As college deadlines loom and scholarships seem few and far between, senior Christie Sudweeks is hoping all those hours in the library will pay off. Sudweeks is one of approximately 16,000 National Merit Scholarship Semifinalists. The entire process of the National Merit Scholarship Contest lasts approximately two years--beginning when roughly 1.2 million students of the class of 2000 took the PSAT/NMSQT in October 1998 and ending when 7,600 students receive Finalist scholarships in the spring of 2000. Sudweeks was the only Semifinalist from Bear Creek High School. "I'm proud that I've done so well, but I don't let it go to my head," Sudweeks said. "When people pring up my GPA or PSAT, SAT or ACT scores, I try to change the subject." National Merit Scholar Semifinalists are those students who are the highest scorers in their state. In order to achieve Finalist status, students needed to have scored exceptionally high on the PSAT/NMSQT as well as on the SAT to verify the PSAT scores. Sudweeks received the equivalent of 1450 on the PSAT and a score of 1450 on the actual SAT. Semifinalists who advance to the Finalist level will receive one of three types of scholarships: 2,400 National Merit $2,000 Scholarships; 1,200 corporate-sponsored Merit Scholarships; and more than 4,000 college-sponsored Merit Scholarships. Each type of scholarship has its own criteria students must follow in order to receive that award. "Brigham Young University gives scholarships to National Merit Finalists, which would help me because BYU is the university I want to attend," Sudweeks said. In February 2000, the National Merit Scholarship Corporation will notify each principal whose students became Finalists. "Christie is an outstanding young woman and has a bright future," Principal Jeff Thompson said. "It would be great if I become a Finalist, but if I'm not, I'm not going to be too disappointed," Sudweeks said. Sudweeks believes a lot of pressure is put on high school students to do well educationally. "Today, an extreme amount of pressure is put upon high school students who want to go to college and get a good job," Sudweeks siad. "No matter what, it seems like if you want to get into your first choice of colleges, you have to do more than you're already doing. Pressure like that is unhealthy for those of us who want to go anywhere in life."