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How does a kid get a National Merit scholarship? What do they need to do to prepare? Is there a preparation course for it? When do they have to take the test?

I was a NM scholar a long time ago, so I'm sure things are a little different now. However, I didn't prepare for anything. I simply took the tests and filled out the necessary paperwork. If you score well enough, you get a semifinalist letter that explains how to continue in the scholarship competition.

The steps are detailed at
http://www.nationalmerit.org/

The first step is to take the PSAT, which is given in the fall, usually in your junior year. The students with the highest index PSAT scores are eligible to start the process. The index score is the combined section score, so you have to do extremely well on all sections of the exam. The web site says that currently about 16,000 of 1.4 million test takers become semifinalists.

The is a little more to it than this, but basically, semifinalists have to demonstrate exceptional grades/academics in grades 9-12 and then get a terrific SAT score. You also have to write an essay, get letters of recomendation from teachers, and provide information about your extracurricular activities. Other than the PSAT/SAT score requirements, this part of the scholarship process is like any other scholarship application.

There is a hugh market in test prep material that wasn't around when I was a teenager, so I'm not sure how worthwhile the study aids really are, but certainly anything that makes you more familiar with the question styles would help.

For a place to start investigating study requirements, take a look at the company that sponsors the exam.
http://www.collegeboard.com

Good luck!
Jill

Did it help you in any way to become NM scholar? Did you get into a better college? Summer programs? Thanx for sharing.
Ania

I hope this isn't too long, but I don't have a straight forward answer. Becoming a NM scholar was of real benefit for me, but not as directly as a parent might hope when it comes to college choice.

I was offered a NM scholarship as part of an aid package at a small elite liberal arts school that I REALLY wanted to attend. The nearby public/state university also offered me a four year scholarship because of my NM finalist status.

*BUT* aid packages typically also include loans, work study, and big contributions by parents. My parents were not poor, but we didn't have lots of available money either, and I am the oldest child. The package from the private college would have left me $25000 in debt (at least) in the 1980s and I already knew that I wanted to go to graduate school. My parents couldn't provide as much money as the aid package assumed because then there wouldn't be any college money left for my younger siblings.

The cost of public school was less than 25% that of the private school. After a lot of unhappiness and complaining (big teenage drama scenes of disappointment-LOL) I went to the local public university. My parents were not in any way being unreasonable when they refused to support the package from the expensive institution. I actually understood their reasons, I just didn't want to admit it for a couple months. (more LOL)

I also got a few local scholarships, in large part because of the test scores and the NM status (a local bank for example). The NM status also helped me win a couple department sponsored scholarships while in college. It provided instant status whenever I was competing for money, which for me was the most valuable aspect of the prize. The extra money made it possible to finish both majors and the minor in 4 year. Without it, I would have never been able to afford the tuition and would have needed to work more during the school year.

So yes - I got into better colleges, but I didn't go because we simply didn't have enough money. I think this is still a real bind for middle class parents. If you have little $$ and your child is NM-level exceptional, the child will get close to a free ride. If you are loaded you can pay for college. In the middle, schools offer lots of loans. You have to decide how much debt you are willing to carry and for how long. This is a really tough thing to decide as a teenager. I don't at all regret the public school. I got a solid education and was admitted to multiple graduate schools, all with good financial packages. I finished the whole thing (under & grad) with about $7000 in debt, and unlike many of my peers wasn't saddled with years of payments that made it hard to afford a house or a new car.

As for summer programs, no. I never applied to any. I worked summers starting in high school. By college I was working 2 or 3 summer jobs (about 70 hrs/wk) to pay for the next year. I still remember my first summer of grad school. I had to teach one class and study. I hadn't had that much time off in the summer since I was 16! <grin>

Jill