<p>Do they read it to decide whether you move on to Finalist status? Because I heard they basically just make sure you’re getting decent grades and have an appropriate SAT score for that.</p>
<p>Do they use it to decide who gets the $2500 National Merit Corporation-Sponsored scholarships?</p>
<p>Well, if you do not approach the essay seriously (or at all), you’re not going to get anywhere in the competition.</p>
<p>They’ll look at everything when choosing Finalists and Scholars, but just weigh more heavily what you have put on your application when they make the decision to who will actually receive scholarship money.</p>
<p>Well, I’m not going to blow it off entirely or anything, I’m just making sure this isn’t something I have to spend a hundred hours on.</p>