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I agree with most of what you've written and I decry schemers who game the system , sometimes unfairly, but I feel compelled every time someone speaks of val/sal scholarships as a bad idea, to ask : As compared to NMF scholarships that reward effort on the PSAT? As compared to scholarship for certain ACT or SAT scores? As opposed to scholarships for certain GPA? Why pick on val scholarships? I've got to say the one that gets me is NMF scholarships, why is that such a big deal? If you are a fan of tests, shouldn't a 2400 be a bigger deal? Or a 36 ACT? Say a kid made a 35 ACT, there are 7 times as many NMF's than kids who make a 35 or 36, which student do they directly reward and why? </p>
<p>Just like the parents of kids who didn't get val , I don't think a lot of the NMF award. Unlike them , I admit that I'd think slightly more of it had my daughter won it. LOL.</p>