Anonymous
09/05/2022 10:27
Subject: Re:National Merit Scholarship Semifinalist
Anonymous wrote:MD confirmed as 222
So far highest state cut off. What does that mean for DC?
It means DC cutoff is at least 222, but could be higher if another state comes in higher. The only state that has a chance of coming in higher than 222 based on historical data is NJ. MA is the other high-scoring state, and it has been confirmed at 222.
Anonymous
09/05/2022 09:59
Subject: Re:National Merit Scholarship Semifinalist
MD confirmed as 222
So far highest state cut off. What does that mean for DC?
So far highest state cut off. What does that mean for DC?
Anonymous
09/03/2022 14:14
Subject: National Merit Scholarship Semifinalist
NMF is not impressive anymore. The highlight of your glory will be getting named at your high school unless you take advantage of a school that gives a lot of money for it - usually schools not at the top of the list for the highest achievers. But the idea that this honor lasts a lifetime is so silly. A 1600 on the SAT, much harder than NMF is not even noteworthy anymore. I saw 1600 SAT or 36 ACT kids getting WL or rejected left and right from schools you would expect that it would be an auto-admit. Means almost nothing these days thanks to the lib takeover of higher education.
+1
Agree. My DD’s a NM scholar and received a one time $2k award at Villanova. It’s not a lifetime honor by any means. It’s what a child makes out of his/her career, his progress, and his contribution to society as a whole that matters.
Anonymous
09/03/2022 13:47
Subject: National Merit Scholarship Semifinalist
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:So if you meet the cutoff (eg 223 for Maryland) then you are a Natl Merit Semifinalist. Then you and your school submit a package with SAT score and grades and an endorsement from the principal, and baded on that the Finalists are selected? Am I undersranding this correctly?
If so... unless you are a Finalist and end up getting a scholarship from a school you're interested in, what do you do with this honor? Add it under 'awards' on the common app? The colleges already know your grades and SAT score so what's the point?
Well, there are tangible benefits and intangible benefits. Together, those benefits make kid's application stronger; tremendiously helpful for lower tier schools than top tier schools but nevertheless there are schools that try very agressively attract NMF/NMS kids - offering, in some case, full ride scholarships. Even without it though, it's an honor that will stay with you for a lifetime. Having said that, most kids who are high performing enough to in the game don't do it for tangible stuff, it's the honor they want, IMHO.
not knocking on nmsf, hope my kid gets it, but seriously to the bolded? No, after HS, no one cares.
Depends on what you mean by "cares." You won the same award as the people below. I think it's an honor.
National Merit and National Achievement Scholars
The following is a list of notable National Merit Scholarship Program honorees, many of whom are listed on the "Scholars You May Know" page on the National Merit Scholarship Corporation website.[15]
John C. Malone (1959)
Elvin Bishop (1960)
Joseph Stiglitz (1960)
Randy Hendricks (1963)
Amory Lovins (1964)
Robert Reich (1964)
Thomas Cech (1966)
Alexa Canady (1967)
Mitch Daniels (1967)
Michael Walsh (1967)
Roger Tsien (1968)
Jerry Greenfield (1969)
Paul Krugman (1970)
Ben Bernanke (1971)
Evelynn M. Hammonds (1971)
Jeffrey Sachs (1972)
Bill Gates (1973)
Jim Cramer (1973)
John Roberts (1973)
Mae Jemison (1973)
Steve Ballmer (1973)
Elena Kagan (1977)
Lisa P. Jackson (1979)
B. Alvin Drew (1980)
Lisa Randall (1980)
Jeff Bezos (1982)
Andrew Gelman (1982)
Susan Rice (1982)
Spencer Wells (1984)
Peter Thiel (1985)
Chubb Rock (1985)[16]
Jeri Ryan (1986)[17]
Lauren Lake (1986)[18]
Linda Rottenberg (1986)
Elliott Smith (1987)[19]
Ted Cruz (1988)[20]
M. Night Shyamalan (1988)
Howard Steven Friedman (1989)[21]
Michael McCullers (1989)
Josh Singer (1990)[22]
Asia Carrera (1991)
Melissa Harris-Perry (1991)
Brooke Magnanti (1992)
Stephenie Meyer (1992)
Felicia Day (1995)
Slater Rhea (2005)[23]
Chubb Rock and Ted Cruz...nice!!
