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National Merit Scholar numbers down at top schools

Sign that standardized exams are being de-emphasized? http:...
multi-colored kitchen
  01/16/07
...
glittery flirting ratface
  01/16/07
You are off a bit
Sable talented son of senegal range
  01/16/07
Do you have a link to this year's report
Mind-boggling Pearly Athletic Conference Church
  01/16/07
Not yet.
Sable talented son of senegal range
  01/16/07
Ok, right. Copied the wrong column (two years ago) for Harva...
multi-colored kitchen
  01/16/07
The Ivies, Duke, Stanford, Michigan, Berkeley, Caltech, Geor...
Sable talented son of senegal range
  01/16/07
Berkeley's policy of not sponsoring NM scholarships has now ...
multi-colored kitchen
  01/16/07
Northwestern does -- but why bother?
Cyan fear-inspiring toaster prole
  01/16/07
$100k per year seems pretty steep just for being able to mak...
multi-colored kitchen
  01/16/07
Many schools are "buying" NMS winners now
Sable talented son of senegal range
  01/16/07
Essentially a parade of TTTs.
Cyan fear-inspiring toaster prole
  01/16/07
You couldn't buy or legacy your daughter into Harvard.
Fighting cracking stage
  01/16/07
Florida will be cutting back on this type of "merit aid"
Sable talented son of senegal range
  01/16/07
Florida's provost is dead wrong. Nobody is going to throw a...
electric tan giraffe
  01/17/07
As I understand the point ...
Sable talented son of senegal range
  01/17/07


Poast new message in this thread





Date: January 16th, 2007 2:44 PM
Author: multi-colored kitchen

Sign that standardized exams are being de-emphasized?

http://phoenix.bizjournals.com/phoenix/stories/2007/01/08/daily35.html

This year's totals at the top four targets of externally-sponsored scholars:

Harvard 294 (up from 287 last year)

Yale 186 (232)

Stanford 153 (194)

Princeton 153 (180)

Also, numbers are up at many schools that sponsor their own scholarships:

Florida 257 (up from 230 last year), Texas 250 (262), WUStL 241 (169), USC 206 (190), Northwestern 198 (174), Chicago 196 (187), Arizona St 188 (156)

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=564737&forum_id=1#7430613)





Date: January 16th, 2007 3:05 PM
Author: glittery flirting ratface



(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=564737&forum_id=1#7430684)





Date: January 16th, 2007 3:42 PM
Author: Sable talented son of senegal range
Subject: You are off a bit

If the Harvard number is 294, as reported, that is up a bit from 287 last year. The other elites are down this year, as you report.

ASU only has about 20 "externally sponsored" NMS winners - the rest are just finalists that it "converts" into winners by giving them merit money itself.

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=564737&forum_id=1#7430910)





Date: January 16th, 2007 3:53 PM
Author: Mind-boggling Pearly Athletic Conference Church

Do you have a link to this year's report

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=564737&forum_id=1#7430970)





Date: January 16th, 2007 3:56 PM
Author: Sable talented son of senegal range
Subject: Not yet.

There will be a press release later this month, and the COHE will report the data in full, being careful to break out the "institutionally sponsored" winners.

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=564737&forum_id=1#7430981)





Date: January 16th, 2007 4:12 PM
Author: multi-colored kitchen

Ok, right. Copied the wrong column (two years ago) for Harvard, will fix.

Re ASU, similar is true for all other schools in the second group, which is why I grouped them separately from HYPS.

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=564737&forum_id=1#7431065)





Date: January 16th, 2007 4:28 PM
Author: Sable talented son of senegal range

The Ivies, Duke, Stanford, Michigan, Berkeley, Caltech, Georgetown and MIT etc., do not award the "institutionally sponsored" NMS scholarships.

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=564737&forum_id=1#7431139)





Date: January 16th, 2007 4:50 PM
Author: multi-colored kitchen

Berkeley's policy of not sponsoring NM scholarships has now been extended to the rest of the UC system. Virginia and Illinois don't sponsor the scholarships either.

