do I need to have awards of some kind if I want to be accepted into some of the top 20 schools?
Do they matter? Yes. Do you need them? No. That’s just one part of the application package.
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I’d say no - not everyone gets awards and many awards have nothing behind them.
In other words, if you get an AP award…that’s just you took X tests and got X score…but they already see your score.
What matters is what you do and what you accomplish by doing it - in leadership roles, in accomplishment that you can quantify. So your activities are what matters in my opinion.
So an award is a nice to have but is not going to impact your admit/reject decision.
Good luck.
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If this is true, why do colleges ask for list of awards? Obviously they DO impact admit/reject decisions. Otherwise they wouldn’t ask.
Do you absolutely need them? Probably not.
Do they help? Maybe. AP Scholar won’t do much - they already see your AP scores so the award is redundant. IMO Gold Medal - yeah, that probably helps….
I’m going to go out on a limb and say an IMO Gold Medal is going to impact an admission decision. As will the Heisman, an ISEF Top Award, and many others.
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The OP clearly doesn’t have awards - and I’m suggesting to him that should not impact the list of schools they apply to.
Most people aren’t going to win the Heisman or a gold medal - but even so - what i’m arguing is that winning the Heisman doesn’t matter - but rushing for 1500 yards, leading the team to an 11-0 record, and serving as a captain matters.
As I said it’s a nice to have - so yes, when they ask, it’s “nice to have” but if the OP is planning to apply to college X, they still should. They should not change their decision because they don’t have an award - and having the “Heisman” likely won’t change anything - but the accomplishments that got them the Heisman…that’s what matters.
And that’s what I’m arguing.
btw - most colleges are using the Common or Coalition - and not every section is sent to every college. It’s up to each college to decide whether or not to factor in awards.
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You clearly said that you don’t think awards affect acceptance. That is not true, and that’s a fact.
he OP asks for top 20 schools, and I don’t think any if them ignore awards. If you have other information, I would love to see it.
It is not the award but the amount and quality of the work behind the award that matters. You can also do the same work and just not get an award. So, I would say the actual award isn’t the important thing that gets you admitted.
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Is that a fact? Would you like to provide evidence?
What you have is no different than what I have - which is an opinion.
Again, what I said was - it’s what you do, not what you’re rewarded for doing it, that matters.
That’s my opinion - until you have evidence otherwise, you should state an opinion but not say that it’s a fact - because until you’re an AO and until you say - boy, that prospect would be perfect for our school - but I’m going to reject them because they have no reward - you don’t have fact.
You have opinion - and I respect your opinion - but I disagree and that’s my opinion.
Said much better.
Thank you!!!
And by the way, you should do what you do for you, not because someone gives you a stamp of recognition.
You may not get an award for helping an Afghani family integrate into society, but the impact that it makes for overall society is huge and that is what will be rewarded. Not that the mayor gave you a certificate of recognition.
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Yes, it is a fact. Gold medal from international olympiad or top awards in ISEF greatly increase the chances of admission in T20.
This is not an opinion, but a fact.
How does the AO know that you did the work? Do you think they can judge accomplishments in any area? Do they have time to?
The awards are usually given by experts in the area that can judge it best. Of course, the type of award as well as the level matter. School award is not comparable to an international one.
How does the AO know you have the award? Or did any EC you list?
I said - it’s a nice to have - but the substance of what was done to earn the award is what is critical.
Let’s get back to the topic at hand - the OP is clearly worried they do not have award to list and my suggestion / opinion is that this should not change their strategy.
He is asking does he need an award to get into a top 20 - and the answer - in my opinion - is no.
The awards are public and the AOs from the T20 universities check the most prestigious ones anually.
There is information on this, from many universities, especially Harvard.
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You might find college vine’s tiering model interesting. (CC won’t let me link it but not hard to find).
Top awards are Tier 1 and their analysis will show you how much of an admissions advantage that may gain you at various colleges (by using their chancing calculator). (of course their data is far from perfect but better than people just throwing out opinions…in my opinion…
).
But also look at Tiers 2-4, there is interesting information in there regarding how substance of awards and activities might be interpreted.
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Getting a very prestigious award will help a lot. That being said, there are only a few thousand people getting those awards, while about 40,000 students are starting the “T-20” every year. About 20,000 of those have no hooks, so some 70% of the non-hooked students are being accepted without having won any top awards.
These colleges are looking for achievements, and, as both @tsbna44 and @HPuck35 wrote - not all achievements have dedicated awards. People like focusing on awards, because they are easily measured and compared indicators of achievement.
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So back to the OPs question then - you would not dissuade him/her from applying to a top 20 school simply because they don’t have an award.
That’s really all I said.
Yup.
This is true if you get an award or not. The best an AO (or during one’s interview) is does the accomplishment fit in with the rest of the application.