The National Merit Scholarship Corporation is an organization established to oversee the affairs of the annual National Merit Scholarship Program. Every year, awards are given to each of the winners who applied for a college education.
Being a National Merit Scholar is one of the highest honors in the country. It means having exceptionally high SAT scores, usually very good grades, and probably being one of the best and most accomplished students at your school. Being a National Merit Scholar is a difficult task, but it can be accomplished with preparation and forethought, as well as a lot of hard work. The presence of a National Merit at a college is often something that is bragged about, and the number of said scholars can often boost or help maintain a University’s ranking.
Attaining a Scholarship from the National Merit Scholarship Corporation
A National Merit Scholarship can be attained in one way, namely, taking the PSAT (that is, the practice test for the SATs used to earn better overall scores). These scores exist as a way to improve yourself in one of two ways. Low scoring students can take and sit for the test again to improve their scores, while students who score high on the test can mark down where they want their scores sent to, University-wise, or just mark down what they want to study and let the colleges come to them.
A good score can start filling your mailboxes with admissions information, while a great score could even land some scholarship offers or ‘express admission’ to entice you to go to certain colleges. The PSATs often aren’t taken as seriously by students as they should be, since they are a great way to advertise yourself to hundreds of universities you may not have even known about.
After a student takes the PSAT, their scores are sent to the National Merit Scholarship Corporation, where they take the scores received (mathematics, critical reading, and writing skills scores) and see if the student qualifies for the award. The minimum score needed on the PSAT to permit entry into the scholarship contest isn’t published anywhere since it changes annually, but nonetheless, 16,000 students are selected as semifinalists and given a list of qualifications on how to become a finalist.
National Merit Scholarship Corporation Finalists
Finalists usually must just stay in school, maintain their GPA, and do a few small tasks that ensure that they are indeed good students. The top 15,000 of those students will become National Merit Scholar finalists. Of that number, 8,300 will win one scholarship out of the three available.
There is the National Merit Scholarship ($2500, need based and other factors), as well as the Corporate-sponsored Merit Scholarship and the College-sponsored Merit Scholarship worth various amounts. There are 440 businesses that independently sponsor the NMSC, while hundreds of universities also have awards set aside for this achievement.
The award offered by the National Merit Scholarship Corporation is truly one of the most prestigious awards offered to graduating high school students, and it’s something that, if earned, can really put you on the fast track to financial aid. The earlier you start preparing, the better equipped you’ll be, and the more likely you will be to win this award.
