Though standardized test-taking rooms are typically cold and uninviting, with desks lined in rows and stop times hastily scribbled on whiteboards, they can sometimes house surprising opportunities for students. This year, 16 ETHS seniors were named National Merit Semifinalists: Hershel Abraham, Una Breen, Eli Coustan, Cameron Eaton-Strong, Daniel Green, Maxwell Matsis, Danny O’Connor, Isaac Peng, Katie Schober, Leah Shaman, Harrison Stracks, Patrick Tu, Pippa Walker, Andrew Watson, William Zalmezak, and Kathryn Zehr. Only around 16,000 high school students in the United States were named as semifinalists this year, and those students represent less than one percent of American high school seniors. The semifinalists now have the opportunity to compete to become finalists and win scholarship money offered by the National Merit Scholarship Corporation (NMSC); about 95% of semifinalists are expected to become finalists. However, in order to be eligible for the money they must complete an application.
“I just finished up my application, and I had to write an essay for it and answer some questions about my activities and my family and all that,” said Katie Schober, a senior at ETHS who was one of the semifinalists named.
“But then my application has to be reviewed by the school, and my counselor has to send in a recommendation, and I have to get a report of my SAT score sent in.”
According to Schober, many of the requirements, such as the essay and activities section, for the National Merit Scholarship application are similar to those of the Common Application, which many seniors who are applying to a college or university are using. However, the National Merit application is completed in order to compete to become a finalist, which has its own set of benefits.
“If you become a finalist and you receive the scholarship, you get the scholarship money and you can also claim to be a
finalist. That’s usually only done once most of your college applications are submitted, though,” explained Pippa Walker, one of this year’s semi finalists. Being a semifinalist can also give you scholarships at certain schools, and it looks good on applications,” she said.
The names of the semifinalists were released in September of this year and were based on the PSAT test that ETHS juniors took in Oct. of 2023. The selection of semifinalists, according to the National Merit Scholarship Corporation, is chosen based off of a score selection index: students who scored at or above the qualifying score are named semifinalists. Some students believe these scores are not an indication of intelligence, but rather test taking ability.
“I think with all of the College Board assessments at some point it becomes more about diligence and less about smarts, so I suppose I was trying to be as fastidious as possible during the test,” explained Danny O’Connor, an ETHS semifinalist.
O’Connor’s testing diligence was paralleled by Walker and Schober, who both entered the PSAT last October with their own test-taking strategies. Though standardized testing can absolutely be stressful and difficult, Walker shared how she shifted her mindset in order to optimize her performance on the exam.
“I was pretty calm during the test, mostly because I’d studied and I also knew that it was just the PSAT, so it wasn’t that high-stakes. I was confident in my ability to succeed, and I think having confidence and optimism is a good way to go into a testing environment,” she said.
According to Walker, being named a semifinalist means a lot for her future, but she also understands the nuances of standardized test scoring. Becoming a semifinalist was an incredible accomplishment in her eyes, but she didn’t let the test define her worth as a student.
“I’m really proud to have been named a semifinalist, but in the end it isn’t all that important to me. I know that standardized testing is not an accurate measurement of someone’s intelligence, especially when it comes to the SAT. Ultimately, I’m just happy for what the semifinalist status will do for my college applications,” she explained.
The semifinalist status also holds significance for ETHS as a school; last year, only six students were recognized as semifinalists. Since then, there’s been a significant increase in the number of Evanston students who have received the
honor, which reflects incredibly well on the school. Because of their hard work, ETHS’ National Merit Semifinalists have represented positively for the school and earned an advantage for their post-high school future.
“I’m glad that I was able to do well that day, and I’m glad that it’s giving me the opportunity to take it further and possibly get recognition from schools or a scholarship,” concluded Schober.
