charlotteb Posted April 8, 2017 Share Posted April 8, 2017 I received a letter from the national merit scholarship corporation today stating that DD meets requirements to enter the scholarship program! I thought we had to wait until September to find out? So it makes me wonder if the letter is legitimate or not. Did anyone else recieve such a letter? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Momto6inIN Posted April 8, 2017 Share Posted April 8, 2017 I got one too. I think it is just a preliminary letter sent to the "principals" of the schools to make sure all the details on the qualifying students at are correct before the official announcement in September. Or at least that's how I read the letter. Sent from my Z988 using Tapatalk Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GoodGrief Posted April 8, 2017 Share Posted April 8, 2017 If I recall correctly, I believe this letter is in reference to the top 50,000 scorers. It's good news, but not a NMSF announcement (yet.) The NMSFs will come out of that group though! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JanetC Posted April 8, 2017 Share Posted April 8, 2017 We got the letter, but my DDs score isn't high enough for NMSF in our state. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shelly in the Country Posted April 8, 2017 Share Posted April 8, 2017 We got the letter here, too. Now we wait for September... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GoodGrief Posted April 8, 2017 Share Posted April 8, 2017 I don't believe any colleges are offering scholarships for Commended status. However, it would be worth noting in a list of awards on the academic resume. It places the student among the top scorers in the country on the PSAT. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
yvonne Posted April 10, 2017 Share Posted April 10, 2017 (edited) I thought the letter meant that the student was definitely on the Commended list, but I was wrong. From the NMSQT site: "In late September, more than two-thirds (about 34,000) of the approximately 50,000 high scorers on the PSAT/NMSQT® receive Letters of Commendation. .... In early September, about 16,000 students, or approximately one-third of the 50,000 high scorers, are notified that they have qualified as Semifinalists. ... In February, some 15,000 Semifinalists are notified by mail at their home addresses that they have advanced to Finalist standing." Just curious...... Why do they not announce until September? Is Commended status based on the state cutoff or a national cutoff? Edited April 10, 2017 by yvonne Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GoodGrief Posted April 10, 2017 Share Posted April 10, 2017 The qualifying score for the 50,000 is a national cutoff. The semifinalists are chosen from that group, but the score varies based on state. Those not making the semifinalist group get commended status, so it's based initially on a national score to get in the top group, but ultimately on a state cutoff. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GoodGrief Posted April 10, 2017 Share Posted April 10, 2017 A lot of great information on the process is in this forum at College Confidential. http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/national-merit-scholarships/ 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
charlotteb Posted April 10, 2017 Author Share Posted April 10, 2017 I was confused by the letter too. It says the national commended cut-off is 211. But for the NMSF, it varies by state. In past years, some states had cut-offs that were lower than 211. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
charlotteb Posted April 10, 2017 Author Share Posted April 10, 2017 I was confused by the letter too. It says the national commended cut-off is 211. But for the NMSF, it varies by state. In past years, some states had cut-offs that were lower than 211. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sebastian (a lady) Posted April 10, 2017 Share Posted April 10, 2017 The commended score varies by year. IIRC it is the same as the lowest state cutoff for semi-finalist. This is only the second sitting of the post revision PSAT. I think the scores have shifted some. Comparing with scores before the 2015 sitting may not be helpful. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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