Abbie Dymond, Reporter
@abbiedcourant
11 students from the high school became National Merit semi-finalists, a high achievement for the high school. A National Merit Scholar is a student who scored high enough on the PSAT/NMSQT to be recognized nationally. Out of the 3.8 million students who took the PSAT/NMSQT, only 16,000 qualified to become semi-finalists.
The National Merit Scholarship Corporation’s (NMSC) mission is to recognize and honor academically talented students in the United States. Once becoming a National Merit semi-finalist, students can complete other requirements to have a chance at receiving college scholarships, such as writing a prompt essay. The PSAT score requirements to become a National Merit Scholar vary each year, depending on the average scores of students nationally.
Out of the 1.5 million students who take the PSAT, about 50,000 students qualify as National Merit Scholars. About 34,000 students of the 50,000 win the title of a Commended student, someone who is on the cusp of qualifying as a National Merit Scholar semi-finalist.
Juniors sat for the PSAT/NMSQT on October 17 and are expected to receive their results on December 8th. While juniors find out their results relatively soon, they will have to wait until the fall of 2021 to find out if they qualified to become a semi-finalist.
National Merit Semifinalist Hannah Swimm said she feels accomplished by her achievements. “I am proud to know that my studying for the PSAT has been rewarded,” she said.
Elyssa Grogan who also became a National Merit Semifinalist said she also proud of receiving this title.“I feel accomplished that my hard work in academics paid off,” she said.
Semifinalist Mark Levin said becoming a National Merit Semifinalist is similar to the lottery. “It starts with the test score, but then there’s also other factors that they don’t disclose. I feel lucky to have been selected to be part of the program,” Mark said. “I was really impressed by how many people were semi finalists this year. It made me proud of my grade.”
Aside from personal accomplishments, College and Career Center Coordinator Susan Carroll said that there are also some college application benefits of becoming a National Merit Scholar. “Colleges like when they don’t have to worry about whether your school does it as well as another school. It’s a national standard,” she said.
College and Career Center Coordinator Susan Carroll said she is impressed by the number of semi-finalists the high school has. “I think students should remember this is impressive, but is only one measure of high school success. Your grades still matter most of all,” Ms. Carroll said.
