How to Win a National Merit Scholarship

How to Win a National Merit Scholarship SAT / ACT Prep Online Guides and Tips Being named a Finalist is the highest academic recognition you can achieve from the National Merit Scholarship Corporation (NMSC). It is a national distinction that places you at the pinnacle of academic achievement. Not all Finalists are chosen to receive scholarships, however. Only about 8,000 of 15,000 students gain this award. In this article we’ll talk about what scholarships are available through NMSC and what you need to do to get one. The Path to This Point First, 1.5 million high school juniors take the PSAT/NMSQT. Only 16,000 students are named Finalists, and, after an extensive application process, only 15,000 of these students achieve Finalist status. If you haven’t read our detailed articles yet on the steps to take to become a Semifinalist and Finalist, check them out here: National Merit Semifinalist and National Merit Finalist. Now that you know what it takes to get to this point, read on to learn about the three scholarships available, how much money they give, and how Finalists qualify for scholarship awards. 1. National Merit Scholarships Every Finalist is given consideration for a National Merit Scholarship. Finalists are named Scholars (in other words, receive the scholarship) based on the strength of their applications. Scholars have outstanding applications that demonstrate academic commitment, extracurricular and community involvement, passion, and drive. Your first choice college is not a factor under consideration for National Merit Scholarships. In fact, the NMSC committee members do not even see this information. These scholarships are awarded to only 2,500 Finalists, or about 1 in 6 Finalists. They are a one-time award of $2,500 and are not renewable throughout your years of college. To sum up: Every Finalist is given consideration for the National Merit Scholarship based on their applications. 2. Corporate-Sponsored Scholarships The second type of scholarship offered by NMSC is a corporate-sponsored scholarship. Finalists are also automatically given consideration for these scholarships based on their applications and the information they provide about parental employment, intended majors, and career plans. Most corporate sponsors give awards to students whose parents or guardians work for them. A small number award non-employee children if they indicate an interest in a major or career choice that the corporation wants to support. As this changes year to year, you should check with your corporation of interest to learn about their award criteria. Sponsor corporations include UPS, Boeing, Macy’s, BP, Southwest Airlines, and the General Mills Foundation (see the full list here). About 1,000 students receive corporate-sponsored awards, and they range greatly in amount. They are usual renewable, or awarded annually, and tend to be transferable to any four-year accredited college. To sum up: Finalists are automatically given consideration for corporate-sponsored awards based on their applications and the parent employment information they indicate therein (or occasionally, major and career interest). 3. College-Sponsored Scholarships Finalists who do not receive either the National Merit Scholarships or a Corporate-Sponsored Scholarships are considered for College-Sponsored scholarships. Check thelist of college sponsorsto see which schools are eligible. Some popular sponsor colleges include Boston University, Boston College, Tufts, Bowdoin, Colby, University of Chicago, University of Southern California, and Pomona. Some colleges who do NOT sponsor include Harvard and the other Ivy Leagues, MIT, Williams, and Middlebury. Students must indicate one of the sponsor colleges as their First Choice college on their applications. Students who put â€Å"Undecided† will not be considered. So, even if you’re not sure, you should still put one of the sponsoring colleges as your first choice or add one to your application ASAP. Students can log into their NMSC applications and change their first choice college up until May 31st, UNLESS they have already received an award offer from the college they indicated. NMSC sends rosters of Finalists to sponsoring colleges in March. Scholarship offers start in early May and continue for the next few months. Page 3 of the application goes over the College-Sponsored Scholarships process in detail. If you have any questions about it, definitely clarify by calling NMSC Scholarship administration at 1-847-866-5100. About 4,100 students receive college-sponsored scholarships in an amount between $500 and $2,000. Colleges may award even more merit-based awardsif that’s the case, NMSC will cover up to $2,000, and the rest of the award will come from the college or other sources. Since every school differs, students should contact the school directly to discuss their merit-based financial awards. College-sponsored scholarships are renewable annually and non-transferable. To sum up: You must put a sponsor college as your first choice in your NMSC application to be considered for a college-sponsored scholarship. Since college awards and policies differ, you should contact the school of interest itself to learn how much merit-based scholarship money you might be eligible to receive. Want to build the best possible college application and financial aid package? We can help. PrepScholar Admissions is the world's best admissions consulting service. We combine world-class admissions counselors with our data-driven, proprietary admissions strategies. We've overseen thousands of students get into their top choice schools, from state colleges to the Ivy League. We know what kinds of students colleges want to admit. We want to get you admitted to your dream schools. Learn more about PrepScholar Admissions to maximize your chance of getting in. What Do You Need to Do to Maximize Your Chances? Put together an outstanding application. Review instructions for Semifinalists here: http://nationalmerit.org/Merit_RI_Leaflet.pdf. What story do your extracurricular activities and community service tell? Do they show a progression to a position of leadership? Do they show â€Å"depth over breadth†? Besides having flawless grammar and spelling, does your personal essay show that you are thoughtful, reflective, and draw meaning from your experiences? How strong is your recommendation? Give your teacher a â€Å"brag sheet† of the qualities, accomplishments, and even adjectives you would like them to include to make your recommendation stand out as one of the best. If you were on the committee choosing which Finalists become Scholars, what criteria would you use? What would impress you about a candidate and make you want to award him/her a scholarship? Research sponsor corporations and be aware of your parents’ employment. Make sure to include any relevant information on your application so you will be considered for a corporate-sponsored scholarship. Indicate a sponsor college as your first choice on your application. Make any changes by May 31st. Page 3 of your application explains this process in greater detail. Put Your Best Foot Forward - A Timeline Maximize your chances of getting a scholarship by following these steps and meeting all the deadlines. Prep for the PSAT in sophomore year. Make sure you're scoring above the score cutoff for your state, or else you won't qualify as a Semifinalist. Take the PSAT in the fall of your junior year and qualify for Semifinalist by scoring in the top 1%. Study for the SATs in the spring and summer and take them in the fall of your senior year. Get a high score that shows NMSC that your PSAT scores weren’t just a fluke. Submit your NMSC application in early October of senior year. If for some reason your school received late notification of Semifinalists, just let NMSC know. In this instance, they won’t penalize you for having a late application. Receive word that you made Finalist in early February of senior year. Receive word that you won a scholarship starting in early May of senior year. Preparation Is Everything Start preparing as early as possible to become a National Merit Finalist and Scholar. This doesn’t just mean studying for the PSATs and SATs. It also means joining clubs, gaining a leadership position, and cultivating good relationships with your teachers. All of this preparation will not only help you succeed on the PSAT and SAT, but will set you up for success in your future academic and professional careers. What's Next? Make sure you read about our National Merit Semifinalist and Finalist articles to have the best chance of qualifying for each stage of the competition. The National Merit Scholarship uses the PSAT, but the SAT is far more important for college admissions. What's a good SAT score? Learn what a good target score is, based on your college goals. Aiming for a perfect score on the SAT? Read our guide to getting a perfect SAT score, written by one of our perfect scorers. Want to improve your SAT score by 240 points?We have the industry's leading SAT prep program. Built by Harvard grads and SAT full scorers, the program learns your strengths and weaknesses through advanced statistics, then customizes your prep program to you so you get the most effective prep possible. Sign up for our free 5-day trial today:

