Good thoughts for my little bro please...

[SoonerTexan]

Sure, some of it comes from being "smart" to begin with, but seriously, the majority of it is just good test-taking skills. Anybody who has a decent score to begin with can has a good shot of getting National Merit, especially in some of the smaller states. My bro's high school identifies all sophomores that get a certain score and puts them through a 9 week course that teaches them the tricks of the test and has them take it over and over and over. DH did the same thing, but on his own. All three of us increased 30 points without really learning anything new.

Stupid measure of intelligence? Probably. But why not work the system if you can? There are many other universities that give very nice, though not full, scholarships for National Merit, and it can really help you get into a competitive school.

I'd REALLY encourage those of you with kids that age to look into it--especially you PrincessFiona. I bet your oldest would be a shoe-in!

[Thirteen]

Congrats to your brother! Full rides are SO NICE
(Doesn't hurt that he bleeds Crimson, either...)

[SuzySunshine]

Congrats to your brother, I think as a whole they do a better job of telling kids what that test is for then they did when I took it 18 years ago. No one in my family had ever gone to college and I had no idea.

[Michele]

I missed the day they told us about its importance. I took it, but didn't score well enough. Russ did though and that's how he bought his pimp French horn and part of my engagement ring. . Congrats to your brother!

[Vanquisher]

Congrats to your brother. Yeah, I had zero clue it was important. I was sick that day, and I didn't do great on it. DH got it though. I beat him on the ACT though.

I've already talked to my 12 year old about it.


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[scarlett09]

Yay, congrats to your brother!!!! I'm glad the pressure is off, so to speak. And it is interesting about how the scores differ - in NJ, the golden score is 221. And it gets you jack at my alma mater, just like the state distinguished scholar program I mentioned. Probably enough to cover books for 4 years. Hence why they are having issues with the "brain drain".

[ladymoreta]

Heh, Oklahoma still has "brain drain". There just aren't enough jobs here, regardless of how many National Merit scholars we get.

[scarlett09]

Heh, Oklahoma still has "brain drain". There just aren't enough jobs here, regardless of how many National Merit scholars we get.

At least your state school(s) are making an effort to stem the "brain drain". The state schools here don't do a damn thing and the COL/tuition rates are so much higher. I'd be willing to bet that in-state tuition room & board at my alma mater and grad programs (both state schools) is at least $5K higher than what most other state schools are charging. Except maybe UVA.

[SoonerTexan]

A good portion of them head back to Texas...

It really isn't about trying to stem brain drain, it is purely a publicity move. We meant that OU could say they had "The Most National Merit Scholars Per Capita" and parade us across the football field, etc. Apparently affects their rankings too.

If you don't believe me:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nis1wQugDpM (Yours truly is in the crowd of scholarly masses--awful commercial, by the way)

Not that I'm complaining--I didn't mind the "dog and pony show" aspect of it as long as my tuition was paid

[alison]

Oh wow! That is a huge accomplishment! Congratulations to you all! He must be on cloud 9.

[scarlett09]

A good portion of them head back to Texas...

It really isn't about trying to stem brain drain, it is purely a publicity move. We meant that OU could say they had "The Most National Merit Scholars Per Capita" and parade us across the football field, etc. Apparently affects their rankings too.

If you don't believe me:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nis1wQugDpM (Yours truly is in the crowd of scholarly masses--awful commercial, by the way)

Not that I'm complaining--I didn't mind the "dog and pony show" aspect of it as long as my tuition was paid

Hey, you're famous! Ahhhh, college commercials, got to love them! The odd things they decide to highlight and the facts they distort. I saw a Notre Dame commercial this year that really pissed me off - they distorted data about how many of their graduates go onto medical school. It was really how many students went to med school from a particular pre-med program. I think they should have given the stats on how many of those students graduated from med school and matched, lol.

Would you say that most HS students stay in-state for college, but leave for TX after graduation? Our brain drain starts at the HS level: they all choose to go out-of-state for college, then they may return for jobs after graduation, given our location in the NE corridor. Few can attend the best school here - an Ivy League - and people turn their noses up at the best state school, a "public Ivy" and most of the other state schools here. Interesting how the brain drain has a different context in different places.

[diggitydot]

Congrats to your brother! That's awesome!

Was that ASU or U of A in AZ? ASU is always in the top 10 list of party schools. DH hated rotating through the hospital in Tempe during the first couple weeks of a new school year. Lots of drunk kid stories. Enough that he came home one day and announced that NONE of our kids would ever attend ASU, even if offered a full ride scholarship. U of A is a good school, though.

Our oldest is a freshman in high school and has been researching schools for a while now. She had her heart set on Notre Dame (because that's where all of her friends want to go), until she figured out that she REALLY wants to live in Portland, OR. Now she's dreaming of Reed College. Holy crap, this kid has expensive taste.

DD1 took the SATs for the first time in 8th grade. It'll be interesting to how or if her score changes this time around.

[Pollyanna]

Both UA and ASU have the same NMS benefits. Interesting fact about ASU, they have something like a 98% acceptance rate. Seriously, a pulse seems to be the

[SoonerTexan]

Both UA and ASU have the same NMS benefits.

I didn't know that--but I haven't checked in 5 years!

Would you say that most HS students stay in-state for college, but leave for TX after graduation?

OU is kind of a unique situation--a good portion of the student population is from Texas to begin with. They actually have a designated recruiter for N. Texas and you see almost as many OU bumper stickers as UT and A&M around here. So many of those students (like me) just want to go home after graduation. Or many find a job in Texas because it is a bigger job market--though honestly I thought Oklahoma was doing pretty dang good in growth--thought I read they were in the Top 10 fastest growing cities or something like that. There were a decent number of job opportunities in Oklahoma when I graduated (less than usual due to the economy though)

And you might have to be willing to move to Bartlesville, Ok. I was not

[SoonerTexan]

ASU is always in the top 10 list of party schools.

Maybe it has something to do with being a large urban school? I've always heard ASU compared to UT (downtown Austin, 50K+ students). UT was ranked the Top Party School by Playboy this year...in-laws were thrilled to hear that as SIL started at UT this year...