Foster High School senior Lindsay Etzler is one of only about 16,000 students nationwide named as a 2015 National Merit Scholarship Semifinalist.
She will compete for about $33 million worth of scholarships next spring. According to the National Merit Scholarship Corp., about 90 percent of the semifinalists will be finalists and more than half the finalists will earn scholarships.
Winning a National Merit Scholarship depends on academic record, PSAT and SAT scores, extracurricular and leadership experiences and an essay. Other factors include recommendations from your school, your school's curricula and grading system.
The nationwide pool of semifinalists, representing less than one percent of U.S. high school seniors, includes the highest scoring entrants in each state.