Case study Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words - 5

Case study - Essay Example The study takes into account the implications of social media from the context of customer as well as employees. It also analyzes social media as a tool for Customer Relationship Management. The study also highlights ways to implement social media in organizations. It suggests certain guidelines that must be followed by organizations while implementing social media in organizations. Finally an effort is also taken to include the measurement of success of social media with the balanced scorecard approach. The term â€Å"Social Media† generally refers to media dedicated for social interactions. Social media makes use of various online and web technologies to transform the media monologues into their sociable forms. In the contemporary context social media can be appropriately defined as a collection of web based applications which build the foundations of the internet. Social media has come a long way from being an exclusive element of IT domain to everyday social networking sites like Twitter, Facebook, and blogs etc which command a huge reach and can drastically affect a firm’s business prospects. Social media has been effectively used by organizations as a tool for reaching out to their prospective customers. The growth of social media has been largely used by many organizations as a promotional tool. Moreover, with the advent of social networking and blogging sites, social media has become an important means of getting customer feedbacks about their products and services. These days many organizations have a dedicated department that handles social media related issues. Organizations need to frame their social media policies so that it provides them with the ways and means to deal with possible opportunities and threats. The spread and easy accessibility of the internet has taken away the luxury that used to exist when non web based sources were used as a social media tool (Kane, et al., n.d.). The use of social media enables organizations to get

