5/23/2010

The National Merit Scholarship Corporation has recognized Metairie Park Country Day School senior Rosalie Haug as a Finalist. Rosalie also is the recipient of a college sponsored Merit Scholarship from LSU.

Rosalie Haug has distinguished herself in a national competition of 1.5 million students from over 22,000 high schools. The PSAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test taken during the junior year serves as the initial screen of program entrants. Among the 1.5 million entrants in the program, 16,000 students are recognized as SemiFinalists. Representing less than one percent of each state’s high school seniors, SemiFinalists are the highest-scoring program entrants in each state.

To become a Finalist, a SemiFinalist must have an outstanding academic record throughout high school, must be endorsed and recommended by the high school principal, and must earn SAT scores that confirm the student’s earlier performance on the qualifying test. The SemiFinalist and a high school official must submit a detailed scholarship application, which includes the student’s self-descriptive essay and information about the SemiFinalist’s participation and leadership in school and community activities.

There are three types of National Merit Scholarship awards: 2,500 National Merit $2,500 Scholarships; approximately 1,000 corporate-sponsored scholarships that will be provided by 270 corporations and business organizations for Finalists who meet their specified criteria; and approximately 4,700 scholarship awards that will be financed by 200 colleges and universities. The National Merit Scholarship winners will be announced in several nationwide news releases concluding in July.