Anyone familiar with Math Counts and how to highlight it in scholarship and/or admissions apps?

<p>My first question is am I making too big a deal of my S somehow mentioning this achievement in either a scholarship or admissions app somewhere? Yes it is an 8th grade award and my S was the top student in his state (won that) going into Nationals with an all expense paid for trip and then doing well there....no he didn't win it overall. I think Einstein won overall seriously. Anyway is it a big enough deal to perhaps mention in an essay ( he did have some huge lessons learned, many humbling, at the national level) or in extra curriculars or somewhere or is this an absolute no go because it happened before 9th grade, ie high school?</p>

<p>Math Counts, sponsored by Raytheon and other big corporations is a national middle school coaching and competitive mathematics program that promotes mathematics achievement through a series of fun and engaging "bee" style contests, culminating in a national event with a top student from each state as well as the next top three or four students (regardless of school) from that state competing both at an individual and team level. I'm no brainiac but as soon as they would throw those word problems up on the screen, I couldn't even read thru the entire question where the teams didn't already press the buzzer with their answer....armed only with pencil and paper. It was something to see "human computers" at work and so young!</p>

<p>No one answered you so I guess I will. I am familiar with Math Counts since my D participated. Yes, it is amazing to behold but since it happened back in 8th grade I wouldn’t make that much of a big deal about it IMO. Sure, you can list the award if you think you are lacking enough HS ones, but I wouldn’t do more than that. </p>

<p>Yes list it, but don’t make an essay about something from 8th grade, highlight recent activities.</p>

<p>Things done in middle school were not mentioned on my kids apps, because they laid the foundation for high school accomplishments, which * were* mentioned.
Listing things done before high school appears as though you are filling space, no matter how life changing it was when you were 13.</p>

<p>Thanks for the insight! </p>