Most people say your Junior year of High School is the hardest year. You take the most tests, and you really have to start thinking about your plans after high school is over. Despite having to take so many hard tests, these tests could set you up for success and make your college process easier. 

“You take the PSAT as a Junior, and your test scores determine if you get the National Merit Scholarship or not, and it’s scholarship money depending on the school you go to. The first step is becoming a semi finalist and that’s based on your test scores, and then you apply to be a finalist through an essay and some recommendations,” National Merit Scholarship recipient Cate Babb said.

It is easy to want to slack behind in school, but staying focused and having your priorities in check will get you much farther.

“I’m really excited about just having the scholarship obviously, but the work I had to put in, taught me how to study and be diligent and actually focus. That definitely was a big thing for me. I was more proud of myself for that,” Babb said. 

There is a lot of hard work that goes into getting the National Merit Scholarship. 

“It was definitely a tedious process, it’s kinda like the ACT where you learn how to take the test, practice a lot  and study a lot, but it was definitely worth it,” Babb said.

What you do in high school will set you up for what you need to do in college. You will already know how to manage your time properly and understand the importance of getting things done. 

“It definitely helps for college. When I do get to college and have to study for harder classes. I’ll know what work I need to put in”, Babb said. 

Another scholarship recipient explained how he felt when he received the scholarship. 

“It just feels very rewarding and fulfilling to see, you know you put in a bunch of hard work and you get to have the results and get the benefits of it,” William Henson said. 

Depending on how good your score is, you can get more or less scholarship money to different schools. 

“It affects your college decisions a lot because you can get money at some places and it’s just kind of another thing to think about when you’re considering where you want to go and what you want to do.”

Depending on how much the scholarship money is, it is easier to pick schools that give the biggest amount over others. 

“The scholarship money varies from school to school, some schools will offer you more than others depending on in state, out of state, or just what the school decides.”