Wayland Student Wins National Merit Scholarships

The National Merit Scholarship Corporation (NMSC) announced this year’s National Merit $2500 Scholarship winners this week.

The 2,500 Merit Scholar designees were chosen from a talent pool of more than 15,000 outstanding Finalists in the 2015 National Merit Scholarship Program. National Merit $2500 Scholarship winners are the finalists in each state judged to have the strongest combination of accomplishments, skills, and potential for success in rigorous college studies, said the announcement.

Wayland’s Andrew W. Sharp, whose probable career field is computer science, is among the scholarship recipients.

These scholars were selected by a committee of college admissions officers and high school counselors, who appraised a substantial amount of information submitted by both the Finalists and their high schools: the academic record, including difficulty level of subjects studied and grades earned; scores from two standardized tests; contributions and leadership in school and community activities; an essay written by the Finalist; and a recommendation written by a high school official.

The release is the second announcement of winners in the 2015 National Merit Scholarship Program. On April 22, about 1,000 recipients of corporate-sponsored Merit Scholarship awards were named, and on May 27 and July 13, some 4,100 college-sponsored Merit Scholarship winners will be announced.