What exactly am I missing with only being National Merit Commended?

<p>Hi guys - I got my PSAT back a while ago and got a 201. I was devastated. That really wasn't the score I was expecting based off my practice tests and my actual SAT score (a 2300!). I don't know what happened, but I feel really bad for missing an opportunity to help my family out with some money for college, to the point of crying...( I am planning to apply to U of Chicago, MIT, Stanford, and Harvard fyi). So how much money or scholarships am I missing out on based on this bad test? Thanks in advance for taking the time to help me out.</p>

<p>So how much money or scholarships am I missing out on based on this bad test? </p>

<p>at those 4 universities? Not much-$4000 max in NMF scholarships, over 4 years. </p>

<p>But if you were to apply to universities a little further down the USNWR rankings, such as USC, you may be miss out on a $85000 1/2 Tuition Merit Scholarship, and with stats like yours, the very real possibility of winning one of the 150 Full tuition merit scholarships offered each year to tip-top students. USC has more NMFs than any other U’s, except H and Chicago, at least in 2011. </p>

<p>My DS has similar stats [ he was a NMF and had a slightly higher SAT’s] and was accepted at Chicago, but was awarded the full tuition Trustee’s scholarship at USC, just graduated and now has a full Fellowship at CalTech. So depending on your future plans, if you intend to go on to grad school, you would be wise to save the $$ and go to a UG school that has the programs you want, and where you will be among the “cream of the crop”.</p>

<p>if you do not get into those schools, it could save you a bunch, as menloparkmom’s example demonstrates.</p>

<p>Wasn’t the cutoff for commended 202 this year? So it looks like the OP won’t even be commended.</p>

<p>But yeah, PSAT score is irrelevant for the schools listed, generally.</p>