ATACP’s Annika Pandey Named National Merit Commended Student
ATA College Prep senior Annika Pandey has been named a Commended Student in the 2016 National Merit Scholarship Program, placing her in the top 5{37ef6ac642fae6f93f343032eb62785d28fa7a25a4a4f0267a12512c541c53a9} of more than 1.5 million students who entered the competition.
“This recognition is a tribute to Annika’s long-term dedication to her studies, work ethic, and perseverance,” said ATACP Director Carol Hagar.
Around 50,000 Commended Students are being recognized for their exceptional academic promise, all of whom entered the competition by taking the PSAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test.
“I think the biggest factors that contributed to my success were my parents because they always push me to do my best and set high goals and academics have always been really important to us,” Annika said. “I also think Carol and College Prep have helped me keep up with the material a lot. Mr. Rutherford and Coach Tommy have also kept me really challenged in the classroom so that has definitely helped.”
Annika is currently narrowing her college choice as she moves through her second to last high-school semester. Over the past month, she has visited Claremont McKenna College in California, Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, and MIT in Boston.
“I really liked all of them, but I found that campus atmosphere and student body were two things that were really important to me so I think I will be making my final decision based on those two criteria,” Annika said.
Wherever she lands, Annika is angling for a well-rounded experience in college. While medical school is the post-grad plan, a major in anything from International Studies to Business or Economics over biology or chemistry spikes her interest most at the moment.
“I want to be challenged in college of course and being in an area where there is a lot to do is important to me,” Annika said. “I’m really excited to be a little bit more independent and sort of gain my footing in the world while learning a lot and spending time with interesting and ambitious people.”
Congratulations, Annika!