Kate Burns – National Merit Finalist
- by R. Ankrom
Senior Kate Burns has been selected as a National Merit Finalist.
"This is a great honor for Kate, clearly, as finalists represent 1% of test takers," said Academic Dean Martha Griswold. "Her nomination as a finalist speaks to her dedication to academics and to her great potential as a college student."
National Merit finalists are chosen from among the 1.5 million students who take the PSAT/NMSQT exam each year. Those 50,000 students with the highest scores qualify for the National Merit Scholarships. About 34,000 of those who qualify for consideration for these scholarships become "Commended Scholars," an honor that does certainly aid in the college admission process. The remaining 16,000 become semi- finalists, of which 15,000 are chosen as finalists who compete for the coveted National Merit Scholarships. Finalists are then judged on grades, test scores, a school recommendation, leadership, and other criteria. Of the original 1.5 million test takers, 8,200 will receive National Merit Scholarships between March and June of their senior year.
"I definitely credit the challenging academics at Chatham Hall in preparing me for the exam as well as college," summed up Burns. Kate has been accepted into Georgetown University.
