National Merit Finalist - How to Win the Scholarship

National Merit Finalist - How to Win the Scholarship SAT / ACT Prep Online Guides and Tips Many students take the PSAT in the fall of their junior year. What a lot of students may not notice is the full name of the test is PSAT/NMSQT, or Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test. Thus, the PSAT is not just good practice for your SATs. It’s also the first step in becoming a National Merit Finalist and hopefully, earning a $2,500 scholarship from the National Merit Scholarship Corporation (NMSC). In this article, we’ll discuss what steps you need to take to become a National Merit Finalist and compete for a scholarship. We'll also give you advice on how to write a strong application and maximize your chances of becoming a National Merit Scholar. Here’s how the numbers break down: Each year, about 1.6 million students take the PSAT. Of the juniors who take the exam, about 16,000 earn scores that qualify them as Semifinalists (that's around 1%). This group is narrowed down to 15,000, who become Finalists. Of this group, about 7,500 are awarded scholarships of $2,500 a year (that can be renewed each year you're in college). This article will explain the three key steps you need to follow to win the National Merit scholarship, from meeting the entry requirements, to scoring well on the PSAT, to submitting a standout application. Step 1: Meet the Entry Requirements The National Merit Scholarship Corporation (NMSC) requires you to have a few qualifications to even be considered for the scholarship: You must be enrolled as a high school student, progressing normally toward graduation. You must plan to enroll full time in college starting the fall following high school graduation. You must be a U.S. citizen or U.S. lawful permanent resident planning to become a U.S. citizen. These requirements will be checked with a few questions at the beginning of the PSAT. Step 2: Score in the Top 1% of the PSAT Becoming a National Merit Finalist is competitive and requires a top score on the PSAT. Although it varies from state to state, most students must score above 1400 (out of 1520) to qualify as a Semifinalist, which means they can compete to move on to Finalist standing. How can you achieve a top 1% score on the PSAT? Prepare with high-quality materials. Identify your weak points and work to improve them. If the Reading section confuses you, spend the majority of your time practicing those sections. If math isn’t your thing, commit yourself to drillingPSAT Math problems.The National Merit competition usesa Selection Index that is based on yourReading, Math, and Writing test scores, so mastering all three sections is key. Take control of your learning and study with practice questions and sample tests. This practice will also pay off later when you take the SATs in the spring of your junior year and fall of senior year. Bonus: Aiming for a National Merit Scholarship? If you're not sure you can self-study your way to a qualifying PSAT score, you'll love our PSAT prep program, PrepScholar. We designed our program to learn your strengths and weaknesses through advanced statistics and customize your prep to be as effective as possible for you. When you start with PrepScholar, you’ll take a diagnostic that will determine your weaknesses in over forty PSAT skills. PrepScholar then creates a study program specifically customized for you. To improve each skill, you’ll take focused lessons dedicated to each skill, with over 20 practice questions per skill. This will train you for your specific area weaknesses, so your time is always spent most effectively to raise your score. We also force you to focus on understanding your mistakes and learning from them. If you make the same mistake over and over again, we'll call you out on it. There’s no other prep system out there that does it this way, which is why we get better score results than any other program on the market. Check it out today with a 5-day free trial: For more info on prepping for the PSAT, check out ourdetailed guide to attaining National Merit Semifinalist status. Step 3: Submit an Excellent Application Complete the NMSC application requirements by fall of your senior year (usually early October). This application allows 15,000 of the 16,000 Semifinalists to move on to Finalist standing. If you don't become a Finalist or don't qualify, you may still get word that you're a Commended Student or remain as a Semifinalist, which are great distinctions that will stand out on college applications. However, only Finalists are eligible for National Merit Scholarship awards. The online NMSC application is the same as your college application in some ways and different in other ways. Similarities You must submit the following: Your academic record (transcript) SAT scores* Information about your activities and leadership roles A personal essay *You have to take the SATs on approved dates, usually in the fall of your senior year, and make sure to send along your score report to NMSC. They need to receive your scores by December 31st of your senior year. While there is no strict cutoff for SAT scores, they must be competitive like your PSAT scores (usually around 1400 or above) so they know your PSAT wasn't a fluke. Differences You must submit the following: A recommendation from your high school principal or someone the principal designates as a school official Information about your school’s curricula and grading system Let's dig into each component to maximize your chance of building a strong application to win the National Merit Scholar title. Academic Record and SAT Scores The National Merit Corporation is first and