Become a National Merit Scholar by Acing the PSAT
- Tue, July 29th, 2025
- 6:00 PM - 7:00 PM CST
- Speaker: Ian Simon
At HelloCollege’s 60-minute workshops, our experts empower your family with the knowledge to take control of college planning, from class and activity choices to tutoring to essays and college applications.
What you will learn:
- What the NMSQT is and why should you take it
- About the National Merit Scholarships available, from a one-time payments to a full ride
- How to qualify—types of finalists and how they’re determined
- The next steps for National Merit Scholarships after qualification
- What to expect with the PSAT and how to prepare for the test
- How the PSAT can help you with the SAT
Description:
The PSAT National Merit Scholarship Qualification Test (or NMSQT) is offered to high school juniors every year is the only way to qualify for the National Merit Scholarship. Scholarships can range from a one-time payment, to a recurring annual payment, to a full-ride to certain colleges.
Along with the notoriety of becoming a finalist, students will also have started their SAT preparation journey and hopefully be prepared to start taking the actual SAT after the PSAT.
Speaker:
Ian has dedicated his life to helping others achieve their full potential and learn about the world around them. After graduating from UIUC with a BS in Electrical Engineering, he owned and operated a private tutoring business, where his team specialized in individualized curriculum development and helping students achieve their academic goals.
Ian Simon
Director of Tutoring
Ian Simon
Director of Tutoring
Ian has dedicated his life to helping others achieve their full potential and learn about the world around them. After graduating from UIUC with a BS in Electrical Engineering, he owned and operated a private tutoring business, where his team specialized in individualized curriculum development and helping students achieve their academic goals.
Register below:
What Students & Parents Are Saying About Us
The services and my college counselor Miracle Husband were extremely helpful throughout the entire college application process. They held webinars with a ton of information, proofread my essays, and gave me a detailed to-do list to keep myself in check.
Milo Sáenz Palencia
Student
Wheaton North High School
University of Michigan
I have had Gina T. and Amanda Y. as my counselors throughout my college application process and they have been immensely helpful. From the beginning, both Amanda and Gina have been nothing short of understanding and supportive towards me and guiding me through the extensive application process. Specifically, Amanda has been incredibly flexible and responsive when it came to any questions and concerns I had- she was always able to answer questions in a way that worked for me, as well as working with me rather than against me to build the best application that correlates to who I am as a college applicant. She kept me on a schedule that I was able to follow- as well as giving me access to the notes and spreadsheets we had created together so that I was able to reference anything we talked about at anytime. Gina has been incredibly supportive in my essay comprehension journey as writing the essays is one of the most stressful parts of the application process. She worked with me to create outlines and develop ideas that strengthened who I was as an applicant. She was very responsive and dedicated when it came to my essays. All of her feedback and comments felt personal and positive as she really cares about how you build an essay that reflects you and your best abilities. Hello College has been a great experience and I highly recommend this program when looking to enhance your college application.
Lizzie Donovan
Student
Shorecrest High School
San Diego State University
We could not have been more happy and thankful for the services provided through HelloCollege! Their free seminars are amazingly informative introduction for families – especially for those of us who have not applied to college in over 20 years – a lot has changed! While the fee was initially jarring, the services provided are invaluable – personality tests to assist in determining right major, personalized organization of college choices based on a number of factors (your budget, school sizes, your child’s grades/interests/etc), essay writing workshops/edits, scholarship workshops/advising, time management of all college planning, consistent live communications, etc. Our advisor, Dan Farnesi, was not only an obvious expert in this field, but he was also so kind, gentle and encouraging with my daughter and us throughout the whole process (he was pretty much family therapist at times). When she became discouraged, he knew just how to boost her spirits and motivate her to proactively achieve her goals. Especially during these pandemic years, Dan was more than an academic counselor, but an encouraging friend and cheerleader. Through HelloCollege’s guidance, my daughter was accepted into 11 of the 12 colleges she applied to and received multiple >$15k per year scholarship offers (more than paying off the HC fee just in the first year). Our only regret was not starting with HelloCollege earlier – like freshman/sophomore year. Thanks, Dan and HelloCollege!!
