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Is being a National Merit semi-finalist a significant plus in applying to selective colleges? It may seem like an obvious answer, but it seems like tons of people on this board (almost all) got it, and I dont see how it would make one stand out from another.

By Aparent (Aparent) on Tuesday, September 09, 2003 - 08:50 am: Edit

I'm sure it's not a minus, but the universities like to boast about the number of National Merit *Scholars* they attract, not the number of semifinalists, since, as you point out, there are thousands and thousands of the latter. You don't find out about Scholar status until May, if I'm not mistaken. So...I'm guessing that if you are a semifinalist they evaluate the whole application in light of the question, "Is this person likely to be a NM Scholar?" If your overall record is good, that must be helpful. According to a book I read recently by a Harvard adcom rep, they even evaluate applications by asking whether the person is likely to eventually win prestigious fellowships.

By Massdad (Massdad) on Tuesday, September 09, 2003 - 10:59 am: Edit

For SOME schools, being a merit finalist will help. These are typically upwardly mobile (second tier) institutions that are looking to generate favorable stats. Some even offer modest merit scholarships to selectees. In this case, they can talk about the number of *Scholars* they have attending. Because of this, the real stat folks look at is the number of externally sponsored NM scholars.

Now, for the elites, I don't think it matters at all. Here's why:

- the test is a short, school administered exam. This means the Standard Error of Measurement is quite high.

- the cutoff score (formally called Selection Index) varies quite a bit from state to state, from about 203 to over 222, so you've got a pretty heterogenous group in the finalist pool.

Because of these issues, schools rely on SAT scores for comparing and evaluating students. If you are good enough to be a NM finalist, you can probably go to schools where it does not matter. Curious, no?

By Aparent (Aparent) on Tuesday, September 09, 2003 - 11:30 am: Edit

http://www.fas.harvard.edu/~admisweb/stats/Prof06_files/frame.htm

Click on "Enrolling the Best" at the left side of the above webpage. You will see that Harvard is definitely aware of the number of National Merit Scholars it attracts. Even the very top schools like to brag about their National Merit Scholars, probably because several of the rankings mention these numbers. Semifinalists are far more numerous and, as Massdad says, the colleges who get excited about them are those who are trying to up their own stats. Get ready for letters from Arizona State...

By Trojan1444 (Trojan1444) on Wednesday, September 10, 2003 - 10:21 pm: Edit

bump

By Spacechic20 (Spacechic20) on Thursday, September 25, 2003 - 07:44 pm: Edit

keep in mind that anyone on a college website is probably very motivated. There are plenty of kids applying who didnt get the semifinalist status.