THOMASVILLE- Thomas County Central Senior Dylan Thompson has been named a National Merit Finalist, marking the first time in 13 years a student from TCC has achieved this level of recognition.

This recognition places Thompson among the nation’s top students and is a testament to his outstanding academic achievement and dedication to excellence.

Thompson’s selection as a Finalist is based on his exceptional performance on the Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test (PSAT/NMSQT).

“I took the PSAT my Junior year and I got an Index Score based on my scores in English and Math,” Thompson explained. “That Index Score was then compared to the rest of the students who took the PSAT during their junior year in Georgia, and I placed in the top 1-2 percent.”

That score positioned Thompson as a Semifinalist. He then submitted an application, where he has now qualified as a Finalist.

Placing in the top 1 percent of students across Georgia is a surreal feeling for Thompson.

“It still doesn’t feel real sometimes,” he said. “I don’t feel like I’m a top one percent student in the nation.”

Thompson is among only 15,000 students in the nation who achieved the top one percent.

He was originally unsure if he would qualify, saying his Index Score was right on the line, but when he finally heard back, it was satisfying to know his hard work had paid off.

“It’s been four years in the making,” he said.

Thompson first took the PSAT in his Sophomore year of high school, where his dad learned about the National Merit Scholarship program.

“My dad was looking online about ways to pay for college, and my scores had never been terribly close to the range that they were my Junior year,” Thompson recalled.

However, Thompson said his dad felt that if he practiced enough, he could ultimately achieve the status of a National Merit Scholar.

“My Junior Year, fall break was the week before the PSAT, so my dad hired a tutor and that week we spent three hours a day preparing,” Thompson said.

Thompson said he had been practicing in his spare time, but working privately with a tutor solidified his confidence.

“I wasn’t really sure how I was doing or if I was getting better, but the tutor really helped me with the framework and what I was hoping to achieve,” he said.

Thompson acknowledged giving up his fall break to prepare was a dedicated strategy, but he said he didn’t feel like he missed out.

“A lot of times during fall break, I don’t really do much, I just sit at home and play video games, but I really wanted to be productive,” he said. “I feel like this really motivated me the whole week.”

Thompson encourages other students who may have the same goals to consider dedicating their fall break to preparing.

“If your goal is to challenge yourself academically, this will be rewarding to you and satisfying to put in the work on breaks,” he said. “I think it’s up to them and if it will help their end goal.”

Thompson looks forward to seeing the current Sophomore class’ performance on the PSAT, sharing that the class is academically gifted, and he believes they will produce more National Merit Finalists.

“There’s about five of them scoring 100-200 points higher than I did leading up to my Junior year,” he said. “I have full confidence that we could have five next year.”

Now that Thompson has been named a Finalist, he will be considered for more than $28 million in National Merit Scholarships based on his abilities, skills, and accomplishments. He is hopeful these scholarships will help him in his endeavors as he prepares to study aerospace engineering.