Strategic analysis of Whole Food market Coursework

Strategic analysis of Whole Food market - Coursework Example The stores are located in 38,000 square foot in size which conform to the locality and community that they serve and which have observed 5% year on year growth. The company’s stock was boosted by nearly 38% which has seen 17% growth in EBITDA to $835 million and 20 year compounded annual growth rate of nearly 26% (ar, 2011). 1.1 Vision and mission Company’s vision is to become a global brand for best quality natural and organic food and best food retailer of organic food in every community that it serves. The mission statements of the company are designed to meet the food requirements of the people by providing them with healthy and nutritious food so that they can lead a healthier life and live longer. The core values of the company focus on sustainable business practice and ensure complete customer satisfaction through quality food that is organically produced. They also empower people with knowledge and information that promote their general well-being. The core valu es are aligned to their strategic vision and mission that fundamentally cater to the interests of all its stakeholders including workforce, customers and supply chain. 1.2 Current strategy The current strategy is designed to encourage people to adopt healthy lifestyle through food that is organically produced. It ensures customer satisfaction by facilitating high quality of naturally and organically produced wide variety of food products. The Whole Food stores are strategically designed to meet the needs of its customers. They have cafeteria facility which ensured that customers could also taste and test the quality food that they would be buying. The brochures and information about food products and sustainable business practice empower customers with information which they use in their buying experience. 1.2.1 Goals and objectives The organizational culture greatly helps to achieve its broader goals and objectives of meeting the changing demands of its various stakeholders includi ng customer satisfaction. The company promotes more than 2600 SKU with its 365 Everyday Value, primary in-house brand (ar, 2011). The company’s goals are focused opening around 24 to 27 new stores and improving its sales growth to around 15%. Its major objective is to promote sustainable business practices. To achieve it, WEM emphasizes diversity in workplace and creates barrier free and encouraging environment to meet the needs of diverse community. The team leaders within the stores are empowered to make independent decisions that ensures improved performance outcome. The broader goals and objectives of WFM are achieved through measures like employees’ welfare schemes, environmental concerns, health and well-being and charitable works in the area of education, training and development of entrepreneurial skills etc. Its suppliers of food products from low waged countries were supported financially to ensure quality produce which also helped them to raise their living standard. It has introduced innovative processes to promote sustainable business practices within its in-house staff and business partners (ar, 2011). It has encouraged greater interaction with various focus groups and fostered alliances for proactive participation of the public and workforce in its drive for environmental conservations and community welfare. 1.2.2 Major strength The double digit growth rate, exemplary customer service and broad range of quality product lines are its major strengths. With approximately $11.7 billion revenue in 2011, the strong cash flow and stock position greatly favor the company in achieving its goals and objectives (yahoo, 2013). The growth plans of companies are primarily through opening

Interest Rates Affects on the Is-Lm Model Essay Example for Free

Interest Rates Affects on the Is-Lm Model Essay Assignment 4 5. According to the IS-LM model, what happens to the interest rate, income, consumption and invest under the following circumstances. a. The central bank increases money supply. An increase in the money supple shifts the LM curve downward. The equilibrium moves from point A to point B. Income rises from Y1 to Y2 and the interest rate falls from r1 to r2. Therefore this increase in money supply causes a decrease in interest rate, an increase in income, an increase in consumption and an increase in investment. LM Income, output, Y b. Government increases government purchases An increase in government purchases result in a shift in the IS curve to the right. The equilibrium moves from point A to point B. Income rises from Y1 to Y2 and interest rate rises from r1 to r2. This increase in government purchases therefore causes interest rate to rise and income also rises. Consumption will also increase but the increase in government purchases will cause investment to decrease. interest rate, r LM IS2 IS1 Income, output, Y c. The government increases taxes. An increase in taxes shifts the IS curve to the left. The equilibrium moves from point A to point B. Income falls from Y1 to Y2 and the interest rate from r ¬1 to r 2. Therefore increase in taxes will bring about a decrease in interest rate, cause income to also decrease which will decrease consumption also but will result in an increase in investment. interest rate, r LM IS1 IS2 Income, output, Y d. The government increase government purchases and taxes equally 6. Consider the following economy of Hicksonia. a. The consumption function is given by C= 200 + 0. 75 (Y T) The investment function is I= 200-25r Government purchases and taxes are both 100.

