I’m only filling out summer applications, but since college applications ask the same question, how much of an impact does having no awards make? I have ECs and good scores, but no major awards.
(I do have minor writing awards; do I include those?)
If you have good test scores, a couple of awards you may have overlooked that you can include are PSAT National Merit awards or AP scholar awards (think you need like 3 3s for the first one)
@Matt846
So I’ll probably have some sort of AP award, but I’m not a PR or citizen so I won’t get NM. Still, it’s not exactly prestigious, so what’s the impact on top colleges? Do most people who get into Ivies and top 10 LACs have a major award?
Defintely include your minor awards! You earned them!
I got into MIT Class of 2019 EA in December and I only had one award and I know a lot of people who also got in who didn’t have a lot. The only award I had was AP Scholar (the lowest mentioned, it’s because I only took 4 tests and got 4s and 3s and one 5). I’m also an IB diploma kid, but that’s not an award as much as another title.
Honestly, I don’t think awards matter as much as some people think. The fact is that not many activities include awards. Yes things like FIRST Robotics and Math Competitions do, but many activities do not. I wouldn’t stress. Awards are great, but there are tons of other great things for applications.
Good luck!
Many people have major awards, many don’t. You have to focus on what you can control. AP scholar by itself isn’t a great award since they can just see your scores.
You don’t strictly need awards - recommendations and the output of your ECs can reflect your activities. Figure out what great work you can do now and start doing it.
I’d include the writing awards. There are other awards that can be overlooked - merit/honor roll, national or state language exams, state music awards…
So the only tiny awards I have from high school, so far, are the writing/poetry award (regional and 3rd place so…), a music award (from the school orchestra), and whatever AP scholar I will get by the end of the year. I’m a Junior, by the way.
@OHMomof2
Considering the above info, which awards should I put in? I don’t think I’ll be able to get any other awards…
All of them. Aren’t there 5 spaces?
^^^Agreed – you only need to weed out the awards when you run out of spaces. Even a small award will tell the school something about you that likely won’t be a “make or break” think in your application, but it also can’t hurt (ex. the college sees you are strong writer, a good musician etc.).
Definitely include the minor writing awards. It’s something you did and were awarded for doing. They may be minor awards, but they still count. If there are 5 spaces, you should fill as many of them as you (honestly) can.
I’ve put fairly minor awards on my transfer applications. I received the Student Support Services “Outstanding Tutor Award,” last year at my school, which is relatively meaningless in any kind of broad sense. But I still put it on there. It may not be too important, but it still shows that I was voted as the best work study tutor by the students who utilized the tutoring lab. That counts for something.
Celebrate the small stuff! I included a book award I won from my school and my national Spanish exam percentile, neither of which are going to blow any adcoms’ socks off. However, they show passion for things I’m interested in and have the ECs to support- Spanish and giving back to the community. If you want to pursue a humanities degree, those writing awards only serve to help demonstrate your passion (and even if you’re not aiming for a humanities degree, they can’t hurt you).
If you are neither a citizen nor a PR, you’d be an international/domestic applicant, right?
And the rules are different for internationals, especially if they’re not full pay. The more money you need, the more national-level awards you need. At Top 25 colleges, if you need a full ride or close to it, you need an international award.
Are you a junior or a senior?
It can also be recognition or something that validates the level you’ve reached in your passion (ie., love of learning languages on your own as demonstrated by 800’s on SAT Subject in multiple languages, a novel that’s published by a recognized press, a famous video blog, creating an app with thousands of downloads…)
@MYOS1634
I should have PR very soon, so I would be counted as domestic for college applications.
I’m interested in finance and economics, but I don’t really have the time or resources to invest well. I started an Economics Team for the purpose of participating in national economics challenges. Would a team award count?
If you’re a PR, then the situation’s different and it’s not nearly as competitive, especially if you need FA.
Yes a team award counts.
But check with your Economics and Math teachers to see how you could cross-pollinate those interests with a personal/guided or indepedent project, for instance?
@MYOS1634
Good idea! I have a semester empty in my plan for senior year. I’m just worried colleges will see “Independent Project” as a sneaky way to get out of work, especially since it’s senior year, and they won’t see any results until after the whole process. Could you advise?
If I do settle on this, I would probably link the semester of individual work with my Senior Project semester, so I get a year to work on something.
Include your minor awards so as not to leave a vacancy or low spot in your application.
@Leathefuturedoc
Will do. I just feel like they’re laughable, especially since they’re unrelated to what I want to study.
I’m majoring in Pre-Med and I had three writing awards. An admissions counselor told me that it really showed that I was a diverse student.
@Leathefuturedoc
That gave me a confidence boost, thanks. I’ll definitely mention them.
Start working on your project now, so that you can have some sort of basic abstract to show by admissions’ time.
Independent or even guided projects are well-regarded by colleges. 