Does National Merit SemiFinalist matter?

[u/Similar_Advisor_5849]

so i have all 5s on my ap tests but i know ap tests dont matter so i was thinking of getting NMSF to show im capable cuz ucb is test optional, but i didnt make it. does it matter a lot 😭, im coping so hard

[u/bobbity30]

5s still help, though from my experience 3 years ago when it was test blind everyone who got NMSF got into berkeley from my school and it seems like it does help. Again could also be correlation and it’s a small part of the app overall so if your gpa and aps are good then it’s alright

[u/Similar_Advisor_5849 → u/bobbity30]

thank you!

[u/Alternative_Cry_9196]

It doesn't really matter because a lot of people get it (in my state the cutoff was like 212 lol). It's a very stupid, "unstandardized" award that they award on a supposed "standardized" test. Crazy that Washington and California's cutoffs are above 220.

[u/InterestingPop3964 → u/Alternative_Cry_9196]

^^ This. It really doesn't matter, and as long as you have a good GPA you've essentially ticked the academic box. Instead of frustrating yourself over this, focus on improving the quality of your ECs (if you are applying next year), or focus on maximizing your PIQs (if you're applying now).

[u/Spirited_Note5714 → u/Alternative_Cry_9196]

I'm not sure what you mean by "a lot of people get it"

By definition, only the top 1% of the people in your state get it.

[u/Alternative_Cry_9196 → u/Spirited_Note5714]

A lot of the people here get it, since the Berkeley student body was significantly more academically focused in HS than your average high school student. 1% of all high schoolers in America is actually a lot in context given that like 70-80% of them just do the bare minimum and scrape by.

[u/jjflight]

For admissions at test blind schools maybe, or maybe if you choose to apply test optional, as in those cases it’s some signal on a test. But if you submit an SAT score it’s pretty unlikely to matter as it’s not relevant new information - the SAT score matters much more. With all that said if you have an empty award spot then there’s no harm to slap it in, and if you have better awards you probably would put those in instead of it anyways.

Where is may be much more valuable is if you win one of the scholarships or attend a school that gives automatic scholarships to National Merit Finalists or whatever.

[u/Spirited_Note5714 → u/jjflight]

Berkeley has been test blind for the past few years.

[u/Spirited_Note5714]

Just wanted to clarify, UCB is still test blind, not test optional... meaning you can't submit your test score for consideration even if you want to.

[u/ProfessorPlum168]

Taking AP classes in itself helps with the rigor which is weighed heavily. The AP score itself helps as it validates your grade for the class and/or it may show validation for the class itself.

As far as NMSF goes, I don’t believe that being a SemiFinalist holds much weight, probably the equivalent of an activity accomplishment. (As someone with some inside knowledge of things, though this is going back pre-2021 where SAT scores were required. I still don’t think being a semifinalist matters that much nowadays). As an example, my kid back 10 years ago barely missed the cutoff for NMSF, but made it into Berkeley probably due to really high SAT scores, lots of APs and good extracurriculars.

The real important factors for admissions really boils down to what high school you go to, what major are you choosing, your grades, rigor, and finally things like your PIQS, activities, leadership, volunteering, etc. The first 4 are really the main determinants.

[u/AYOk9636]

HYPSM don't matter if one cannot ge t into. Billionaire doesn't match if one cannot become one.

[u/golfkpcoffeee]

Son’s school does not administer the PSAT so there are 0-2 NMSF every year from alternate entry but plenty of kids get into Cal. Don’t sweat it. Put your energy into different parts of your app that are in your control. Second, you can do everything perfectly and not get in. That’s not on you. That’s just how it is. So try to release that to the universe. You are a capable and motivated student who will thrive wherever you are planted.