Spearfisherman :: Fishing Sports Papers

Spearfisherman As a student in the scuba certification class here at State, I have been taught that if you would like to keep all of your limbs, it is best to keep your hands to yourself under the water. This means that if I saw a 52 pound fish, I probably would not try to stab it with a spear, or play a game of cat and mouse. So what makes a spearfisherman? How does one go about spending their recreational time chasing after fish as big as them? Since the 1940’s, spearfishing, the art of hunting prey without a line, in its own environment, has been a popular sporting activity. How do you learn to spearfish? You must first decide what type of a fisherperson you would like to be. Would you want to hunt with scuba equipment making it easier to dive to greater depths? Or would you like to stay close to the surface without the heavy gear? There are two types of spear fishermen, the people that are freedivers, who dive without the gear, and people that require an air supply, otherwise known as scuba method. The freedive has very little equipment; a mask, optional snorkel, fins, and the speargun of your choice. It is the simplest form of spearfishing, and yet it is said to be the most challenging (Allen Patrick 6). A diver must hold his breath on the surface, â€Å"pike dive† and descend, while trying to clear his ears and equalize pressure(6). The ears must also be cleared with the scuba method, so this is no t only for freedivers. The scuba method, much more gear intensive, first and foremost requires that you have a recreational diving license. Diving by in itself requires skill and education, so it is advisable for a aspiring spearfisherman to obtain a diving license before heading down to the local speargun shop. You must have a mask that properly fits their face, fins, an air cylinder with a regulator that makes it possible to breath, the appropriate weight belt to decrease and increase buoyancy, along with the buoyancy compensator, that holds you cylinder in place (Patrick 11-13). Now that you are in the water and have your gear, you need a weapon.

Comparing and Contrasting “The Necklace” and “The Gift of the Magi” Essay

The main character in The Necklace’s, and the main character in The Gift of the Magi’s, personalities differ from one another vastly. In The Necklace, the main character Mathilde Loisel is an ungrateful middle class woman who seeks riches and admiration. Alternatively, the main character in The Gift of the Magi, Della Young, is compassionate and works very hard to buy her husband a present, and ultimately, selling the one thing that was more precious to her than anything else, her hair. Mathilde is selfish, and when her friend, Madame Foreister is sympathetic enough to let her borrow her jewelry, Mathilde asks rudely, â€Å"Haven’t you anything else?† (Maupassant,  ¶39). In contrast, Della is very appreciative when she receives a hairpin, and is very unselfish when giving away her hair to buy a present for her husband. Mathilde and Della are also both remotely poor. In the beginning of The Necklace, Mathilde and her husband were pretty well off, not too rich, and very simple. But at the end of the story, they are dirt poor, having spent 10 years paying debts. On the other hand, Della started out fairly poor, only being able to gather $1.87 for a Christmas present, but enjoyed life all the same. These two women are also unlike one another because of how they treat their husbands. When thinking about what to get her husband Jim, Della thought, â€Å"Something fine and rare and sterling–something just a little bit near to being worthy of the honor of being owned by Jim.† (Henry,  ¶6) This quote shows how much Della loves her husband, and how she thinks it is the best thing in the world to be his, and to be married to him. Meanwhile, instead of feeling like her husband â€Å"won† her heart, Mathilde feels like she settled for him. She shows these feelings for her husband when O. Henry writes â€Å"†¦and she let herself be married off to a little clerk in the Ministry of Education.† (Maupassant,  ¶1). Madame Loisel also does not show gratitude towards her husband when he acquired the tickets to the party, and when he spent all that money buying her a dress when he really could have bought something for himself. On the other hand, Mrs. Young is very flattered when her husband buys her a present, even one that she has no use for. Both The Necklace’s, and The Gift of the Magi’s, endings are ironic. In The Necklace, Mathilde and her husband spend most of their young life paying off a huge debt because of a diamond necklace that she had lost. 10 years later, she ran into the friend from whom she borrowed the necklace from, and found out that the necklace they thought was thirty-six thousand francs was only five hundred. The Gift of the Magi ended in a more comical irony than The Necklace’s cynical irony. Della had cut her long, lushes hair to buy Jim a chain for his pocket watch, and Jim sold his prized pocket watch to buy Della a lavish pin for her hair. The Young couple didn’t mind that they both bought something the other one no longer needed, they were just happy to have each other. People are confronted with choices every day, and in The Necklace by Guy De Maupassant and The Gift of the Magi, by O. Henry, the main characters make subconscious choices to act selfish, or to act grateful.

