Three members of the Class of 2020, PJ Avery, Joseph Egan and Isaac Michael, have been named National Merit Semifinalists. This recognition is based on their scores on the PSAT during their sophomore year.

According to information released by the counselors, there are approximately 16,000 Semifinalists from across the nation in the 66th annual National Merit Scholarship Program.

These three have an opportunity to continue in the competition for some 7,600 National Merit Scholarships worth more than $30 million that will be offered next spring. To be considered for a Merit Scholarship award, Semifinalists must fulfill several requirements to advance to the Finalist level of the competition. Avery, Egan and Michael will be judged on academic record, participation in school and community activities, demonstrated leadership abilities, employment and honors and awards received.

The three seniors replied to questions from the Megaphone regarding their prestigious academic achievement.

PJ Avery

Did you prepare for taking the PSAT your junior year? I took two full PSAT practice tests.

Where do you plan to apply to college? Stanford, Purdue, Wisconsin, Colorado (Boulder)

What do you plan for your college major? Engineering

In what clubs or school activities are you involved? Irish Engineers Club, Brain Game

In what school sports are you involved? Cross-country and track

Did your performance on the PSAT translate to your performance on the SAT? I received a 1,560 on my second SAT.

How did Cathedral help you succeed? Mr. Jim Nohl’s honors precal class helped immensely with the math sections of the standardized tests.

What advice would you give to current underclassmen regarding doing well on the PSAT and SAT? Take advantage of the free studying resources on Khan Academy. There are a multitude of practice questions, lessons and even full practice tests with no cost. You can even create an account so your studying recommendations are personalized. A motivated student can use these free resources to do very well.

Joseph Egan

Did you prepare for taking the PSAT your junior year? If so, how? I used official practice tests to familiarize myself with the test format. Another important preparation I took was making sure to get lots of rest the night before and eating a good breakfast.

Where do you plan to apply to college? Purdue, Georgia Tech, Massachusetts Institute of Technology

What do you plan for your college major? Computer science

In what clubs or school activities are you involved? Brain Game (Academic Quiz Bowl), CHS Live, International Food Club, Dungeons and Dragons Club

In what school sports are you involved? None, but I ran cross-country freshman and sophomore years.

Did your performance on the PSAT translate to your performance on the SAT? I have yet to take the SAT, so I won’t know for a few weeks until I take it.

How did Cathedral help you succeed? My academic career at Cathedral has included many educators who taught me to think critically and assess ideas and how those ideas are communicated, which are necessary skills for the English language sections of the test. In my experience both years, the English sections were more difficult than the math sections, so the abilities I developed in my humanities classes were immensely important.

What Cathedral teacher was most influential in your academic success? Why? Mrs. Kathy Keyes, who I had for sophomore English and has since retired, was the most influential teacher I have learned from. She was the first teacher to challenge me out of my comfortable patterns that got good grades in classes, and she inspired me to explore ideas and language in a more creative and complex manner.

What advice would you give to current underclassmen regarding doing well on the PSAT and SAT? Take advantage of the numerous official practice exams given. Rather than testing for time or completion, for each question thoroughly examine each answer and don’t move on without writing down a reason why each answer you didn’t choose is incorrect. If you can’t differentiate between two answers, or they both sound equally good, you stand too high a chance of getting the question wrong, so move on and then return to the question after finishing the rest of the answers. While this technique is effective for practicing, you will not have the same luxury of time during the real test, so let it become second nature.

Isaac Michael

Did you prepare for taking the PSAT your junior year? No.

Where do you plan to apply to college? Notre Dame, Purdue, Franciscan University of Steubenville, and probably some other colleges

What do you plan for your college major? Undecided

In what clubs or school activities are you involved? I do Math League and I am on Student Council

In what school sports are you involved? Tennis

Did your performance on the PSAT translate to your performance on the SAT? I don’t know; I don’t have my SAT score yet

How did Cathedral help you succeed? Cathedral supported me and encouraged me to do my best.

What Cathedral teacher was most influential in your academic success? Why? Chemistry teacher Mrs. Vicki Roessler because I’ve had her for three years and she has taught me a lot.

What advice would you give to current underclassmen regarding doing well on the PSAT and SAT? Try your best and remember you know more than you think.