<p>As you can tell by the responses, some readers are learning about these Book Awards for the first time because their schools don't have a tradition of awarding them. </p>
<p>Again, it's all a function of how much a college or local alumni group wants to maintain a positive image at that particular high school. Let's say you large school district has 25 high schools. 4 are perpetually high performing and send a handful of kids to top colleges annually. There's a 2nd tier of six schools that occasionally get an admit or two. Then there's the rest where MAYBE the valedictorian gets a scholarship to the top state school but otherwise they are pretty mediocre to poor in achievement. The alumni association of IVY School X has budgeted 4 books. So the top four get books this year. Next year, budgeting for the club is tight so there's no money left for any books. The high schools don't get any from Ivy X. Year 3, there's a windfall and 10 books get sent to the "top ten" high schools. But you can bet that the bottom fifteen NEVER get a book from Ivy X. Why? Because there's little return on giving one at these schools that have little potential for regular applications.</p>
<p>The book awards mostly are based on the LOCAL alumni club's finances, volunteers and how much they want to invest in maintaining a presence with the school. The few high schools that are the focus of these -- how the awardees are chosen are mostly in the hands of the adminstrators.</p>
<p>Book Awards are basically recognition from your HS that you're a good student/person...it's like winning a leadership award or the Grade 11 physics award!</p>
<p>Whether they matter or not depends on the college. But for the most part, the award looks good on your application, but I'm sure it makes only a slight affect on your overall application. The awards are chosen by high school administrators. I received the Wellesley Book Award from my School this year, and the woman who awarded me was an Alum, but I doubt she knew too much about me. </p>
<p>On the other hand, awards that really can make a difference are state and national awards. Awards selected by a committee outside of the school. I was recently selected as the only student from my school along with about 60 total in the state of Florida to receive the Holocaust Museum's Anne Frank Humanitarian Award. I received a plaque and such. I think this award will stand out more than my Book Award.</p>
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At my school, most awards are quite useless.
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<p>How can anyone feel that the recognition given by his/her High School faculty and administrators to a select few juniors who were chosen on the basis of their accomplishments is useless??!!</p>
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Book awards are 100% administrated by HS. Getting a book award will show that you are well regarded within your HS, nothing more and nothing less.
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<p>Nothing less??? What would you like with that? A guaranteed admission to your school of choice?</p>
<p>Like it was said before, the Award does not imply that the student should or needs to apply to the school. (In most cases, they would probably get rejected,...like at Yale...) It is just another way to recognize the accomplishments of high achieving students by their schools and depending on the college, specific requirements may need to be met.</p>
<p>For instance, Northwestern U owns the publishing rights to Moby Dick by Melville and they give the book as part of the award, in addition to a guide to the city of Chicago and a dictionary of the choosing of the Association. </p>
<p>I know of High Schools which actually contact some colleges so that they can promote their "Award". Above all, a very nice stimulus and a very nice recognition.</p>
<p>Awarding a prize to the top 10% of a class could not be more objective. If the particular school's criteria is to give EXTRA recognition to their top 10%, so be it. There is nothing random, nor extremely subjective about that.</p>
<p>If you can stand another warm fuzzy memory, our hs was giving out
these awards for the first time. An assembly was planned, kept secret
from the juniors but the parents invited and warned to keep it secret.
So it was a total surprise and bonus to the (forty-four?) juniors that
received books. The books were presented on stage by an alum of that
college or rep from the college.</p>