“Ghost’s During the Elizabethan Era” - 2807 Words

At around ten o’clock at night, a young girl was laying in bed when all of a sudden someone started rubbing her cheek. She looked around and no one was there. Was this her imagination, or was someone there? Ghosts always make their presence known, just like the Ghost in the tragedy Hamlet written by William Shakespeare. Throughout the character of the Ghost of Hamlet’s father, Shakespeare portrays many Elizabethan beliefs on ghosts. Shakespeare creates the question: is the ghost good or bad? Many people have their own opinion on this question, but in this writer’s opinion, the Ghost of Hamlet’s father is a good ghost because throughout the tragedy the Ghost of Hamlet’s father never physically hurts anyone, instead he persuades Hamlet†¦show more content†¦In other words, when ghosts would confront their loved ones, they would stay on track as to why they were there and would not get distracted from the main reason for their visit. As a result, many humans, especially loved ones, know the real reason the ghost has decided to visit. This belief relates to the play because the Ghost of Hamlet’s father decides to visit Denmark and makes everyone question his visitation. Clark states that ghosts appear to â€Å"obtain revenge†, although this appears to be true as to the reason Hamlet’s father’s Ghost appears, it is not the actual reason. The Ghost is there to ask Hamlet to â€Å"revenge his foul and most unnatural murder† (Shakespeare 57). In other words, the Ghost is not there to seek revenge physically, but to have Hamlet seek revenge on Claudius for killing him. The Ghost makes his visitation to specifically ask Hamlet to seek revenge on his murderer; however, he does not force Hamlet to seek revenge. Since the ghost does not force Hamlet to seek revenge he appears to the audience that he is a good ghost because he does not hurt anyone and does not appear violet. Therefore, because the Ghost has not been physical this situation allows the audience to become aware that he is a good ghost. The third Elizabethan belief in ghosts was that people were believed to be hallucinating if they believe they had seen a ghost. â€Å"Persons affected by mania or melancholy are most commonly subject to receive false imaginationsShow MoreRelatedThe Ghost Is a Useful Dramatic Device; Essay1444 Words   |  6 PagesDuring the Elizabethan period, a ghost was seen as a common feature in most tragedy plays. Shakespeares Hamlet is a prime example of the use of a `ghost to entice fear and apprehension amongst the Elizabethan audience. The ghost can be seen as projecting several functions throughout the play, all of which are vital to the plays ultimate impact. 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Kyds transformation of Senecan traditions of revenge tragedy in The Spanish Tragedy, provided the main principles for the popular Elizabethan Revenge Tragedy, and thus gave ShakespeareRead MoreWilliam Shakespeare s Hamlet - Morality And Religion1442 Words   |  6 Pagessin. In the play â€Å"Hamlet,† Shakespeare examines the role of suicide in morality and religion providing a new perception into how they affect each other, and how both belief guide characters motives. The play was written during a significant time in England, the Elizabethan era was filled with the clashing of monarchs on religion. The tension between Catholicism and Protestantism caused discord amongst the royal families. This discord caused strife amongst the people leading to hard times and violenceRead MoreMadness versus Reality in Hamlet1550 Words   |  6 Pagesnor is he fully convinced by the demands of the ghost as he decides to first probe in to the intentions of Claudius by acting as a foul and mad person and later on by re-enacting the murder of his father using a play in front of Claudius and others. During the play Claudius acts like a man with guilty conscious and Hamlet decides to take revenge and kill him. After failed attempts the ghost comes to Hamlet full of anger and disgust as Claudius is still alive. By this time Hamlet is convinced but mistakenlyRead MoreTo Believe Or To Believe: No Question About It: An Analysis of Hamlets Fatal Flaw1236 Words   |  5 P agesgood Christian by asserting that â€Å"I do not set my life at a pin’s fee,/ And for my soul, what can it do that,/ Being a thing immortal as itself?/ It waves me forth again. I’ll follow it† ( I. iv. 65-68). His friends are still very skeptical of the ghost’s intentions and only back off when Hamlet threatens them with â€Å"By heaven, I’ll make a ghost of him that let me.†(I.iv.85) Immediately after, Marcellus utters his famous line: â€Å"Something is rotten in the state of Denmark†(I.iv. 90). At this time periodRead MoreEssay about The Nature of Evil in William Shakespeares Hamlet1953 Words   |  8 PagesMissing Hamlet is a Shakespearean revenge tragedy, which was a strong, and entertaining form of drama popular in the Elizabethan era during which Shakespeare (1562-1616) lived. Hamlet, like many of Shakespeares plays has been inspired by another famous tragedy, in this case, The Spanish Tragedy, a revenge play written by Thomas Kyd. The great political turbulence