Seniors Andrew Thompson, Anthony Mui and Jonathan Nguyen are National Merit Semifinalists. To be eligible for this recognition, students must score roughly in the top one percent for their state on their junior year PSAT, which equates to missing no more than two to three questions per section. National Merit scholars can receive significant merit-based scholarships from some colleges or universities, while it is a distinction or recognition at other schools.
More than 16,000 students across the country were chosen to be semifinalists. According to the NMSC News, “These academically talented high school seniors have an opportunity to continue in the competition for some 6,870 National Merit Scholarships worth nearly $26 million.” These semifinalists must advance to the finalist level and win to receive a cash prize.
Thompson was pleased to see he was chosen to be a semifinalist because he put in the hard work and did practice tests.
“I felt very gratified and proud, pleased that I had proven myself through this particular avenue. I wasn’t waiting around for it expecting it, though, so it was a nice surprise, in a way. I took practice tests to make sure I was familiarized with all the question types and could complete them at the right pace or faster, just in case,” Thompson said.
With Early Action right around the corner, Thompson is figuring out where he is going to college and what he is deciding to do. If he becomes a finalist he can use the scholarship money towards his education.
“I’m planning on studying statistics. I love the general ideas around making meaning and knowledge out of data and appreciate the versatility, practicality and applicability of the degree path to all sorts of fields in this day and age,” Thompson said.
Another fortunate semifinalist was Nguyen. He was excited to receive this news as he had studied for years in the past with different SAT practice tests.
“I’m pretty sure I found out while checking my email in the middle of a passing period, so it was kinda anticlimactic, but I’m really glad I got in and I’m super thankful for the opportunity,” Nguyen said.
Over the summer after 8th grade, Nguyen took 10 different SAT practice tests and improved over time.
“My method of studying wasn’t really studying. My mom told me to go to Khan Academy and asked me to do the practice tests. It was really annoying and I definitely procrastinated. [However] I think the biggest thing I learned was time management and patterns in the questions. After that, I got the hang of the PSAT after a while,” Nguyen said.
After high school, Nguyen isn’t sure where he is going to college but has dreams to get into University of Michigan and taking on a healthcare role.
“I’ve been really interested in healthcare and research, so I’m looking to study something like cellular and molecular biology, neuroscience or public health. SIRS [Scientific Inquiry and Research Students], our school’s research class, introduced me to scientific concepts in cancer biology and neuroscience that really interested me. Additionally, competing in HOSA’s Health Education event and being part of Uplifting Health got me looking into public health as a topic I might be interested in exploring further,” Nguyen said.
The last person at West who was a semifinalist was Mui. He was also surprised to see he qualified as a semifinalist. He was not confident before the test but that didn’t stop him.
“I’m 95% sure I was quite sick on the day I took the PSAT, so I was not in a great headspace at all when taking it. I get free scholarship money, and it might look nice on college apps. That’s always great,” Mui said.
To study, Mui took practice tests before taking the PSAT, but also did SAT prep himself. Like many others, Mui doesn’t know where he wants to attend college, but would like to go to a good school.
“I want to study Math and Computer Science, specializing in Data Science. I like numbers, but recently, I’ve been able to use those numbers to solve problems with statistics. In a way, this love for data did come from AP Stats, but I’ve done work on my own to cultivate this interest,” Mui said.
If students’ SAT scores reach the requirements to become finalists, they have the chance to win Merit Scholarships. However, it isn’t all test score-based and the program also looks at a variety of student accomplishments. Nearly 8,000 finalists receive one of the many National Merit scholarships offered. A total of 2,500 National Merit scholars receive $2,500 each.
“Being named a National Merit Semifinalist is a considerable accomplishment. These students have worked hard in the classroom and performed on the PSAT exam. They should be commended and recognized for this accomplishment,” College and Career Counselor Daniel Gin said.
