This week, the National Merit Scholarship Corporation (NMSC) announced the names of approximately 16,000 Semifinalists and 34,000 Commended Students in the 68th annual National Merit Scholarship Competition. The Semifinalists have an opportunity to continue in the competition for some 7,500 National Merit Scholarships worth nearly $30 million that will be offered in the spring.
To be considered for a National Merit Scholarship award, Semifinalists must fulfill several requirements to advance to the Finalist level of the competition. About 95% of the Semifinalists are expected to attain Finalist standing, and approximately half of the Finalists will win a National Merit Scholarship, earning the Merit Scholar title.
High school juniors entered the 2023 National Merit Scholarship Competition by taking the 2021 Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test (PSAT/NMSQT), which served as an initial screen of program entrants. The nationwide pool of Semifinalists, representing less than 1% of U.S. high school seniors, includes the highest-scoring entrants in each state. The number of Semifinalists in a state is proportional to the state’s percentage of the national total of graduating seniors.
Bravo to our 11 semifinalists announced from MICDS:
- Nikitha Ada ’23
- Mason Bedell ’23
- Penelope Chen ’23
- Jackson Chou ’23
- Raina Compton ’23
- Jordan Gross ’23
- Evelyn Lui ’23
- Prajay Pandiri ’23
- Kyle Sha ’23
- Rosine Stansberry ’23
- Holt Tipton ’23
Congratulations to the following eight seniors who have received Letters of Commendation:
- Mason Boon ’23
- Phoebe Burgis ’23
- Nicole Dai ’23
- Aeryn Jarrell ’23
- Jason Klutho ’23
- Abhinav Kothakota ’23
- Nathaniel Ly ’23
- Owen Zhang ’23
Matt Essman, Director of College Counseling, shares, “The accomplishment of these 19 students is a testament to the rigorous, well-rounded education offered at MICDS. We are proud to have these seniors represented among other high-achieving peers across the country. We can only imagine how bright the future is for these young scholars.“
Outstanding job, Rams!