foremost looking to award academic achievement. There is no strict cutoff, but a competitive GPA (3.5 and above) and high SAT scores (approximately 1400 and above) are recommended. Your academic record should also show that you challenged yourself with honors and AP classes. When you're a high school junior, there isn't much you can do about this, other than continue to excel in your classes. Want to learn more about the SAT but tired of reading blog articles? Then you'll love our free SAT prep livestreams. Designed and led by PrepScholar SAT experts, these live video events are a great resource for students and parents looking to learn more about the SAT and SAT prep. Click on the button below to register for one of our livestreams today! Extracurricular Activities and Community Service The NMC is also looking at the skills and accomplishments shown in your application. Demonstrated leadership goes a long wayfor example, leading in Student Council or other student organizations. Your activities should reveal your passions and interestsit is usually better to show â€Å"depth over breadth.† In other words, get deeply involved in a few activities you’re passionate about rather than showing minor participation in every club, team, and organization your school has to offer. Almost all activities are valuable if they show your commitment, leadership potential, and ability to work with and help others. Recommendations Recommendations go a long way. Cultivate good relationships with your teachers, counselor, and principal and provide a â€Å"brag sheet† for them with the qualities and accomplishments you would like them to include in your recommendation. Your brag sheet may include the following: What six adjectives best describe you? What do you consider your greatest accomplishment(s)? What are your strongest goals for the next five years? What is a meaningful experience you have had during high school? These anecdotes will make writing a lot easier, and they'll thank you for this. Make sure to ask for your recommendation at least three weeks in advance of the deadline, and follow up with your writer to make sure it'll be submitted on time. The earlier you notify them, the more ahead you'll be of your classmates, most of whom will need college application letters. Personal Essay The personal essay adds your voice to your application materials. Your essay is the place where you can share your unique story and perspective and make your application materials come to life. Here is an example of a past National Merit essay question: To help the reviewers get to know you, describe an experience you have had, a person who has influenced you, or an obstacle you have overcome. Explain why this is meaningful to you. Use your own words and limit your response to the space provided. The space allows for about 500 - 600 words. You should focus on two important components of the essay. First, the NMC wants to see that you can express yourself clearly and powerfully through writing. Make sure to proofread, edit, and revise for any spelling errors, grammatical mistakes, or weaknesses in syntax and diction. Second, your essay reveals how you think about yourself, your accomplishments, and your goals. What do your experiences mean to you? What do they reveal about your identity? Spend some time brainstorming before you decide what aspects of your identity are most important to share with the NMC readers. For example, did a group science fair project show you the power of collaboration in making new discoveries? Did a Student Council debate reveal the complexity of perspectives on a single issue? Did Lisa Simpson teach you the importance of sticking to your principles, even if your family may not always agree? The topics are endless, and there is no best answer, but whatever you choose should reveal something significant about who you are. Once you have your first draft, ask a friend, family member, counselor, or English teacher for feedback on what worked and what didn’t. It’s a short essay, so make sure every sentence is there for a reason and important for telling your story. In Conclusion Staying motivated and committing yourself to all these goals will put you in the best position toward becoming a National Merit Finalist. Remember, only 15,000 students ( 1%) are chosen as Finalists, and of those, only about 7,500 students receive scholarships. On a percentage basis, it's even more competitive than getting into the Ivy League, so even with all your hard work, you’ll still need a certain amount of luck! NSMC notifies students if they have become finalists in February of their senior year. Scholarship notifications go out in March. By that time, most of your college applications will be done and submitted. Now you just have to try to relax and wait for the decisions to come! If you complete all the steps mentioned above, you can be confident that you’ve done all you can – now hopefully the National Merit Scholarship Corporation will recognize all your hard work. What's Next? Want more tips on how to get a top PSAT score?Check out our guide on how to get a perfect PSAT score for all the info you need to know. Are you striving for perfection on the SAT?Read our detailed guide by our resident SAT full scorer. Aiming to get intoa top-tier school? Check outour article: What's a good SAT score for the Ivy League? Want to improve your SAT score by 160 points? We have the industry's leading SAT prep program. Built by Harvard grads and SAT full scorers, the program learns your strengths and weaknesses through advanced statistics, then customizes your prep program to you so you get the most effective prep possible. Check out our 5-day free trial today:

7 Myths About Freelance Writing Online

7 Myths About Freelance Writing Online 7 Myths About Freelance Writing Online 7 Myths About Freelance Writing Online By Ali Hale You want to earn a bit of extra money. Or youd love to be a published writer. Or youre looking for an exciting and rewarding career. Whatever your reason, youve started to think about freelance writing online. It sounds like a dream come true: you could work from home, at any time of the day (or night), and get good money for writing about topics that interest you. Except somethings stopping you. Youve started believing one – or more – of these harmful myths. Today, I want to show you that these myths just arent true. Theres no reason to let any of them hold you back. #1: Its too late to make money freelance writing online All the good jobs are already gone, right? And bloggings dead anyway Wrong. The fact that huge numbers people are making money online as freelance writers should encourage you. Theres plenty of work out there – and as more and more businesses realize the importance and the potential of the internet, new writing jobs are appearing every single day. In fact, now is a great time to start freelancing. Writing online is a growing area, particularly as more and more print magazines fold, and as the demand for online content grows. #2: Online writing gigs dont pay as well as print ones This is a gross generalization, without much truth in it. Some print publications dont pay anything – local newspapers and specialty magazines often rely on volunteers, because of printing and distribution costs. But online, even tiny operations can afford to pay writers, since their overheads are so low. Some online writing gigs pay very little – but there are others which pay a hundred dollars or more for a short article. Its up to you what jobs you take, so you never need to work for a low rate. In my experience, online writing gigs pay very well in terms of time spent. They may pay less per word – but they often dont require the same level of research and fact-checking that print publications want. #3: You need technical knowledge to freelance write online This myth puts off a lot of people. Theyre convinced that online freelance writing requires technical skills like knowing HTML code or being a whizz with different systems. The truth is, you almost certainly already have all the technical skills you need: Ability to use email (to send articles to an editor) Basic word-processing skills (e.g. using Microsoft Word or Open Office) Ability to use search engines (e.g. Google, Yahoo) for research It really is that simple. Of course, there are some gigs where youll be at an advantage if youre comfortable with uploading content into your clients software – for instance, WordPress – but there are plenty of writing jobs which dont require anything techy beyond the ability to create a document and send it by email. #4: You need an English or Journalism major to be a freelance writer Maybe you majored in math or a science, or maybe you didnt go to college at all. It doesnt matter. All that editors care about is your ability to write – whether or not you have a degree makes no difference to them. If youve studied English, Journalism or a related subject, youll probably be a confident and fast writer – which will serve you well. However, you can easily develop your writing skills outside the college world – and academic writing bears very little resemblance to the sort of writing that online gigs will want! #5: Receiving payments is hard. Youll need an accountant and a merchant bank account This myth really frustrates me, because its so out of date! All you need to receive money online is a PayPal account – almost every single online gig Ive ever had has paid through PayPal. The one gig which didnt, with an online magazine, sent me a check which I just deposited straight into my bank account. Opening a PayPal account takes minutes, and allows you to receive money in many different currencies without having to pay the hefty fee that your bank would charge for a foreign transaction. #6: Only people living in the US can become successful freelance writers Im living proof that this is untrue – I live in the UK, and have worked with editors in the US, in Canada and in Australia. I know of many successful freelance writers around the world. Most online gigs will take writers from anywhere. All that matters is that you can write good English. If you live in a country with a low cost of living, then youre actually at an advantage – as youll be getting paid US rates for your work. #7: You need to be an expert in one field before you can find freelance jobs You already have certain areas where youre knowledgeable, just from your life experience. For instance, you might have children – and there are scores of jobs looking for people who can write about parenting. Many online gigs are open to any writers, and dont require any particular expertise. You might have to do extra research to begin with, but if you keep writing on similar topics, youll soon become a self-taught expert. So – seven myths busted! I hope youre feeling more optimistic about your own chances of freelancing online. Writing is a great way to make a living (or just make some extra cash on the side) and theres always going to be a demand for good writers and new content. Notice: Due to popular request we have finally released our Freelance Writing Course. Come check it out if you want to get started freelance writing online. Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Freelance Writing category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:Creative Writing 10130 Baseball IdiomsOne "L" or Two?