Not impressive because some of them come from very low cutoff states. There are many others who would have been semi-finalists if they went to school in a different state. What's more impressive is scoring 1600 on the SAT.
Kiddo didn't make the cut huh?
NMF is not impressive anymore. The highlight of your glory will be getting named at your high school unless you take advantage of a school that gives a lot of money for it - usually schools not at the top of the list for the highest achievers. But the idea that this honor lasts a lifetime is so silly. A 1600 on the SAT, much harder than NMF is not even noteworthy anymore. I saw 1600 SAT or 36 ACT kids getting WL or rejected left and right from schools you would expect that it would be an auto-admit. Means almost nothing these days thanks to the lib takeover of higher education.
Anonymous
09/03/2022 12:22
Subject: National Merit Scholarship Semifinalist
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:So if you meet the cutoff (eg 223 for Maryland) then you are a Natl Merit Semifinalist. Then you and your school submit a package with SAT score and grades and an endorsement from the principal, and baded on that the Finalists are selected? Am I undersranding this correctly?
If so... unless you are a Finalist and end up getting a scholarship from a school you're interested in, what do you do with this honor? Add it under 'awards' on the common app? The colleges already know your grades and SAT score so what's the point?
Well, there are tangible benefits and intangible benefits. Together, those benefits make kid's application stronger; tremendiously helpful for lower tier schools than top tier schools but nevertheless there are schools that try very agressively attract NMF/NMS kids - offering, in some case, full ride scholarships. Even without it though, it's an honor that will stay with you for a lifetime. Having said that, most kids who are high performing enough to in the game don't do it for tangible stuff, it's the honor they want, IMHO.
not knocking on nmsf, hope my kid gets it, but seriously to the bolded? No, after HS, no one cares.
Depends on what you mean by "cares." You won the same award as the people below. I think it's an honor.
National Merit and National Achievement Scholars
The following is a list of notable National Merit Scholarship Program honorees, many of whom are listed on the "Scholars You May Know" page on the National Merit Scholarship Corporation website.[15]
John C. Malone (1959)
Elvin Bishop (1960)
Joseph Stiglitz (1960)
Randy Hendricks (1963)
Amory Lovins (1964)
Robert Reich (1964)
Thomas Cech (1966)
Alexa Canady (1967)
Mitch Daniels (1967)
Michael Walsh (1967)
Roger Tsien (1968)
Jerry Greenfield (1969)
Paul Krugman (1970)
Ben Bernanke (1971)
Evelynn M. Hammonds (1971)
Jeffrey Sachs (1972)
Bill Gates (1973)
Jim Cramer (1973)
John Roberts (1973)
Mae Jemison (1973)
Steve Ballmer (1973)
Elena Kagan (1977)
Lisa P. Jackson (1979)
B. Alvin Drew (1980)
Lisa Randall (1980)
Jeff Bezos (1982)
Andrew Gelman (1982)
Susan Rice (1982)
Spencer Wells (1984)
Peter Thiel (1985)
Chubb Rock (1985)[16]
Jeri Ryan (1986)[17]
Lauren Lake (1986)[18]
Linda Rottenberg (1986)
Elliott Smith (1987)[19]
Ted Cruz (1988)[20]
M. Night Shyamalan (1988)
Howard Steven Friedman (1989)[21]
Michael McCullers (1989)
Josh Singer (1990)[22]
Asia Carrera (1991)
Melissa Harris-Perry (1991)
Brooke Magnanti (1992)
Stephenie Meyer (1992)
Felicia Day (1995)
Slater Rhea (2005)[23]
Chubb Rock and Ted Cruz...nice!!
Not impressive because some of them come from very low cutoff states. There are many others who would have been semi-finalists if they went to school in a different state. What's more impressive is scoring 1600 on the SAT.
With much less resources available to them.
Anonymous
09/03/2022 12:13
Subject: National Merit Scholarship Semifinalist
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:So if you meet the cutoff (eg 223 for Maryland) then you are a Natl Merit Semifinalist. Then you and your school submit a package with SAT score and grades and an endorsement from the principal, and baded on that the Finalists are selected? Am I undersranding this correctly?
