So throughout the college applications process and looking at many “what are my chances” and “results” threads, it seems to me that a lot of the most qualified candidates for top colleges hold some sort of national or international award such as Science Olympiad, Math Olympiad, etc. I got deferred from Duke and I think one of my faults was that the greatest “award” that I’ve earned is AP Scholar, even though I have amazing EC’s and nearly perfect test scores. It just seems a little unfair since technically, anyone can get a 4.0/1600 and play sports/community service, but there’s only so many 1st place awards that can be handed out.
I guess my question is, how much do these top colleges really weigh these large recognizable awards and more specifically, do I have any chance of getting into Harvard if I can’t put anything in the awards section?
Although I have said many times on this site that the plural of anecdote is not data, I will tell you that I had no national awards in HS, nor have most people that I have met in my 2.5 years in college, so yes, it is very possible.
There are lots of factors to admission, some of them intangible (“character,” “ability to overcome obstacles”) and some more objective. Some candidates are well-rounded, and some dive deep into an area of “passion.” Generally, grades and scores put you in the ballpark but after that it is about other things.
It is impossible to ascertain why you were deferred, and second guessing is not that useful. It is very unlikely that the absence of national awards was a factor. As skieurope said, most people at a school like Harvard did not win things like the Olympiads.
We don’t know what your “amazing EC’s” are but you sound like a really good candidate for many good schools and you will no doubt end up at a wonderful school that suits you. Just make sure you have a good range of options where you can see yourself. Good luck!
I totally relate. No one does those things in my town or even my state and I’d never even heard of them before this site. I don’t really have any helpful advice; just wanted to let you know you’re not alone.
Take heart. Duke ED was a very tough nut to crack this year. Large spurt in applications.
I have heard from some, with both legacy and in-state status, with near-perfect stats, and impressive EC’s -who were flat-out denied this year.
I think it’s important to remember that students who post on College Confidential for any college, Harvard included, are generally not a good representation of the class as a whole. The decision/“chance me” threads on this forum make it seem as though national/international awards are far more common than they actually are - CC posters, in my experience at least, tend to be stronger than your average applicant - everyone who reached out to me on this forum this year, and the entire SCEA decision thread was deferred or accepted showing they were at least strong enough candidates to be in consideration, yet there are definitely people who were rejected.
While there is certainly a number of Science/math olympiad kids, Intel and Siemens finalists, national/international-level debaters and so forth (it is Harvard after all), I can definitely say that most students in my class (including unhooked kids) do not have national or international-level awards. It is by no means a pre-requisite. There are many students who stand out for having made an important contribution to their local community or state, having exceptional personal qualities, having overcome great hardship, done remarkable research, having shown incredible leadership, etc.