when I started jumping up & down, cheering, hooting & hollering, and calling DS over to open the letter immediately. He opened it right there on our driveway and it reads: “Dear Finalist:”
I’m not sure my neighbor is still clear on the whole thing, except she was incredibly happy not to be The Bearer of Bad News! DS, DH & I got to celebrate for just a minute before they left, and I have to chuckle at how this entire saga has unfolded from Day One. But at least we have a happy ending here, and I’ll take that. (One thousand gray hairs for me over 14 months…but at least the story ends well.)
Hopefully we were the last household waiting on that blasted letter, but I’m sure there must be another DC in remote Wyoming who still doesn’t have it… I’ll hang around to cheer when the Pony Express arrives for that family.
Happy Friday, everyone!
YIPPEE!!! That’s awesome @GoAskDad, and I love that the story has such a humorous ending.
@albert69, very little in life is truly free!!! Enjoy the fancy room, you’ve earned it.
Best wishes one and all. I haven’t been checking CC as much lately. The parents 2015 board still scares me a bit. But I miss the excitement the past 16 months has brought.
Congratulations, @GoAskDad! Where is it your DS is thinking to go? Sorry if I forgot…
@GoAskDad – I’m so glad that your long wait is over and that you have the good news in writing now! 
Does that mean that you won’t be eating any more girl scout cookies? 
And, just as you thought, your letter was delivered to one of your neighbors.
@PAMom21 Thanks, not exactly fancy, but better than the base options for sure! I will definitely be able to get my own room, and share a bathroom. And @GoAskDad - when does the completed song come out?
@PAmom what’s wrong with the Parents of '15? I haven’t seen that thread in ages…
Oh no, nothing scandalous @Cshecmia, or mean or anything like that! It’s just a lot of volume, and topics that scare me like sending in housing deposits, making decisions, picking roommates, etc. I’m in a wee bit of denial here.
Darn, just when I was putting the popcorn in the microwave and settling in for a good read. @pamom21, it’s all downhill from here. That part is all fun!
Has anyone else NOT got the confirming letter at home yet? We got the certificate from the school last week (Feb 10) but no letter yet at home. I thought those were supposed to be mailed Feb. 9 – seems to me we should have gotten it by now (Feb 20). Should I be concerned?
School has not announced though we have the home letter. She has received congrats from other folks but I have seen nothing official from school.
FYI, Visited South Carolina earlier this week (finally feeling normal). Honors college Q&A session impressed me, didn’t know what to expect.
@1203southview Yes, I think it’s worth bringing it to the attention of the colleges. Someone told me that even if they get notification from NMSC that it’s an excuse for the admissions office to “pull the file” and see the student’s name again to put the update in their file. My DS just finished notifying his schools today, one wanted a fax, and a few wanted emails. One thing he didn’t clarify in his phone calls for information on this was if they needed an actual copy of the letter or certificate. He just wrote that he had received the distinction and if they needed more, to contact him. @GoAskDad It’s too funny that a neighbor had your mail just as you suspected. Congratulations to you and your whole family. BTW I was eating an Oreo when I read your post so I had to laugh.
Ohhh @PAMom21, picking roommates!!! In the Honors dorms at TAMU, the students must go “potluck”. So far, we’re two for two. Both of my older boys ended up with wonderful roommates. Since S3 will likely end up at TAMU, I sure hope our luck hasn’t run out. I do recall one parent telling me her son’s freshman roommate liked to sing in Gaelic at 3 a.m.