Abigail Cahill
Parent of Alina
York Community High School
University of Iowa
Ms. Allison did an awesome job of guiding our son throughout the entire process of preparing to apply to colleges, applying to colleges and finally making his college choice. She was incredibly helpful and kind throughout the two and a half years that we worked with her. The workshops provided by Hello College were invaluable in helping all of us understand the process as well as boost my son’s SAT score. Thank you Ms. Allison and Hello College!
Dena Porter
Parent
Maine South High School
My experience with Hello College was Excellent as we are new to USA. I found them by just a Google search as we wanted the best college for our son. From the first phone call with Dr Rabab Darwish who happened to be our son’s counselor later on, gave me the confidence in using their service.
First Zoom call with the Founder Kevin Krebs was quit pleasing as he and Jeannine helped me to find another family who could share their experience with Hello College who helped us to make the decision better.
Sue Nelson and Dan who did the Fafsa workshop helped us till we filled it smoothly. Cris Bench guided our son with the essays. Leah also helped us throughout the process.
Last but not least, I must say Rabab Thank you so much for being so kind and supportive throughout the past few months from choosing and filling college applications as well as being available at all times when needed. We would have not known how we would have done without you. You helped us to fill up all the forms with correct details and to make the best choice in getting our son the best college. We are so grateful for all what you have done so far. Even now still you are helping our son to build up his resume.
I mentioned everyone who helped us to say Thank you so much for your service. I sure recommend this service if you are a parent.
shom batuwangala
Parent
My parents didn’t go through the classic senior college application process so we were very overwhelmed and unknowledgeable on what the steps and process is like when applying to college. When we signed up I was assigned Amanda and my family and I couldn’t have wished for a better counselor. We had a lot of things in common and it felt like Amanda took the extra steps to get to know me as a person, not just a student. Because of all her help I have been able to negotiate an awesome financial aid package ($17k a year) at a school I love very much. Throughout our meetings she would ask me questions like how my life has been and what’s new outside of the college process allowing us to get to know each other very well, as well as asking how the college process is going and telling me what my next steps will be. Everything about HelloCollege, from the workshops on scholarships and the common app, to the essay corrections and career finder, made the process to much more manageable. I asked her hundreds of questions day and night and could always rely on a quick response. I am extremely grateful for Amanda and all that she has done for me and my family. Being able to meet with someone helped me stay on track with tasks I needed to do, and throughout the year, kept my goal in sight. I am forever thankful that my parents signed me up for HelloCollege.
Samantha Johnson
Student
More Upcoming Workshops
Understand key dates and next steps for high school rising seniors and their families as they prepare for applications. This step-by-step walkthrough will help you stay on track and make sure your student’s high school career sets them up for college admission.
SAT/ACT and college admissions: everything you need to know to be successful. Whether you are deciding to take the ACT or SAT or wondering where to get started with test prep, this is your opportunity to learn from the experts at HelloCollege.
Students and parents in the class of 2026 (rising seniors) are invited to join us for this power-packed Common Application workshop. We’re covering everything you should be doing now from strategic planning and deadline management to crafting standout activities, honors and securing letters of recommendation.
Now is the time to understand key dates and next steps for high school rising juniors as they prepare for applications in the fall. This step-by-step walkthrough will help you stay on track and make sure your student’s high school career sets them up for college admission.
From freshmen to seniors, every student can benefit from understanding the college planning process. Join HelloCollege and College Confidential to learn about admissions strategies, financial aid, and how to stay on track—no matter where you are in high school.
Your personal statement is more than an essay—it’s your chance to stand out. In this free workshop, learn how to write a compelling, authentic narrative that captures admissions officers’ attention and showcases who you really are and why they want you at their school.
The personal statement is your chance to shine. In this workshop, you'll learn how to craft compelling, authentic essays that capture admissions officers’ attention—and make the most of the 4–8 minutes they’ll spend reading your application.
Accolades and scholarships await! Get ready to add National Merit Scholar to your college applications, take advantage of National Merit Scholarships, and prepare for the upcoming SAT by mastering the PSAT/NMSAT.
© HelloCollege 2024. All Rights Reserved.