Every year, a select group of students earns a high-enough score on the PSAT to become National Merit Scholarship Semifinalists. After taking the 2023 PSAT/NMSQT, 18 of Arcadia High School’s (AHS) students achieved this prestigious title out of the 1.3 million juniors from across the nation who took it. Astoundingly, one third of these semifinalists were students in the AHS orchestra program, despite orchestra students only making up 7% of AHS’ population. Congrats to Catherine Wang, Evan Yen, Max Ma, Zuni Ng, Minjun Cha, and Avani Athavale for this monumental achievement! 

By scoring in the top 1% of PSAT test takers, these seniors are eligible for scholarships from certain colleges and corporations, while standing out to admissions officers and getting the opportunity to advance to the Finalist stage. If they are able to become Finalists, they will be eligible to compete for a National Merit $2500 Scholarship, a corporate-sponsored or a college-sponsored Merit scholarship award. 

So, what makes orchestra students score so high? Just as playing consistently can help one master a musical instrument, it turns out the maxim “practice makes perfect” also applies to test taking. As advice for aspiring PSAT takers, many of orchestra’s semifinalists suggested to regularly prep with past questions to become familiar with the nature of the test, and simultaneously reduce pre-test anxiety. 

As senior Minjun Cha put it, “I understand how stressful and fast [the test] can go by, so repetition can help you get used to it.”

Of course, all this practice, paired with playing in orchestra and keeping up with classes, means these students have a lot on their plate. While the semifinalists’ accomplishment is clearly an indicator of their excellent academic performance, it is also a sign of their ability to effectively balance their personal life, academics, and extracurriculars. 

“I think the main priority should be to ensure that you really enjoy everything you’re involved in, so that it doesn’t feel like you’re doing things that feel like just work,” advised senior Avani Athavale. “Remind yourself that it is totally okay to take a step back from certain activities if you find yourself being overwhelmed.”

As National Merit Scholarship Semifinalists, these students can now apply to become Finalists, with results released in February 2025. In order to do so, students must work with their school counselors to submit their academic record, recommendations, and SAT/ACT scores. If they advance to the Finalist level, they might receive a National Merit Scholarship. A scholarship of such high distinction undoubtedly opens the door to many opportunities for these high achieving students!

“I’m now an applicant in an essentially international competition for the National Merit Scholarship (NMS)…scholarships that may yield great opportunities for my financial status and my ability to pay for college,” explained senior Max Ma. “I've also now had the chance to connect with other NMS Semifinalists at Arcadia…and collectively undertake the responsibility of representing Arcadia High School in this prestigious competition.”

Congratulations to all the phenomenal students who have achieved Semifinalist status! We wish you all the best of luck in all your future endeavors!