<p>PSAT:221 (will qualify for NMSF in my state for sure)
SAT: 2330</p>
<p>my grades are awful though.
3.5 GPA (huge upwards trend, but I doubt they care)
Received 1 C in Calc BC sophomore year; I got a 5 on the AP test if that matters.</p>
<p>did I blow my chances with my overall low GPA and C in calc?</p>
<p>The GPA itself won’t cause you to be denied NMF. The one C might be a problem or might be OK. It used to be OK to get one. But this year some people got denied with one C for the first time, while others still made it, if I read all the threads correctly. Don’t get any more C’s. Other than that all you can do is keep your fingers crossed and wait. Good luck. It’s hard to wait, I know. Are you hoping to go for one of the big NMF scholarships, or just for the honor?</p>
<p>it was only the first semester of calc too. second half I got a B.
I mean, it was a c+. does that count for anything?
I hate being penalized for taking hard classes, especially when I was so young.
sorry for my rant. and if I sound bitter, well, I am.</p>
<p>the honor, mostly. I was looking to engineering and I know texas a&m has a nice scholarship along with USC.</p>
<p>The NMSC exact decision making process is a bit mysterious as regards grades, though everyone seems to concur that so long as you have no C’s you’re fine. More than 2 C’s/lower grades likely kills your chances. One or two, it’s uncertain these days. You may be just fine. You should go ahead and apply to places you might get the NMF scholarships. I know Texas A&M has extra money for engineering students on top of the NMF scholarship…</p>
<p>This year a bunch of people were cut for having one C.
There was one person who made it with C’s and a somewhat lower GPA–a lot of B’s if I remember correctly. That student had glowing recommendation and info from school that explained his unusual circumstances/disability.<br>
Don’t expect to make it with a C. But you might ask your counselor/teacher (whoever writes your letter) to explain, beg, plead your case, etc.–that seems to be your only hope.</p>
<p><a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/national-merit-scholarships/1451215-nmf-results-stats.html[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/national-merit-scholarships/1451215-nmf-results-stats.html</a></p>
<p>4 people ^ here report getting NMF with a C. One of them might be the one atomom mentions but the others don’t report anything special.</p>
<p>True–that thread should give you some hope.</p>
<p>So, are you saying that during frosh year, you got all or mostly all B’s? Then soph year you got Bs and a C (and maybe an A or two)?. From then on you’ve had a huge upward trend?</p>
<p>Do you know if your school puts semester grades on transcripts? or does it only put year-end grades? </p>
<p>BTW…USC doesn’t accept all NMF applicants. With your GPA, acceptance to USC could still be iffy. I think someone recently posted that about half of NMF applicants to USC are rejected. However, the Texas A&M scholarship could work out well. But, will your rank hurt you there? You’re probably not top 10%, right?</p>
<p>With his SAT score, he only needs to be top 25% for Texas A&M. I guess if he’s at a competitive school, he might not be top 25% either. It’s not clear to me if that GPA is weighted. I always assume unweighted unless someone specifies otherwise, but that may not be a good assumption.
[Academic</a> Admits](<a href=“http://admissions.tamu.edu/freshmen/gettingin/waysAdmitted/academic.aspx]Academic”>http://admissions.tamu.edu/freshmen/gettingin/waysAdmitted/academic.aspx)</p>
<p>And right, I read the same thing about USC and NMFs not getting admitted there.</p>
<p>Way more b’s than a’s freshmen year. Better sophomore year, but still more b’s than a’s, but has a tough course load, even though that’s not an excuse. Junior year mostly A’s with a few b’s.</p>