Fort Lee Student Named A National Merit Scholarship Semifinalist

FORT LEE, NJ — A borough high school student is among the 16,000 semifinalists in the 64th annual National Merit Scholarship Program, the National Merit Scholarship Corp. (NMSC) announced on Monday.

Thomas Hum is eligible for any of the 7,500 National Merit Scholarships worth more than $31 million that will be offered next spring, NMSC said. Hum attends Fort Lee High School.

A semifinalist must have an outstanding academic record throughout high school, be endorsed and recommended by a high school official, write an essay, and earn SAT scores that confirm the student's earlier performance on the qualifying test.

The students who scored the highest in each state reached the semifinals. The number of semifinalists in each state is proportional to the state's percentage of the national total of graduating seniors. The semifinalist list represents less than 1 percent of U.S. high school seniors.

More than 90 percent of the semifinalists are expected to reach the finals, and about half of those will win a National Merit Scholarship.

To advance to the finals, each semifinalist and his or her high school must submit a detailed scholarship application, in which they provide information about their academic record, participation in school and community activities, demonstrated leadership abilities, employment, and honors and awards received.

Email: daniel.hubbard@patch.com

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