Top Of The Class

West Ashley High School senior James Altman recently learned that he is a National Merit Scholar Semi-Finalist. “I was surprised and did not really know what was happening since I did not apply,” said Altman.
Altman’s school counselor, Susan Brown, noticed his high PSAT scores and decided to enter him into the competition. Students are selected by their PSAT scores, academic record, community service hours, and GPA. It was a combination of these four things that earned Altman this recognition.
The National Merit Scholarship Program was started in 1955 as an academic competition for students to gain recognition and scholarships. Approximately 1.6 million students take the Preliminary SAT / National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test each year and thereby enter the National Merit Program. Of the 1.6 million who enter, only about 50,000 students are eligible to receive recognition as part of the National Merit Scholarship Program.
Students chosen by the National Merit Scholarship team are among the smartest and most academically driven in their graduating class. Altman says what sets him apart from others is his “logical connection” and his ability to “retain knowledge.” A good example of how he retains knowledge is that he scored high enough on the AP Computer Science test as a sophomore to gain the college credit. He hopes to go to the College of Charleston to be a Computer Science major.
In February, Altman will find out whether or not he is a Finalist for the National Merit Scholarship Program by receiving a letter in the mail. Finalists are determined by the following criteria: their academic record, two sets of test scores, information about their high school’s curricula and grading system, the student’s activities and leadership, the high school official’s written recommendation, and an essay written by the student.
From March through mid-June, approximately 7,500 Finalists will be notified that they have been chosen to receive a National Merit Scholarship Award. The awards are divided into three types: National Merit $2,500 Scholarships, Corporate-sponsored Merit Scholarship awards, and College-sponsored Merit Scholarship awards.