If so... unless you are a Finalist and end up getting a scholarship from a school you're interested in, what do you do with this honor? Add it under 'awards' on the common app? The colleges already know your grades and SAT score so what's the point?
Well, there are tangible benefits and intangible benefits. Together, those benefits make kid's application stronger; tremendiously helpful for lower tier schools than top tier schools but nevertheless there are schools that try very agressively attract NMF/NMS kids - offering, in some case, full ride scholarships. Even without it though, it's an honor that will stay with you for a lifetime. Having said that, most kids who are high performing enough to in the game don't do it for tangible stuff, it's the honor they want, IMHO.
not knocking on nmsf, hope my kid gets it, but seriously to the bolded? No, after HS, no one cares.
Depends on what you mean by "cares." You won the same award as the people below. I think it's an honor.
National Merit and National Achievement Scholars
The following is a list of notable National Merit Scholarship Program honorees, many of whom are listed on the "Scholars You May Know" page on the National Merit Scholarship Corporation website.[15]
John C. Malone (1959)
Elvin Bishop (1960)
Joseph Stiglitz (1960)
Randy Hendricks (1963)
Amory Lovins (1964)
Robert Reich (1964)
Thomas Cech (1966)
Alexa Canady (1967)
Mitch Daniels (1967)
Michael Walsh (1967)
Roger Tsien (1968)
Jerry Greenfield (1969)
Paul Krugman (1970)
Ben Bernanke (1971)
Evelynn M. Hammonds (1971)
Jeffrey Sachs (1972)
Bill Gates (1973)
Jim Cramer (1973)
John Roberts (1973)
Mae Jemison (1973)
Steve Ballmer (1973)
Elena Kagan (1977)
Lisa P. Jackson (1979)
B. Alvin Drew (1980)
Lisa Randall (1980)
Jeff Bezos (1982)
Andrew Gelman (1982)
Susan Rice (1982)
Spencer Wells (1984)
Peter Thiel (1985)
Chubb Rock (1985)[16]
Jeri Ryan (1986)[17]
Lauren Lake (1986)[18]
Linda Rottenberg (1986)
Elliott Smith (1987)[19]
Ted Cruz (1988)[20]
M. Night Shyamalan (1988)
Howard Steven Friedman (1989)[21]
Michael McCullers (1989)
Josh Singer (1990)[22]
Asia Carrera (1991)
Melissa Harris-Perry (1991)
Brooke Magnanti (1992)
Stephenie Meyer (1992)
Felicia Day (1995)
Slater Rhea (2005)[23]
Chubb Rock and Ted Cruz...nice!!
Not impressive because some of them come from very low cutoff states. There are many others who would have been semi-finalists if they went to school in a different state. What's more impressive is scoring 1600 on the SAT.
Kiddo didn't make the cut huh?
Anonymous
09/03/2022 12:10
Subject: National Merit Scholarship Semifinalist
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:So if you meet the cutoff (eg 223 for Maryland) then you are a Natl Merit Semifinalist. Then you and your school submit a package with SAT score and grades and an endorsement from the principal, and baded on that the Finalists are selected? Am I undersranding this correctly?
If so... unless you are a Finalist and end up getting a scholarship from a school you're interested in, what do you do with this honor? Add it under 'awards' on the common app? The colleges already know your grades and SAT score so what's the point?
Well, there are tangible benefits and intangible benefits. Together, those benefits make kid's application stronger; tremendiously helpful for lower tier schools than top tier schools but nevertheless there are schools that try very agressively attract NMF/NMS kids - offering, in some case, full ride scholarships. Even without it though, it's an honor that will stay with you for a lifetime. Having said that, most kids who are high performing enough to in the game don't do it for tangible stuff, it's the honor they want, IMHO.
not knocking on nmsf, hope my kid gets it, but seriously to the bolded? No, after HS, no one cares.
Depends on what you mean by "cares." You won the same award as the people below. I think it's an honor.
