Three MHS students: Thomas Carey, Anna Bertrand and Jordan Eagan. Each is preparing for college by applying for the National Merit Scholarship which includes submitting a 500 word self-descriptive essay for the finalists round.
Bertrand, who plans to get a Ph.D in Biology, already has a softball scholarship at Portland State University.
"I've been playing softball ever since I was about eight," said Bertrand. She also plans on applying for community scholarships to help with the cost of housing. Bertrand is very focused academically. "I just hate cramming before a big test," she said. She takes a lot of notes and focuses only on important topics.
Carey wants to get a Ph.D in Biomedical Engineering.
"I'd like to go to Stanford or Duke...but I'll probably just end up going to OSU," said Carey.
Carey plans on donating money to the National Merit Scholarship fund when he is older.
"Yeah, I'll be supportive of my community after I make the millions," said Carey. Some of his studying methods are drinking lots of coffee before an exam and doing a practice questions.
The National Merit Scholarship gives $2,500 to about 50,000 students who qualify for the National Merit Scholarship Corportation (NMSC) scores. There are three steps in the competition; taking the Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test, the semifinalists round and the finalist round. When one meets and fulfills the additional requirements for the finalist competition, one is eligible to be considered for a scholarship.
According to the NMSC website, their goals have been the same since its inception: to identify and honor academically talented high school students, to stimulate increased support for their education and to provide efficient and effective scholarship program management for organizations wishing to sponsor college undergraduate scholarships.
According to NMSC, the requirements are as follows: to be enrolled full time as a high school student and be planning to enroll full time in a college in the fall following the completion of high school, to be a citizen of the United States or a lawful permanent resident who intends to become a U.S. citizen and to take the PSAT/NMSQT.
Carey, Bertrand and Eagan will find out if they qualify for the scholarship in mid-June. Until then, they continue to work hard in their studies.