WHAT ARE MERIT SCHOLARSHIPS?
Perhaps the best known of all merit scholarships is the National Merit Scholarship. Started in 1955, the National Merit Scholarship Competition (NMSC) is considered the “epitome of excellence”.
What’s so great about merit scholarships and the NMSC in particular? If you had to pick one thing it would be that the scholarship is actually based on merit—not on race or gender or income.
Still, these days even a seemingly innocent scholarship competition can stir a little controversy. How can a scholarship program that falls under the umbrella of merit scholarships create strife, unrest, and even some hurt feelings?
Wouldn’t you know that it comes out of trying to be fair. In order to qualify to be a National Merit Scholar you have to achieve a certain score relative to other students in your state. In this case the initial qualifier is the PSAT. What happens is states like New York and California establish a qualifying score of, say, 218 on a scale of 240. But in a less populous state like Wyoming a score of 201 would give you the same honor. Sound fair?
Many people believe there should be a national scale for everybody. It shouldn’t matter where you live. After all, should a student who scores a 201 in Wyoming receive a scholarship ahead of a student who receives a 217 in California?
Still interested? Merit scholarships try their level best to be about merit.
There is a lot of prestige to being chosen a National Merit Scholar. There are 1.5 million entrants. Of those 50,000 will make it to the next level based on their PSAT score. These students are usually in the 96th percentile or above.
The list continues to be whittled down. About 33,000 will receive letters of commendation. 16,000 or so will become semi-finalists. Ninety four percent of these will go on to be finalists; half of the finalists will receive merit scholarships of $2,500.
The last stages of the National Merit Scholarship Competition will include test scores, grades, letters of recommendation, an essay, relevant leadership experiences and extracurricular activities. Those who don’t receive the scholarship can still win other scholarships and often their status advancing in the merit scholarships program will be a huge asset. Some colleges even give automatic admission to NMSC finalists. Many college admissions offices will promote how many National Merit Scholars they admitted.
All the funding for the NMSC comes from private sources. About $50 million is awarded annually to deserving students.
The qualifying test itself will test math, critical reading, and writing. The National Merit Scholarship Competition has come under scrutiny for the initial screening level of the competition only being about one thing: the PSAT.
Over the years there have been many National Merit Scholars who have gone on to distinguished careers. Among them are writer/director M. Night Shyamalan, Bill Gates, Jeff Bezos and many others.
The NMSC remains one of the premier scholarship programs in the country. To be a National Merit Scholar is an honor you can carry with you the rest of your life.