National Merit and National Achievement Scholars
The following is a list of notable National Merit Scholarship Program honorees, many of whom are listed on the "Scholars You May Know" page on the National Merit Scholarship Corporation website.[15]
John C. Malone (1959)
Elvin Bishop (1960)
Joseph Stiglitz (1960)
Randy Hendricks (1963)
Amory Lovins (1964)
Robert Reich (1964)
Thomas Cech (1966)
Alexa Canady (1967)
Mitch Daniels (1967)
Michael Walsh (1967)
Roger Tsien (1968)
Jerry Greenfield (1969)
Paul Krugman (1970)
Ben Bernanke (1971)
Evelynn M. Hammonds (1971)
Jeffrey Sachs (1972)
Bill Gates (1973)
Jim Cramer (1973)
John Roberts (1973)
Mae Jemison (1973)
Steve Ballmer (1973)
Elena Kagan (1977)
Lisa P. Jackson (1979)
B. Alvin Drew (1980)
Lisa Randall (1980)
Jeff Bezos (1982)
Andrew Gelman (1982)
Susan Rice (1982)
Spencer Wells (1984)
Peter Thiel (1985)
Chubb Rock (1985)[16]
Jeri Ryan (1986)[17]
Lauren Lake (1986)[18]
Linda Rottenberg (1986)
Elliott Smith (1987)[19]
Ted Cruz (1988)[20]
M. Night Shyamalan (1988)
Howard Steven Friedman (1989)[21]
Michael McCullers (1989)
Josh Singer (1990)[22]
Asia Carrera (1991)
Melissa Harris-Perry (1991)
Brooke Magnanti (1992)
Stephenie Meyer (1992)
Felicia Day (1995)
Slater Rhea (2005)[23]
Chubb Rock and Ted Cruz...nice!!
Not impressive because some of them come from very low cutoff states. There are many others who would have been semi-finalists if they went to school in a different state. What's more impressive is scoring 1600 on the SAT.
Anonymous
09/03/2022 11:08
Subject: National Merit Scholarship Semifinalist
Compass is reporting that MD cutoff is 222. Anyone from VA or DC hear yet?
Anonymous
09/02/2022 17:56
Subject: National Merit Scholarship Semifinalist
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:
If so... unless you are a Finalist and end up getting a scholarship from a school you're interested in, what do you do with this honor? Add it under 'awards' on the common app? The colleges already know your grades and SAT score so what's the point?
Exactly, DS is well above the cutoff in MD, but no too excited. Not interested in the colleges offering scholarships, no hook for ivies(also can’t afford and not qualified for FA) will probably go to UMD
In the same place with DS in MD, I am trying to get him to at least apply to Fordham so he has 1 possible NMF option. The only thing NMF will get them is a free application to UMD, but I think you have to wait for it to be official and request a refund. Older brother was also NMF 10 years ago - the options then where so much better. NMF won't be listed in awards section of common ap either (included in additional info).
Why wouldn't it be listed in the awards section?
New poster, but maybe this is relevant:
"National Merit
If you have fewer than five awards listed in your Honors section, feel free to include a National Merit designation here. Commended Student and Semifinalist should be listed at the state level, while Finalist and Scholar should be listed at the National level. However, if you have five awards that are less common and more impressive than a National Merit award, you may choose to include it in the additional information section or your resume. It will already be clear that you have high test scores from your SAT or ACT."
https://blog.collegevine.com/reporting-honors-and-awards-in-the-common-app/
Anonymous
09/02/2022 15:14
Subject: National Merit Scholarship Semifinalist
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:So if you meet the cutoff (eg 223 for Maryland) then you are a Natl Merit Semifinalist. Then you and your school submit a package with SAT score and grades and an endorsement from the principal, and baded on that the Finalists are selected? Am I undersranding this correctly?
If so... unless you are a Finalist and end up getting a scholarship from a school you're interested in, what do you do with this honor? Add it under 'awards' on the common app? The colleges already know your grades and SAT score so what's the point?
Just to be clear, there is no evidence that the cutoff in MD is 223. All we have is one person reporting that their kid made it and that kid had a 223. Cutoff is likely lower. If anyone else in MD has been notified with lower than 223, it would be helpful for others to share that.
My kid had a 223 last year in MD but the cutoff was 224.
Anonymous
09/02/2022 15:03
Subject: National Merit Scholarship Semifinalist
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:
If so... unless you are a Finalist and end up getting a scholarship from a school you're interested in, what do you do with this honor? Add it under 'awards' on the common app? The colleges already know your grades and SAT score so what's the point?
