Inside Look at National Merit Semifinalist

I came across the term 'National Merit Semifinalist' while researching scholarships. Could anyone explain what it means and how one becomes a semifinalist? Does it give a significant boost to the college application?

The National Merit Scholarship Corporation awards the title of National Merit Semifinalist to high scoring students on the PSAT/NMSQT, which is a standardized test administered by the College Board and cosponsored by the National Merit Scholarship Corporation in the United States. This title is indeed a prestigious one, with only about 1% of all test takers, approximately 16,000 students, receiving this recognition each year.

Process-wise, it begins with taking the PSAT your junior year. Each state sets a cutoff score for students to qualify as Semifinalists, and these cutoffs can vary from year to year and state to state depending on the scores of a particular cohort. If your score exceeds the cutoff, you're named a Semifinalist the following September.

Now, to become a National Merit Finalist, Semifinalists are required to complete an application for the National Merit Scholarship Program. This application asks for information on students' academic records, school and community activities, leadership abilities, employment, honors, and awards. Students must maintain an excellent academic record, be recommended by a school official, write an essay, and perform well on the SAT.

As to whether it gives a significant boost to a college application, it depends on the university in question. Some universities place more emphasis on these kinds of awards than others, but overall, being selected as a National Merit Semifinalist demonstrates a high level of academic capability and can definitely strengthen your application. However, other factors like GPA, extracurriculars, essays, and recommendations are also critical, so be sure to focus on those aspects as well.