How many here had students that missed being NMSF and were Commended instead

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The National Merit does not matter for college admission--whether a semifinalist (NMSF) or commended. Period. What matters is your submitted SAT/ACT score (and even this is debatable).

But if you distribute certificates to NMSFs (top 1% of state test takers), and not to students who are commended (top 3% of all test takers) then you are doing an injustice to commended students. Why should they not receive the recognition that they earned and deserved?

But people are framing this as having robbed students of scholarships and admission to college. The Langley parents on the news totally bought that message and so are lots of people in these threads.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I dont understand the hype on nmsf. My son missed nmsf by 1 point but he had already taken the SAT the summer before and got a 1580. We did not use the commended status on the app bc we did not have a lot of room and I really dont understand why schools would care about 11th grade psats when they have the SAT. Am I the only one that finds this a strange thing to focus on?

No but you are missing the point. Great that your DC had other things to say. Some don't. And, in any case, it is their choice on whether to include it, not some tin pot dictator.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I dont understand the hype on nmsf. My son missed nmsf by 1 point but he had already taken the SAT the summer before and got a 1580. We did not use the commended status on the app bc we did not have a lot of room and I really dont understand why schools would care about 11th grade psats when they have the SAT. Am I the only one that finds this a strange thing to focus on?

No but you are missing the point. Great that your DC had other things to say. Some don't. And, in any case, it is their choice on whether to include it, not some tin pot dictator.

Well said. And for me, while possibly this was not intentional, this is in line with other actions FCPS has taken to reduce the focus on academics in favor of equity.

[Anonymous]

Stop whining.

This won't matter much for college admissions.

If the ECs are so light that a "commended" PSAT recognition needs to be included in the application, that doesn't bode well for the applicant.

Hope the SATs are good - even less stakes under test optional.

[Anonymous]

Stop missing the point.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I dont understand the hype on nmsf. My son missed nmsf by 1 point but he had already taken the SAT the summer before and got a 1580. We did not use the commended status on the app bc we did not have a lot of room and I really dont understand why schools would care about 11th grade psats when they have the SAT. Am I the only one that finds this a strange thing to focus on?

Republicans are getting desperate.

[Anonymous]

Stop whining.

This won't matter much for college admissions.

If the ECs are so light that a "commended" PSAT recognition needs to be included in the application, that doesn't bode well for the applicant.

Hope the SATs are good - even less stakes under test optional.

You are very confused. ECs and any National Merit recognition are reported on two different places on the Common App. You can have a boatload of great ECs and still have room to report National merit under "national awards."

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Stop whining.

This won't matter much for college admissions.

If the ECs are so light that a "commended" PSAT recognition needs to be included in the application, that doesn't bode well for the applicant.

Hope the SATs are good - even less stakes under test optional.

You are very confused. ECs and any National Merit recognition are reported on two different places on the Common App. You can have a boatload of great ECs and still have room to report National merit under "national awards."

False

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Stop whining.

This won't matter much for college admissions.

If the ECs are so light that a "commended" PSAT recognition needs to be included in the application, that doesn't bode well for the applicant.

Hope the SATs are good - even less stakes under test optional.

You are very confused. ECs and any National Merit recognition are reported on two different places on the Common App. You can have a boatload of great ECs and still have room to report National merit under "national awards."

False

True. At least it was true 3 years ago. Awards and activities are different sections of the app.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

One of my kids was a NMF. Another was commended.

The dfference in interest from colleges was dramatic

And this was the only difference between them? Come on. I had one NMF and one Commended and both ended up at Ivy schools. I don't think their National Merit status had anything to do with it (though their test scores likely did).

Yes, they were exactly the same in every regard because they were made in a lab.

I mean, seriously, of course not. But NMF kid had mail coming in like he was Harry Potter hearing from Hogwarts. Commended kid got about the same amount of attention as siblings who got neither but had higher SATs (they were all >1500)

Commended is a warm pitcher of spit, distinctionwise

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

One of my kids was a NMF. Another was commended.

The dfference in interest from colleges was dramatic

And this was the only difference between them? Come on. I had one NMF and one Commended and both ended up at Ivy schools. I don't think their National Merit status had anything to do with it (though their test scores likely did).

Same experience here.

[Anonymous]

Both of mine were. No they didn’t put it on anything and we didn’t think it was impressive. At all. I was a NMSF 35 years ago and don’t remember using it in my college apps.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Stop whining.

This won't matter much for college admissions.

If the ECs are so light that a "commended" PSAT recognition needs to be included in the application, that doesn't bode well for the applicant.

Hope the SATs are good - even less stakes under test optional.

You are very confused. ECs and any National Merit recognition are reported on two different places on the Common App. You can have a boatload of great ECs and still have room to report National merit under "national awards."

False

True. At least it was true 3 years ago. Awards and activities are different sections of the app.

Still true today. My DC had a lot of great ECs but not a lot of awards since school doesn’t give them and activities are not the type to lead to awards either. DC put down commended. Got into top school.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

One of my kids was a NMF. Another was commended.

The dfference in interest from colleges was dramatic

And this was the only difference between them? Come on. I had one NMF and one Commended and both ended up at Ivy schools. I don't think their National Merit status had anything to do with it (though their test scores likely did).

Yes, they were exactly the same in every regard because they were made in a lab.

I mean, seriously, of course not. But NMF kid had mail coming in like he was Harry Potter hearing from Hogwarts. Commended kid got about the same amount of attention as siblings who got neither but had higher SATs (they were all >1500)

Commended is a warm pitcher of spit, distinctionwise

And yet if you lived just an hour west in West Virginia, your commended kid would have been a NMSF.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

One of my kids was a NMF. Another was commended.

The dfference in interest from colleges was dramatic

And this was the only difference between them? Come on. I had one NMF and one Commended and both ended up at Ivy schools. I don't think their National Merit status had anything to do with it (though their test scores likely did).

Yes, they were exactly the same in every regard because they were made in a lab.

I mean, seriously, of course not. But NMF kid had mail coming in like he was Harry Potter hearing from Hogwarts. Commended kid got about the same amount of attention as siblings who got neither but had higher SATs (they were all >1500)

Commended is a warm pitcher of spit, distinctionwise

And yet if you lived just an hour west in West Virginia, your commended kid would have been a NMSF.

Is that your big issue here? Take it up with national merit.