Exactly, DS is well above the cutoff in MD, but no too excited. Not interested in the colleges offering scholarships, no hook for ivies(also can’t afford and not qualified for FA) will probably go to UMD
In the same place with DS in MD, I am trying to get him to at least apply to Fordham so he has 1 possible NMF option. The only thing NMF will get them is a free application to UMD, but I think you have to wait for it to be official and request a refund. Older brother was also NMF 10 years ago - the options then where so much better. NMF won't be listed in awards section of common ap either (included in additional info).
Why wouldn't it be listed in the awards section?
Anonymous
09/02/2022 14:25
Subject: National Merit Scholarship Semifinalist
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:So if you meet the cutoff (eg 223 for Maryland) then you are a Natl Merit Semifinalist. Then you and your school submit a package with SAT score and grades and an endorsement from the principal, and baded on that the Finalists are selected? Am I undersranding this correctly?
If so... unless you are a Finalist and end up getting a scholarship from a school you're interested in, what do you do with this honor? Add it under 'awards' on the common app? The colleges already know your grades and SAT score so what's the point?
Well, there are tangible benefits and intangible benefits. Together, those benefits make kid's application stronger; tremendiously helpful for lower tier schools than top tier schools but nevertheless there are schools that try very agressively attract NMF/NMS kids - offering, in some case, full ride scholarships. Even without it though, it's an honor that will stay with you for a lifetime. Having said that, most kids who are high performing enough to in the game don't do it for tangible stuff, it's the honor they want, IMHO.
not knocking on nmsf, hope my kid gets it, but seriously to the bolded? No, after HS, no one cares.
Depends on what you mean by "cares." You won the same award as the people below. I think it's an honor.
National Merit and National Achievement Scholars
The following is a list of notable National Merit Scholarship Program honorees, many of whom are listed on the "Scholars You May Know" page on the National Merit Scholarship Corporation website.[15]
John C. Malone (1959)
Elvin Bishop (1960)
Joseph Stiglitz (1960)
Randy Hendricks (1963)
Amory Lovins (1964)
Robert Reich (1964)
Thomas Cech (1966)
Alexa Canady (1967)
Mitch Daniels (1967)
Michael Walsh (1967)
Roger Tsien (1968)
Jerry Greenfield (1969)
Paul Krugman (1970)
Ben Bernanke (1971)
Evelynn M. Hammonds (1971)
Jeffrey Sachs (1972)
Bill Gates (1973)
Jim Cramer (1973)
John Roberts (1973)
Mae Jemison (1973)
Steve Ballmer (1973)
Elena Kagan (1977)
Lisa P. Jackson (1979)
B. Alvin Drew (1980)
Lisa Randall (1980)
Jeff Bezos (1982)
Andrew Gelman (1982)
Susan Rice (1982)
Spencer Wells (1984)
Peter Thiel (1985)
Chubb Rock (1985)[16]
Jeri Ryan (1986)[17]
Lauren Lake (1986)[18]
Linda Rottenberg (1986)
Elliott Smith (1987)[19]
Ted Cruz (1988)[20]
M. Night Shyamalan (1988)
Howard Steven Friedman (1989)[21]
Michael McCullers (1989)
Josh Singer (1990)[22]
Asia Carrera (1991)
Melissa Harris-Perry (1991)
Brooke Magnanti (1992)
Stephenie Meyer (1992)
Felicia Day (1995)
Slater Rhea (2005)[23]
Chubb Rock and Ted Cruz...nice!!
Anonymous
09/02/2022 14:08
Subject: National Merit Scholarship Semifinalist
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:So if you meet the cutoff (eg 223 for Maryland) then you are a Natl Merit Semifinalist. Then you and your school submit a package with SAT score and grades and an endorsement from the principal, and baded on that the Finalists are selected? Am I undersranding this correctly?
If so... unless you are a Finalist and end up getting a scholarship from a school you're interested in, what do you do with this honor? Add it under 'awards' on the common app? The colleges already know your grades and SAT score so what's the point?
Well, there are tangible benefits and intangible benefits. Together, those benefits make kid's application stronger; tremendiously helpful for lower tier schools than top tier schools but nevertheless there are schools that try very agressively attract NMF/NMS kids - offering, in some case, full ride scholarships. Even without it though, it's an honor that will stay with you for a lifetime. Having said that, most kids who are high performing enough to in the game don't do it for tangible stuff, it's the honor they want, IMHO.
not knocking on nmsf, hope my kid gets it, but seriously to the bolded? No, after HS, no one cares.
