<p>^^^Yup, lots of colleges go after NMF’s.
Not so much the Chicago’s and Reeds, however.</p>
<p>Dad2011_Ohio
Perhaps many $2500 winners had received early acceptances [?]and had sent in their First choice selection early, but most students wont hear from colleges until April, which gives them until May 1 to decide where to go. Sending in the card designating a students first choice by the mid May deadline lets NMF know where to send the checks in the Fall.</p>
<p>OK so it may be the colleges ( Ohio State is one example) that want you to designate them as first choice by 3/1 to get their NMF related money? And that money may be “guaranteed” unlike the $2500 from NMSF. Yes, plenty of letters from Oklahoma and Kentucky, Alabama but he would nmot apply there.</p>
<p>The only scholarships offered by the National Merit Corporation are the $2500 scholarships that are given to high achieving students who do not receive any private corporation scholarship money. A student receiving either NMC or private NM corporate sponsored (like Boeing for example) just needs to let NM know where to send the money and this can be done pretty late–even in the summer.</p>
<p>Most of the other scholarhsips you seem to be talking about would be college/university sponsored to draw in NMF. Sometimes, a college will just subtract the $2500 from its award and give the balance of what it usually gives to NMFs. In my opinion, the first choice college designation is most important in relation to those colleges that are offering big bucks to NMF.</p>
<p>With students for whom USC is the dream school, the NMF guaranteed four year half tuition scholarship is just wonderful! That PSAT might turn out to be the most lucrative few hours of his life. USC is arguably the best school in the country in his major; the small humanities honors program is top notch; we’re saving a ton; and he couldn’t be happier.</p>
<p>“even in the summer.”
this is not correct for college sponsored scholarships -
according to NMF’s own written guidelines-
“May 31, 2011: Deadline date for NMSC to receive reports of a sponsor college as first choice. Because it is necessary to end the competition in a timely manner, only college choice reports that NMSC receives by May 31 will be used to identify the final group of candidates to a college or university that sponsors awards.”
this info is on the bottom of page 3
see link below
<a href=“http://www.nationalmerit.org/Merit_R&I_Leaflet.pdf[/url]”>http://www.nationalmerit.org/Merit_R&I_Leaflet.pdf</a></p>
<p>The even in the summer referred specifically to corporate or NMC scholarships–menloparkmom.</p>
<p>^^ I’m aware of that, but other parents looking for large NMF merit scholarships for their children might not be. There are only about 1000 corporate scholarships awarded each year, and the 2500 odd $2500 NM Scholars awards are awarded only to tip top finalists. For the most part parents here are interested in finding out about the college sponsored scholarships, which account for over 60% of the scholarships NMF’s can win.</p>
<p>Every year there are numerous threads created by parents confused by NMF rules, categories of awards, and timelines of what they have to do by when. The vast majority are filled with questions that students and parents have about college sponsored awards. Very few questions are ever asked about how to win a corporate sponsored NM award.</p>
<p>Thanks everyone. Just called WUSTL and due date to designate as #1 choice with NMSF is mid-April. The reason I thought it was March,1 was because of this specific Ohio state cholarship ( and we are not doing that, thanks OSU but no thanks):
Distinguished Scholarship for National Merit, Achievement, and Hispanic Scholars<br>
Award amount
Half in-state tuition ($4,863 for 2010–11); includes the value of the National Merit/Achievement Scholarship </p>
<p>Criteria </p>
<p>•National Merit Finalists who rank in the top 10 percent of their graduating classes, and who designate to the National Merit Corporation by March 1, 2011, that Ohio State is their first-choice institution, are given priority consideration for this award.</p>
<p>March 24 NMSC mails offers of National Merit $2500 Scholarships</p>