Our ds applied for it when he was a hs senior. It's been a few years so I don't remember the details, but I don't recall that it took much extra time and think he was able to use bits and pieces of what he had already put together anyway for college apps and National Merit etc. I think the invitation to apply is based on either PSAT or SAT scores... or maybe NMSF list... and if I remember correctly they only choose 2 students per state? It might be worth asking his hs counselor what the prospects are of actually qualifying for it.

FWIW, two years out of hs, I probably would have encouraged our ds to apply for fewer scholarships, fewer schools, fewer everything. He spent so much of senior year just filling out essay questions and applying for schools etc - I would rather he'd had that time to just go outside and play lol. I have a not-quite-so-highly gifted dd who is a senior in hs this year - she wasn't in the rat race for NMSF and all that, didn't choose to apply to the universities that are so highly selective it turns into somewhat random selection for who out of the perfect SAT scores gets admitted... and she's had such a different experience as a senior! She was accepted to every school she applied for (with one exception she's still waiting to hear from - a state school that doesn't inform anyone until 3/1), didn't have to write an essay for any of them, didn't go through Common App, had time for both grinding homework in challenging academic classes plus a happy high school social life, and ironically... has received scholarship offers that are in the same range NMSF ds received. Just interesting how relatively stress-free her senior year has been compared to ds'.

Best wishes,

polarbear

Last edited by polarbear; 01/23/20 12:01 PM.