In 2017, 1.6 million high school juniors took the PSAT for a chance to become a National Merit Scholarship winner. Last week, 16,000 semifinalists were announced. There are 12 semifinalists from LexRich5, and 4 from Chapin High, Grayson Fletcher, Holden Gabriel, Joseph Humphries, and Madeline Maylath. The semifinalists can win a $2500 scholarship and are entered to compete to become a finalist. The finalists are announced in February.

All of the award winners were excited when they found out they had won the award, especially because of the scholarship. Grayson Fletcher said he was excited “because it will help me pay for college.” Although he is considering USC, Wofford, and Vanderbilt, his top choice is Furman.

Joseph Humphries sees the award as “a stepping stone towards college and completing many bigger goals in the future.” He is still undecided about where to go to college, but he likes Wofford and other smaller schools.

Maddy Maylath said, “it feels great to know all my hard work through high school paid off.” She is considering schools like University of Illinois, Northwestern University, and Clemson, but her top choice is Princeton.

Holden Gabriel said he was “honored to have been named a semifinalist.” He is applying to Furman, Wake Forest, and Clemson, but his top choice is Vanderbilt.

The semifinalists all took different approaches to studying for the PSAT.  “I have not done anything specific to prepare, but I have tried to maintain good relationships with my teachers and seek their help outside of class when I am having difficulty in a subject,” said Jack.

Grayson said he also didn’t specifically study, but added, “I have had really good teachers…who taught me a lot and prepared me well for the future.”

Both Maddy and Holden, though, prepared in the more conventional way. Holden said, “I have taken SAT prep classes and practiced on my own.”

Maddy said, “I started studying freshman year. I went to SAT team twice a week. I think that was a significant factor in my success.”

Juniors who signed up for the PSAT are taking it October 1oth and have a chance to become a National Merit Scholar next year.