Is National Merit Commended Scholar impressive?

Congratulations on becoming a National Merit Commended Scholar! It's an amazing accomplishment that reflects your hard work and academic abilities. You should definitely include it in the honors and awards section of your college applications, as admissions officers will recognize the value of this achievement.

What does it mean to be commended National Merit?

Commended Students

In recognition of their outstanding ability and potential for academic success in college, NMSC will honor these students by sending Letters of Commendation to them through their high schools.

Is being a National Merit Scholar impressive?

It's no wonder why many colleges are excited to welcome National Merit Finalists to their campuses—they're among the most sought-after students in the nation, having scored highly on standardized tests and having demonstrated academic excellence during their high school years.

What percentile is National Merit Commended Scholar?

The top 3-4% of scorers are named Commended Scholar. The top 1%, usually about 16,000 students, are named National Merit Semifinalists.

What level of recognition is commended Scholar?

One level of recognition within the National Merit Scholarship Program is Commended Student status. This designation is given to those students who score within a certain range on the PSAT, but do not meet the requirements for Semifinalist or Finalist standing.

National Merit Scholarship Program: What Is It and How It Works?

Is National Merit Commended prestigious?

Reaching the status of National Merit Commended Scholar or Semifinalist is a strong indicator of your academic excellence to include in your application and may enable you to apply for Special Scholarships. The best way to get yourself in the running for the National Merit Scholarship is to prepare for the PSAT/NMSQT.

Should I put National Merit Commended Scholar on resume?

You should list academic honors on your resume as long as they are relevant to the position you are applying for or demonstrate a significant achievement. Generally, if you have received academic honors in the past five to seven years, they can still be included on your resume.

How do I know if I am a National Merit Commended Scholar?

Students whose scores qualify them for recognition in the National Merit Program will be notified through their high schools in September following the test administration.

How are National Merit Commended students chosen?

The NMSC uses its own Selection Index to determine which students qualify as Commended Students and Semifinalists. In general, students who score in the top 3-4% are named Commended Scholars, while students who score in the top 1% are deemed Semifinalists. Students are compared on a state-by-state basis.

Do colleges care about National Merit Scholar?

At the very least, doing well in the National Merit Scholarship Program can boost your odds in the college application process. Award amounts are the focus of many frequently asked questions about the scholarship program and its benefits, but dollars aren't the only measure of how Merit Scholars benefit.

How rare is a National Merit Scholar?

Of the 1.5 million applicants who submitted a PSAT score, there are only 7,250 National Merit Scholarship winners. This means you have a 0.5% chance of becoming a National Merit Scholar, making this one of the most competitive merit-based scholarships.

Are National Merit Scholars smart?

Assuming the lower bound is 131, the median National Merit Scholar (a student at the 50th percentile of the group) will have an IQ of 135.

What is the benefit of being a National Merit Scholar?

In the National Merit^® Scholarship Program, three types of Merit Scholarship^® awards are offered to Finalists: National Merit $2500 Scholarships, corporate-sponsored Merit Scholarship awards, and college-sponsored Merit Scholarship awards.

What is the cut off for National Merit Scholarship commended students?

Eligible students who have a Selection Index at or above the cutoffs will be named Semifinalists. Students who miss the Semifinalist cutoff will be named Commended Students if they have Selection Indexes at or above 207.

What is a commended national scholar?

1. Commended Scholar: Students who earn this designation have placed in the top 50,000 scorers on the PSAT (out of about 1.5 million test-takers). This recognition doesn't come with any monetary awards; however, it can still strengthen a student's application and show colleges a high level of academic achievement.

What percent of people get National Merit Commended?

Those not making Semifinalist – about 34.000 of the 50.000, and about 3-4% of all PSAT takers – are "Commended", and receive a Letter of Commendation; they do not continue in the competition for Merit Scholarship awards.

How do you know if you are a commended student?

Although you can use the Compass projections to estimate whether you are likely to qualify as a Commended Student or Semifinalist, there is no way of knowing your official status until high schools are notified by NMSC in early September of your senior year (sometimes schools hear by late August).

Is National Merit Commended a state or national award?

The following information is from the Common Application Knowledgebase (but applies to University of California and other applications as well): National Merit Commended Scholar and National Merit Semifinalist recognition are both appropriately designated as State/Regional honors.

Should I put commended Scholar on common app?

NMS Commended usually goes on the Awards/Honors section of the Common App, and it's relatively prestigious. Both.

What is the difference between National Merit Scholar and Scholar finalist?

Finalists are named Scholars (what the contest calls the scholarship winners) based on the strength of their applications. National Merit Scholars typically have outstanding applications that demonstrate their academic commitment, extracurricular and community involvement, passion, and drive.

Should I put that I graduated with honors on my resume?

If you graduated with honors, you should list it prominently on your resume, usually under the education section.

How do I list National Merit Commended on common app?

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.

What is a National Merit Scholar with a letter of commendation?

In the National Merit Scholarship Program in the United States, a "commended scholar" is a student who scored in the top 3-4% of PSAT/NMSQT test-takers in their state, but did not score high enough to become a semifinalist in the program.

Does Harvard care about National Merit?

In fact, very few of the most competitive colleges and universities sponsor National Merit Scholarships®. That doesn't mean these schools don't have National Merit Scholars®. In 2020, Stanford enrolled 172, Harvard 183, and MIT 159. None of these students received National Merit Scholarships® to attend these schools.

How much money does a National Merit Scholar get?

They are as follows: National Merit Scholarships: $2,500 toward freshman year only. Corporate-sponsored Merit Scholarship awards: These are four-year renewable awards that range from $500 to $2,000 per year.