Recently, in his principal’s newsletter, John Walsh, principal, mentioned the commended and semi-finalist students for the National Merit Scholarship. According to the National Merit Scholarship Corporation’s mission statement, they aim to “recognize and honor the academically talented students of the United States. NMSC accomplishes its mission by conducting nationwide academic scholarship programs.”
There are 29 seniors from LZHS that were commended by the association, as well as four semifinalists. According to Agnes Knott, College and Career Counselor, “the National Merit Scholarship semifinalists have earned the highest scores in their individual state on the PSAT/NMSQT test. These students are part of a pool of 16,000 semifinalists, students who have earned the highest scores in each of the 50 states. They represent less than one percent of each state’s high school seniors, meaning these are the top 1% of scorers. Semifinalists then need to complete an application with several requirements in order to qualify as finalists.”
Though it started by taking the NMSQT during the fall of junior year, the application process was much more complicated. According to Knott, “these students have not only the highest test scores but also have a consistently high academic record, a recommendation from the school, a student’s own essay and list of extracurricular activities, as well as SAT or ACT scores that confirm the high PSAT/NMSQT score.”
Similarly, Aarushi Bhagath, senior and semifinalist, says the process after being selected is “very holistic”.
“While your score is just a number, the actual process for the scholarship is so much more; the next steps after becoming a semifinalist are providing the National Merit Corporation with information about who you are as a person,” Bhagath said. “They want to know your goals, your work ethic, and your rapport with your peers in order to proceed.”
Shireen Singh, senior and semifinalist, agreed with this sentiment.
“The experience was similar to applying for a college,” Singh said. “They asked for a teacher recommendation letter, a list of extracurricular activities, SAT scores, and even a 3500 character essay.”
As for the relevance of the National Merit Scholarship in terms of college, “it is beneficial for students to be named as National Merit Finalists because they are eligible for a $2,500 scholarship from the National Merit Scholarship as well as college and corporate scholarships. There are college-sponsored scholarships that students are eligible for which can further help them to pay for their education,” said Knott.
Additionally, Bhagath said that “while the National Merit Scholarship amount itself is minimal in comparison, corporations and universities receive a list of Semifinalists, which makes you a higher candidate for school-specific scholarships or scholarships through companies. It’s a great way to get exposure and get on your dream school’s radar.”
Additionally, many National Merit Scholarship finalists earn scholarships from specific schools, according to Singh.
”It could definitely help with college funds, because there are several scholarship programs that help national merit semifinalists and finalists. I’ve even seen some colleges that give full rides to finalists,” Singh said.
Though the semifinalists will not be notified of their results until early February, according to the National Merit Scholarship’s website, Bhagath is waiting excitedly.
“I still do not know the results of my application, so I am eager to find out,” Bhagath said. “I hope my work pays off.”
