I got back late from a speaking engagement in New York yesterday. It was 11:00 pm when I walked through my door. I still needed to eat dinner, wind down, and head to bed. But instead, I mindlessly scrolled through my Instagram feed as the clock ticked later and later.
It was a fun distraction as many of the high schools I follow posted photos of their National Merit Semifinalists and Commended Scholars this week. Smiling faces of proud students standing outside their school entrance on a beautiful fall day gave me such joy after a very long day.
Seeing those photos brings back memories of working at a high school where I had the privilege of helping so many incredibly talented students. I remember the coordination needed to deliver the good news to my students who were named Semifinalists, and the flurry of work that followed to help them submit their applications to move forward in the scholarship process. Although it meant more work for them and for me, an undeniable excitement fueled us.
I get a lot of questions about being a Commended Scholar and a Semifinalist. Here are some tips and advice:
- These awards are considered "academic" and can be listed in the honors section of a student's application.
- While students can list these as one of the five awards in the honors section, they don't necessarily have to. If they have other academic honors that are more meaningful to them, they can absolutely leave them off.
- Colleges that sponsor the National Merit Scholarship receive up-to-date lists of which applicants receive each award. For a college to honor that scholarship, official information from the National Merit Scholarship Program is needed, rather than a student's self-reported award in the application.
- This may come as a surprise, but I list the Semifinalist award as "State," not "National." Determination for the Semifinalist designation is based on the student's PSAT index score within their state. That said, if you want to list it as a national award, it's fine to do that. Having "National" in the name of the award would suggest doing that. But just like National Honor Society (which is a "School" award), selection is not nationally based, even though the name suggests it is.
- Commended Scholars are technically "National," though. It is based on a national bar rather than a state one. This brings up an important point about the level of a student's award. Just because an award is "National" doesn't make it more important than a "State" or even "School" award. Every admissions officer knows the difference between a Commended and Semifinalist award. In fact, some "School" awards stand out more to colleges because only one student might get it.
- Ultimately, a student's actual ACT or SAT score carries more weight in the admissions process than being a Commended Scholar or Semifinalist. Listing one of these awards doesn't change an admissions decision, but a high ACT or SAT score can.
READ MORE: The Secret to an Exceptional College Application
As a former Ivy League admissions dean, seeing these awards on a student's application was common. I took it for granted, in many ways. When I became a director of college counseling at a high school, I celebrated the students named Commended Scholars and Semifinalists. I beamed with pride when we took that photo of my students on the front steps of the school. And now as a parent of a high school junior, those smiling faces staring back at me in the photos hit a little differently. Getting any academic award is a big deal, whether you list it or not.