Not our experience. Our kids have always included NMF in their applications to post college opportunities - jobs, PhD programs, and medical schools. While I can't say how much, it seemed to help.
Anonymous
09/02/2022 13:53
Subject: National Merit Scholarship Semifinalist
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:So if you meet the cutoff (eg 223 for Maryland) then you are a Natl Merit Semifinalist. Then you and your school submit a package with SAT score and grades and an endorsement from the principal, and baded on that the Finalists are selected? Am I undersranding this correctly?
If so... unless you are a Finalist and end up getting a scholarship from a school you're interested in, what do you do with this honor? Add it under 'awards' on the common app? The colleges already know your grades and SAT score so what's the point?
Well, there are tangible benefits and intangible benefits. Together, those benefits make kid's application stronger; tremendiously helpful for lower tier schools than top tier schools but nevertheless there are schools that try very agressively attract NMF/NMS kids - offering, in some case, full ride scholarships. Even without it though, it's an honor that will stay with you for a lifetime. Having said that, most kids who are high performing enough to in the game don't do it for tangible stuff, it's the honor they want, IMHO.
not knocking on nmsf, hope my kid gets it, but seriously to the bolded? No, after HS, no one cares.
Depends on what you mean by "cares." You won the same award as the people below. I think it's an honor.
National Merit and National Achievement Scholars
The following is a list of notable National Merit Scholarship Program honorees, many of whom are listed on the "Scholars You May Know" page on the National Merit Scholarship Corporation website.[15]
John C. Malone (1959)
Elvin Bishop (1960)
Joseph Stiglitz (1960)
Randy Hendricks (1963)
Amory Lovins (1964)
Robert Reich (1964)
Thomas Cech (1966)
Alexa Canady (1967)
Mitch Daniels (1967)
Michael Walsh (1967)
Roger Tsien (1968)
Jerry Greenfield (1969)
Paul Krugman (1970)
Ben Bernanke (1971)
Evelynn M. Hammonds (1971)
Jeffrey Sachs (1972)
Bill Gates (1973)
Jim Cramer (1973)
John Roberts (1973)
Mae Jemison (1973)
Steve Ballmer (1973)
Elena Kagan (1977)
Lisa P. Jackson (1979)
B. Alvin Drew (1980)
Lisa Randall (1980)
Jeff Bezos (1982)
Andrew Gelman (1982)
Susan Rice (1982)
Spencer Wells (1984)
Peter Thiel (1985)
Chubb Rock (1985)[16]
Jeri Ryan (1986)[17]
Lauren Lake (1986)[18]
Linda Rottenberg (1986)
Elliott Smith (1987)[19]
Ted Cruz (1988)[20]
M. Night Shyamalan (1988)
Howard Steven Friedman (1989)[21]
Michael McCullers (1989)
Josh Singer (1990)[22]
Asia Carrera (1991)
Melissa Harris-Perry (1991)
Brooke Magnanti (1992)
Stephenie Meyer (1992)
Felicia Day (1995)
Slater Rhea (2005)[23]
Anonymous
09/02/2022 13:47
Subject: National Merit Scholarship Semifinalist
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:So if you meet the cutoff (eg 223 for Maryland) then you are a Natl Merit Semifinalist. Then you and your school submit a package with SAT score and grades and an endorsement from the principal, and baded on that the Finalists are selected? Am I undersranding this correctly?
If so... unless you are a Finalist and end up getting a scholarship from a school you're interested in, what do you do with this honor? Add it under 'awards' on the common app? The colleges already know your grades and SAT score so what's the point?
Well, there are tangible benefits and intangible benefits. Together, those benefits make kid's application stronger; tremendiously helpful for lower tier schools than top tier schools but nevertheless there are schools that try very agressively attract NMF/NMS kids - offering, in some case, full ride scholarships. Even without it though, it's an honor that will stay with you for a lifetime. Having said that, most kids who are high performing enough to in the game don't do it for tangible stuff, it's the honor they want, IMHO.
not knocking on nmsf, hope my kid gets it, but seriously to the bolded? No, after HS, no one cares.