Gifted Issues Discussion homepage Forums Twice Exceptional I shouldn't have looked.

I know I'm going to sound a bit whinny. But I need somewhere to lick my wounds.

I stupidly took a look at the National Merit Semi-Finalists from our H.S. It's large as usual and I know most of those names because 3/4 or more of the list were kids in my son's 4-6th grade gifted class. And conversely at least 3/4 of that class was on the list, and some of them are missing because they went to different H.S. or moved. I know my son could have made semi-finalist list if he had a) spent just a bit more time studying and b) taken the extra time the school physiologist got from college board. Taking that extra time was partly his fault & partly that of the staff member in charge who didn't give him the proper directions. (Who has since gone on maternity leave and not returned.)

I know it isn't really going to make any difference to his college apps because of his grades, his SAT scores (he did great when he took the extra time) & where he is applying. He wouldn't make finalist because of his grades. And he should get commended, but I talked with the new staff member & she doesn't know about those letters. I not sure why I'm so disappointed but I am. I guess with all the ups & downs I figured this would be his place to shine. SIGH..

If it makes you feel any better, neither DH or I came close to National Merit Semis even though we excelled in everything else (SATs, grades, college acceptance). Like, individually, we had these weird blocks when it came to PSATs. I took the PSATs from 9th -12th grade and did comparatively badly each time.

I know you're licking your wounds and you know that it doesn't matter in the long run, but I just thought it'd help to hear about two others who also just didn't shine when it came to National Merits or the PSATs.

We, too, know 3/4 of the names on our high school's list, but I was more surprised by the names NOT on the list (and I don't mean DS). I'm curious to see if any of them make Finalist.

I hear you on the extra time. DS doesn't want to take the extra time, alternate location, alternate assignment accommodations. If he had them when he was testing, he would have been simply assigned to the extra time room, and if that didn't happen, as with your DS, he wouldn't have said anything.

Don't worry about it - NMSF won't help much with college admissions. Most of the big National Merit scholarships (given by colleges, not the NMSC) require making Finalist, and some years even one C on the transcript and you don't make NMF.

Middle kid is a college freshman this year and she was NMSF (and NMF). Did not help her at all with college admissions. She didn't get in to her first choice. She is now at a school which she always liked, and is very happy. She has a full tuition scholarship, but that was not based on NMSF - the school has their own application and there wasn't even a spot to describe awards. Her college has no idea that she made NMSF/NMF.

NotherBen,as for kids making Finalist, most will make it. 16,000 Semifinalists are named and 15,000 become Finalists.

When he took the SAT.. school fell down on the job. And unlike the previous year with the Math SAT II's they didn't contact us, I had to contract them. He refused to take the use a computer for the essay, and we didn't get the SAT accommodations changed in time. If we got that figured out in time he could have taken it at the regular testing center. He ended up taking the SAT on a Tues afternoon the same week he took AP's. These failures partly happened because of the same person who messed up the PSAT, she went on maternity leave in the spring. (And then didn't come back this fall... meaning all the college stuff is slow to start up.)

We failed to really think thew how long it was and they never gave him a break for lunch, nor did we provide him for it. The extra-time and a half make the test really really long & he said never again. He did well enough though that we can make that true. Particularly given his grades, getting a few more points on the SAT isn't going to change his acceptance level.