<p>I've only been an average student - and a little on the lower end of that category as well.
My GPA is a 3.2ish (weighted, 3.9).</p>
<p>But I'm also a NM Semifinalist, and I'd want more than anything to become Finalist - UCF would then offer me such great scholarships and benefits.</p>
<p>Would I have any chance at this with these stats?</p>
<p>SAT: 2170 (790 M, 690 CR and W)
(no SAT2s or ACTs)</p>
<p>GPA: 3.2/3.9 UW/W - I've recieved 6 Cs as semester grades and 1 D in Freshman year (in a non-academic class; the photography teacher never actually did anything or marked any grades and when I asked him to change it, he was stubborn</p>
<p>IB</p>
<p>Very good essay. I'm not sure if I can post it on here or not, but message me if you'd care to see.</p>
<p>Terrible ECs (I don't actually have any, lol).</p>
<p>Would I have any hope to stand on? Be realistic :D
Thanks</p>
<p>From what I know, about 90% of SF become Finalists. They want your SAT’s to line up with your PSAT score. I’m honestly not sure how much they take any grades into account, but I was pretty sure that as long as you actually SUBMITTED the application and the SAT’s were good, then you would become a finalist. I could be wrong, however, and am not sure how to take into account the grades. I’m sure you will get informative responses from experts on here! Good luck! :)</p>
<p>Well, I just read something else by one of those experts, and here is what she said: (This is by Mom2CollegeKids, who is a wealth of knowledge on CC! It looks like those C’s could be a problem…</p>
<p>"6) What are the qualifications to go from NMSF to NMF?</p>
<p>After you’ve been named NMSF, you’ll have some paperwork to fill out (now done online, I believe). You’ll have an essay to write as well.</p>
<p>YOUR SCHOOL will have to fill out a recommendation and include a copy of your grades/transcript.</p>
<p>If you have good grades (usually no more than 1 or 2 C semester grades), you haven’t been a discipline problem, you have a SAT over the minimum (1960+), you’ve sent your SAT to NMCorp, you write a decent essay, then you’ll make NMF.</p>
<p>7) When are students named NMF?</p>
<p>Students who have been named finalists will be notified in Feb of senior year.</p>
<p>8) When are rejected students notified?</p>
<p>Rejection letters are sent out the first week in January of senior year."</p>
<p>Grades do matter. Every year we have kids who didn’t make NMF because of grades. Usually one C maybe 2 C’s are ok…more than that can be iffy. </p>
<p>It’s hard to say if you’ll make NMF with the C’s and D. Were the C’s quarter grades or semester grades? </p>
<p>If you need merit scholarships then also apply to schools where your SAT score or your NMSF-only status will get you a good scholarship. </p>
<p>They want your SAT’s to line up with your PSAT score</p>
<p>Just to clarify…the SAT score does not have to line up with a student’s PSAT score. Every NMSF has to meet the same minimum SAT score…which is about a 1960…no matter what your PSAT score is.</p>
<p>I believe there was a kid on CC with 4 Cs on his transcript who made NMF last year. However, I have not heard of anyone with a D and 6 Cs making it. Please keep us informed and let us know how it turns out. thanks.</p>
<p>SirToucan: No one said there’s no chance. No one here can say for sure how your record will be evaluated. Is the NMSC more lenient with regard to freshman grades? Do they give less weight non-academic courses? Sorry, can’t really say.</p>
<p>Besides, what else can you do? There is nothing to give up on–you’ve applied to be a finalist, done as much as you can, and now the decision is in other hands. Be optimistic and move on–you’ll know in February.</p>
<p>But, when you find out, come back and post your result. That will give us all some additional insight about how NMSC views records like yours.</p>
<p>You need to have consistently excellent grades throughout high school. If your grades aren’t so great–even if they are freshman grades–you won’t make it. With that many C’s and a D and only a 3.2, from the stats I’ve seen of students who didn’t make it in the past, I’d say that there is no chance that you’ll make it. I hope semifinalist status will benefit you in some way.</p>
<p>You should keep in mind that there are benefits for Semi-Finalists as well. For instance, Arizona State gives Finalists full tuition, but Semi-Finalists get half-tuition (OOS, haven’t checked in-state as we’re not looking at that).</p>
<p>If you’ve made NMSF and you’re worried that you might not make finalist, then apply to Alabama before Dec 1st. That way you’ll at least get FULL tuition. </p>
<p>then, if you later make NMF, you’ll get more.</p>
<p>University of Arizona offers $15,000 per year in-state and $30,000 (enbough to cover tuition) OOS for semifinalists, and you can apply as late as May 1. There are options out there if you don’t become a finalist. Even so, I wouldn’t sweat it. You’re either a finalist or not - nothing else for you to do at this point.</p>
<p>Another point - others know of students who didn’t make it, but we don’t know if their grades are what kept them from qualifying, or if it was something else (including a school not getting their part of the paperwork done, a substandard report from the school, or a lousy essay). Those with many C’s may have had a low GPA overall.</p>
<p>CTScoutmom, please provide a link to back that U of Arizona claim up.
I’m actually from AZ and thought that U of A stopped that Semifinalist scholarship with the class of 2012.</p>
<p>DumbArse: UA is still offering big NMSF scholarships. This month, my son received a letter from UA offering a scholarship, subject to his becoming NMF, consisting of a $30K per year scholarship for four years (we’re OOS), a $1500 award for UA Study Abroad program, and an Apple iPad. Application by May 1, 2013.</p>
<p>When the award says “subject to becoming NMF” then you don’t get the award unless you become NMF. We have 3 letters like that from different schools so far. I see that UA last offered a separate NMSF award for the class of 2012. They have a list of awards’ terms and conditions for their various scholarships going back some years. For 2013 and 2014 they have a National Scholars Award. The definition of Scholar, and the actual terms and conditions are a bit unclear. </p>
<p>Selection</p>
<p>This award is offered to the National Scholars who qualify by taking the Preliminary SATs (PSATs) in high school.</p>
<p>If you are a National Merit Finalist, you must declare the UA as your first school of choice with NMSC per the deadline set by the NMSC (May 31, 2013).</p>
<p>It says IF you are a NMF, and says you qualify by taking the PSAT. But chucktaylor1’s post about the letter which makes award subject to becoming a NMF seems to indicate you need to advance. I would e-mail or phone them to get clarification.</p>
<p>Here’s the link. If you read down to where they talk about how to handle issues that can arise with study abroad, there are references to ‘IF you are a NMF’, as though there are different categories of students who receive this award. It could be the non-NMFs are National Hispanic or National Achievement, but I hope, for your sake, that they are also NMSF.</p>
<p>I’ll either go to UCF or UF. I’ve already been accepted to UCF and probably will with UF.
I’d rather stay in-state than go to Alabama.</p>
<p>The thing is, I’d really like to go to UCF on full tuition (and apple products :D) but if it doesn’t come down to that, I’ll go to the better of the two U’s.</p>
<p>But a free iMac, wow! I’ve been wanting to make that PC-Apple transition for a while I’ll remain stagnant in my idle optimism.</p>
It looks like those C’s could be a problem…</p>
I’ll remain stagnant in my idle optimism.</p>