Each year, 70,000 juniors in Illinois enter the National Merit Scholarship competition.
Despite best efforts, only the top one-percent of the early applicants make it to the last round. They are named: the semifinalists.
The National Merit Scholarship Program is an annual academic competition held in the United States that grants recognition and college scholarships for high school students. During their junior year in high school, students take the PSAT to qualify for the prestigious honor.
Being a finalist involves full-ride university scholarships, elite college admissions boost and national merit $2,500 scholarship; hence, being recognized in this program is one of the most coveted goals for any academically ambitious upperclassman.
This year, Lake Forest Academy produced twelve National Merit Semifinalists.
The list includes class of 2027 honorees Aaron Kim, Luke Lee, ChenHao (Leo) Lei, David Lv, Heeji Moon, Nishant Narayanan, David Nguyen, Daniel Schanzenbach, Ching Sen (Adele) Wu, Seunga (Sienna) Yang, Siran Yang and Zihan (Angela) Yuan.
Head of School Tom Johnson, who greeted the semifinalists onstage, believes that “to have twelve [semifinalists is] a great improvement and it is truly a testament to the quality of our student body here at the school”. Since many lowerclassmen hope to pursue the same academic footpath of the semifinalists, “they are really fantastic role models for younger students to want to aspire to emulate”, Johnson said.
Yet, tangible stories of method and strain lie on the other side of the accolade.
Luke Lee ‘27 shares his experience of being named semifinalist and his mindset behind the process from the contender’s perspective. When Lee first heard the award news, it was unforeseen.
“I was surprised because my friend also got [the semifinalist standing] and got an email from the College Board; because I didn’t [get the email], I just assumed I didn’t [get the award]”, Lee said. Similarly, Angela Yuan ‘27 related to her fellow honoree with emotions of unexpectedness: “I was kind of surprised because I thought I did really bad on the PSAT … I literally just got out of my bed … I got a can of Red Bull and just went to the [test center],” Yuan said.
The semifinalists highlighted their daily study habits, concentration strategies and insights on their scholastic achievement. For instance, Lee believes in the importance of studying as a group with close friends in order to combat academic burnout and mitigate lethargy.
“Trying to study and do fun things together really helps you to endure … For example, studying in [the Student Center] is a better option because when you are just in your room it is kind of depressing, but if you study with your friends, it is better”, Lee said. “Managing stress is really important, especially when you have demanding academic courses.”
In much the same way, Heeji Moon ‘27 also encourages students to “surround [themselves] with good, positive energy”; on the contrary, it is interesting to see her ideas differ on the concept of stress management. Moon detailed her ongoing social media fasting journey and how distancing herself from any form of unacademic entertainment and distraction has been a catalyst for her lower-classmen lifestyle. She elaborated that she would sometimes scroll on social media platforms for long hours even though she didn’t really want to, but phone addiction–more common than most imagine among teens–is something one can’t control easily.
Moon explained that she deactivated her social media accounts and “got rid of all the distractions in [her] life so that the only thing that [she] can do is to do nothing or to study”. “Motivation doesn’t work in the long term … you [need to] sacrifice something”. However, Moon also adds that her way of studying should not be the blueprint for everyone. Moon reads opinion articles from the New York Times and the Wall Street Journal in her free time, which she claims has helped her increase her skills in the English section of the PSAT. On the other hand, Lee and Yuan explained how taking the AP English Language and Composition course has boosted their English skills and vocabulary.
While the three honorees had differences and similarities alike in their perspectives on the PSAT and studying in general, it is evident that they represent what it truly means to be a semifinalist: discover your own way of studying and dedicate your time and self to the goal you pursue.
In the meantime, as Johnson advised, “appreciate the moment for what it is.”