Edwardsburg senior Benjamin Shafer was the recipient of a $2,500 National Merit Scholarship.

Shafer, who will attend the University of Chicago, also received an additional $4,000 per year from the university for earning the recognition.

Shafer took the PSAT his junior year at Edwardsburg and was in the top percentile, which made him a semifinalist.

In early September, about 16,000 out of 50,000 high scorers, or one-third, are notified that they are semifinalists.

Semifinalists are decided on a state-represented basis and the highest scoring entrants in each state receive application materials through their high schools.

To be considered a National Merit Scholarship Finalist, students must meet high academic standards an all other requirements, which include writing an essay.

About 15,000 semifinalists are notified by mail that they have advanced to finalist status and the winners, approximately 7,400 total, are notified in March.

“You have to develop a lot of patience your junior and senior year while you wait to hear back from colleges and scholarships that you have applied for,” Shafer said. “You just kind of have to wait for it.”

Shafer said he was excited to learn he had won a scholarship, but admitted the semifinalist and finalist status was a bit confusing at first.

“Once I realized the selectivity of the group, you realize how important this actually is,” he said.

While talking with his advisors at the University of Chicago, he learned that by winning the National Merit Scholarship, he was entitled to receive more money from the university.

“I am really hoping to put this money and this accolade to good use and be successful in college so I can prove that I was the right choice to make,” Shafer said. “I am definitely going to make it worth it.”