While I'm at it, other private schools that don't sponsor the scholarships include: Amherst, Williams, Swarthmore, Notre Dame and Carnegie Mellon.

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=564737&forum_id=1#7431244)





Date: January 16th, 2007 5:04 PM
Author: Cyan fear-inspiring toaster prole
Subject: Northwestern does -- but why bother?

Do other financing options exist?

Northwestern participates in the National Merit and National Achievement scholarship programs. To qualify you must be a National Merit finalist and name Northwestern as your first-choice school (as to where you plan to attend if admitted). The amount of National Merit awards will range from a minimum of $500 up to $2000.

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=564737&forum_id=1#7431312)





Date: January 16th, 2007 6:17 PM
Author: multi-colored kitchen

$100k per year seems pretty steep just for being able to make a hollow claim of enrolling "more National Merit Scholars than Yale, Stanford or MIT!" My guess would be that they are keeping up with the Joneses (i.e., Chicago and Wash U). Whatever their reason, it is interesting that they are now getting such a high number of NM scholars.

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=564737&forum_id=1#7431684)





Date: January 16th, 2007 3:47 PM
Author: Sable talented son of senegal range
Subject: Many schools are "buying" NMS winners now

Here is a list of schools giving fullrides to NMS winners:

http://homepage.mac.com/l_j/secondhome/National_Merit.html

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=564737&forum_id=1#7430936)





Date: January 16th, 2007 3:51 PM
Author: Cyan fear-inspiring toaster prole

Essentially a parade of TTTs.

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=564737&forum_id=1#7430957)





Date: January 16th, 2007 4:19 PM
Author: Fighting cracking stage

You couldn't buy or legacy your daughter into Harvard.

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=564737&forum_id=1#7431102)





Date: January 16th, 2007 4:01 PM
Author: Sable talented son of senegal range
Subject: Florida will be cutting back on this type of "merit aid"

"One of the major players in merit aid is reversing course.

The University of Florida will substantially cut the financial incentives it has used for decades to attract National Merit Scholars, both to save money, and because university officials say the institution achieved its goal of attracting top students.

Florida had 230 National Merit Scholars in the 2005 entering class, the third most in the nation behind only Harvard and Yale Universities.

For at least 20 years, those students, who are selected based largely on how they score on the PSAT, but also on grades and their ultimate SAT score, have received $22,000 over eight semesters, if they are Florida residents. Out of state students received $38,000 and had out-of-state tuition waived. An additional $2,000 was available for students to use for independent projects or study abroad.

In-state National Merit Scholars entering next fall, however, will get $5,000, and out-of-staters will get $17,000 plus the out-of-state tuition waiver. The extra project money will be reduced from $2,000 to $1,000. Students who have financial need will be treated the same as previously, with regard to need-based aid. Students who have financial need will be treated the same as previously with regard to need-based aid.

Janie Fouke, Florida’s provost, said she analyzed incoming classes, and found that the National Merit Scholars are “statistically indistinguishable from the next 1,000 students that we admit,” she said. “I’m thinking, ‘I’m spending $8 or $10 million and not changing the profile of the freshman class’” ......

http://insidehighered.com/news/2006/07/13/florida

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=564737&forum_id=1#7431013)





Date: January 17th, 2007 11:50 AM
Author: electric tan giraffe

Florida's provost is dead wrong. Nobody is going to throw away their opportunity to get a top college credential without a large financial incentive.

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=564737&forum_id=1#7436245)





Date: January 17th, 2007 11:57 AM
Author: Sable talented son of senegal range
Subject: As I understand the point ...

The proivost agrees with you. He concluded that not many NMS finalists or semi-finalists were actually ATTRACTED to Florida by the merit money ... they just said "thank you very much" and took the proffered tuition reduction.

Any Ivy or other top elite could probably, likewise, triple or quadruple its list of NMS "winners" if it wanted to annoint all its finalists or semi-finalists.

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=564737&forum_id=1#7436291)