@shadyconcepts - Hmm, mine wasn’t really about a specific event either (more about multiple and how one hobby shaped those? Kind of difficult to explain). I was too lazy to write a separate essay 
Hopefully they won’t throw out my app because of that…? Isn’t the statistic like, ~90% of semifinalists become finalists?
My former APUSH teacher just like…killed me for watching Hamlet instead of reading it. I cannot read plays. It’s difficult.
He’s seriously the smartest person I’ve ever met though. I can’t believe how much math, physics, literature, and other stuff he knows on top of all types of history.
@glasshours basically everyone becomes a finalist but the scholarship is highly competitive. Even with a high SAT, stellar EC, the people I know have no idea if they’ll get the scholarship. Honestly, I wish I could just write a good essay and send that national merit on its way: /
No matter how many ways I look at it, I shouldn’t have taken AP lit.
@XoXdreamerXoX I wish I was in lit 
@LordBendtner Not with my teacher. 6 hours of homework spread over 2 days for his class and outside essays and readings. That is not okay when homework from other classes piles up.
@glasshours Yep, basically everyone becomes a Merit Finalist except for like a hundred people. I wouldn’t be too worried about the essay!
AP lit(11th grade) wasn’t that bad. I didn’t necessarily enjoy the literature selections(Scarlet Letter for one) but it wasn’t too difficult and the teacher was good. AP lang(12th grade) is rough. The teacher is a really tough grader and we have lots of dry readings for homework. Like 30-40 pages a night.
I get more homework for AP Lit than all other classes I’ve had in high school combined.
Actually, I take that back. I had about the same for APUSH, but I actually liked the APUSH material.
@glasshours My school told us we needed to submit by noon tomorrow so they can send things in on time, if that helps.
When do we hear back about Finalist and the scholarship?
@1358531 - Thanks! Badgered my counselor today in school and thankfully he submitted a few hours ago 
Finalist status is confirmed in February; the website says we find out about the merit scholarships anytime from March to June.
Are these just the merit scholarships offered by colleges (e.g. USC’s half-tuition one)…? I read something about corporate-sponsored scholarships and a $2500 one, but how difficult are these to obtain? $2500 is nice, but there’s so many other scholarships that offer even more money.
In my school College English (run through local college) gets more homework than AP Lit. They are really the same level.
I’m so tired of expectations. Teachers expect me to be either perfect or near perfect and it’s cornering me already. I feel as though I need to keep pushing myself harder to meet all of their expectations and the expectations my organization advisors (because I’m “dependable” as they all put it) and others, and I somehow just feel exhausted and as if doing everything is just painful and takes too much out of me now. My adviser just went and told the one other student at my school that is applying to MIT that I had my interview and he’s higher ranked than me despite having taken less AP and honors courses, and I hadn’t met him until today. He just coolly told me our adviser had told him of my interview and told me his rank. I don’t even know anymore. I’m probably screwed now. I know I would’ve been better off without knowing of the other student applying to MIT.
Sorry, you all. I ranted. I’m just tired of it all right now.
Don’t worry too much about having someone else apply. Especially if your school has multiple students getting in every year. And also, ranking is not the only factor. Did your interview go well? That might help! Good luck and stay strong @XoXdreamerXoX
This is a general question for everyone: around how many people get into top tier schools (ex: Ivy’s, MIT, Caltech, Stanford, etc) per year?
I’m just curious…
My school only sends about 1 student to a highly ranked school per year, and that school is usually Rice.
I think what really got to me today was the disappointed looks from both my AP Calc BC and AP Physics 2 teachers when I didn’t score perfectly on their assignments. Then finding out everyone knew about my MIT stuff threw me off, especially finding out someone else is applying.
At my school, 1 or 2 (generally the Val or Sal then one other person).
Other schools (like the affluent ones across the county) have better results.
@XoXdreamerXoX well, they wouldn’t be disappointed if they didn’t think that you have the capability to score better!
but I agree, the everyone knowing you’re applying to MIT would be a bit frustrating…