Senior Phoebe Snydersmith has recently qualified to be a National Merit Scholarship semifinalist. The National Merit Scholarship is awarded to academically talented students with a remarkable score on the PSAT.
“I’m pretty happy, but it’s also kind of stressful because I need to apply to become a finalist,” Snydersmith said. She is currently working on an essay that will factor in on her qualification to become a finalist.
According to the National Merit Scholarship Corporation, “semifinalists are the highest-scoring entrants in each state.”
“I didn’t prepare that much [for the PSAT] because it was just stuff I learned in class,” Snydersmith said. She studied the format of the test rather than what exactly was on the PSAT. Snydersmith recommends that students take it both their sophomore and junior year in order to have enough practice.
“The first time I took it I had a lot of anxiety,” said Snydersmith; however, the second time she was a lot more confident. She feels the material isn’t as hard as the timing is.
“If you’re going to take the PSAT, manage your time well,” Snydersmith said.
“It is clear that Phoebe’s time management skills are very well developed for her to be able to be so active in school activities while also operating at such a high level academically,” said her AP psychology teacher, Jonathon Pererio.
Considering her academic aptitude, her teachers and friends weren’t taken aback to find out that she was a semifinalist.
“I was not surprised at all to find out Phoebe qualified because having known her for a while, I know that she is a very intelligent person,” senior Michael Frieh said. “She has always done very well with anything that she sets her mind to.”
Seniors Devon Palmer and Ryan Schwanke agree.
“We’re glad to see her succeed,” said Schwanke.
“Phoebe is a very hard, focused worker and is able to grasp things very easily. I think that her ability to work hard has helped her a great deal in that it has allowed her to stay on track and improve in school throughout her time at PCHS,” said Frieh.
Likewise her AP statistics teacher Lynn Bond said Snydersmith is a “diligent, hardworking student.”