Hi, I’m not national merit of any sort, does that mean my acceptance is based solely on my essay or are there other factors involved. How hard is it to get in without having any kind of national merit?
You don’t have to be National Merit by any means but I think your GPA and extracurricular activities are considered in addition to the essay.
Your SAT/ ACT score and GPA will be the most critical components of getting into honors. Everything else is secondary.