Leukert, Puri, and Senthil: Hamilton's National Merit Scholarship Program Finalists!
Mia Leukert, Abhijeet Puri, and Shiva Senthil smile as they are acknowledged at the winter pep rally for being National Merit Scholarship Program Finalists. Photo by Vaughn Damiano.
At this year’s spring pep rally, Hamilton honored three students, Mia Leukert, Abhijeet Puri, and Shiva Senthil, who have been named as National Merit Scholarship Finalists. They have achieved this title due to their high academic successes. So, what exactly is this program and why is it such a high honor?
What is the National Merit Scholarship Program?
The National Merit Scholarship Program is a scholarship competition that students all over the country can enter by taking the PSAT/NMSQT (Prerequisite SAT and National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test) in the fall of their junior year. Annually, 1.6 million students take the test and receive scores for their work. In the following fall, 50,000 top students (approximately 3%) are recognized for their high scores, with 34,000 of them receiving Letters of Commendation for their achievement. Out of that group, only 16,000 of them qualify to be Semi-Finalists. Once named a Semi-Finalist, these students can apply to become Finalists. This application is pretty simple, and is similar to a less intense college application. They also have to write a short essay and prove that their score wasn't an accident by showing that they have scored similarly on the ACT or SAT. From those who apply, it gets narrowed down to 15,000 Finalists, which is less than 1% of the original test takers. These Finalists can win a variety of corporate and college-sponsored scholarships as well as compete to receive a National Merit Scholarship of $2,500. These scholarships are awarded on a state representational basis, and this process is long, but not too strenuous. The whole process for the Finalists starts when they first take the test in the fall of their junior year, to when they start receiving scholarships in the spring of their senior year.
What is the significance of being named a Finalist?
As mentioned before, being named a Finalist comes with many benefits. For one, these students can be rewarded with many scholarships for the title. On top of this, the title shows high academic achievement and can lead many colleges to offer full rides to entice these achievers to attend their school. Shiva Senthil says that he has, “gotten a good number of scholarship offers from mostly out-of-state public schools,” and Mia Leukert said that, “many schools do offer full tuition for Finalists.” This year, the Finalists are so significant because Hamilton not only has one Finalist, but three.
Meet the Finalists:
Mia Leukert
“Being a National Merit Finalist is a high honor. Very few students are selected each year, and it really sets you apart to colleges. For me, it helps recognize that my hard work throughout high school is paying off.” -- Leukert (Senior)
College Plans: Leukert is planning on Attending UW Madison and getting an undergraduate degree in Mechanical Engineering.
Advice for Underclassmen: “I recommend prepping [for the PSAT/NMSQT] by taking the practice booklet Guidance provides. Even if you don't become a Finalist, it is still great practice for the ACT. In addition, there are also commended students each year. Even if you don't score high enough to be a Finalist, you could still be recognized.” -- Leukert (Senior)
Abhijeet Puri
“What being a National Merit Finalist means to me is that I get rewarded for the hard work, focus, and sacrifice over the last 12 years of my academic career. I’m very appreciative of the title and hope to use it to further my education and use this opportunity for the better.” -- Puri (Senior)
College Plans: Puri is thinking about possibly attending Stanford, Brown, or UPenn and is planning to study neuroscience.
Advice for Underclassmen: “My advice to underclassmen would be to not let adversity and hardship get you down, but rather revel in it. Challenges are inevitable and are going to be difficult to deal with, but at the end of the day, it’s the obstacles you face that make achieving your goal worth it.” -- Puri (Senior)
Shiva Senthil
“[Being a Finalist is] something that I'm proud of because it is kind of a culmination of all the hard work I've done throughout high school.” -- Senthil (Senior)
College Plans: Senthil is leaning towards attending UW- Madison and majoring in chemical engineering.
Advice for Underclassmen: “Some general advice for underclassmen would be to work hard in school and try to get good grades but remember that it's important to have a balance and not overwork yourself; at a certain point working harder is going to hurt you more than help you. Challenge yourself, but know there is more to life than getting all As in every AP class. Try to be a part of some clubs or sports that you enjoy, but not just to put them on your college resume! Being part of one or two clubs that you really love will be more fun and help you more than being part of ten that you're not that interested in.” -- Senthil (Senior)
