Click here to go to the NEW College Discussion Forum

Hi guys, I'm a prospective National Merit Finalist hoping to get big bucks from my local state university! I know lots of colleges only give money to finalists if the finalist declares that college as their first-choice school. How does one go about declaring a school as one's first choice? Does the process have anything to do with the letter from the National Merit Corp that people with high scores received in the mail recently...or does it happen later on in the fall of senior year when they formally determine who makes the cut? Thanks in advance!

By Stephenpmi (Stephenpmi) on Wednesday, April 28, 2004 - 09:57 pm: Edit

The first choice stuff comes in the fall (and you can still change your first choice until the spring)...the High Scorer letter basically gives you a chance to show a couple of colleges your interest in them. Tier 1 schools probably don't care that much...but it will get you on the mailing list. Put down a couple of selective, but not ultraselective schools that you'd like to go to with a lot of merit aid. You may just become one of their top prospects.