My daughter recently recived few email invitation. Would you include these invitation as awrds. There is a debate between me and daughter, she thinks I am being too cheesy. She thinks it is nothing big, but I think she need to highlight her life experience.
Daughter is STEM kid, but she writes very well. She recently won an award on an essay. In the award ceremony , in the audience, a person very high up in a government organization was present. She asked daughter to be a key note speaker in very big event expressing her journey as an immigrant. This event is taking place where lots of politicians will be present.
Daughter won another scholarship, one of the prominent civil rights organization president was on the panel. He has invited daughter to be speaker in their own event as daughter is involved in her own club that she formed and volunteers.
I assume she will be applying to colleges next fall. Doesn’t hurt if there is space for these awards on the application to list them. Invitations are not awards though. There will be other places to state how she has done public speaking. Frankly, the reputation of the person asking is not important- being able to successfully speak before a large audience is the impressive thing. Some people happen to live where “high up in a government organization” live, others don’t. It is what the individual does, not who asks them to do it that counts.
It is not “we” on anything- your D, not you, is the one with the accomplishments and filling out forms (except financial- there you get to full responsibility. She does it, you raised her now it is her turn to take control. You don’t even need to see/read anything.
As you describe, they sound to be 'honors or ‘leadership’ opportunities rather than ‘awards’. Unless she accepts the invitation and performs the role, she should not include the invitation anywhere.
So…the STEM award and the Scholarship should each go under awards.
The corresponding event and capacity in which she participated would go under extracurriculars; apply each program as an activity and your ‘honor’ as the leadership role you filled.
Lastly, string all these great opportunities together into one theme to weave into your essays. It sounds like a wonderful story to tell.
You kid needs to get over “too cheesy”. It isn’t other 16 year olds evaluating her application. It is adults, who want sincerity and people mature enough to be proud of their accomplishments. Coming across as cynical about awards or “too cool for school” will hurt her chances. And her recommenders might notice it, too.
It may not be an award, but Id try to fit it in her activities somehow.
@bopper Her both essays were History/English related topics. She wrote class essays, Teachers loved the theme and asked her to write a concise version of it and forwarded it to essay competitions.
What makes the application also depends on how many things there are to report. There is a reason sometimes the x only most important activities et al are to be listed. If there are tons of other standout items some become less worth mentioning.
Also noted post # 8 comment about having the talk with your D about how this is for adults, not what teens would think.
Few months ago she applied for a free scholarship for a language and cultural immersion in a foreign language. Yesterday she was informed that she is being invited to a free language cultural immersion, which is free including travel to Europe, stay, travel within the counrty and food. We are paying very minimum money for this travel.
@Wis75 Yes she has many more STEM awards that needs to be included. I told her to email all the things to Guidance counselor as she needs to be in the loop.
Nothing “needs” to be included. btw- getting money for a program does not count as an award. Attending a summer program just means there was time and money to do it- if a student can’t afford such luxuries they should not lose out to your D. Again, it is what she does with opportunities that matters.
All of those HS academic competition awards for coming in first place don’t mean much. Local, regional, state. Only coming in at the top of a national competition- like the old Westinghouse Talent Search matter makes a student stand out from the majority of top HS students.
I am trying to be vague in order to protect her privacy. Yes none of these free travel etc are beiing included in Awards. I can not talk much about her STEM awards as many students will immediately know who she. Except counselor no one knows about all these accomplishments as I am asking questions. STEM awards many are known to everyone in school. Yes we are only including state and national level STEM and scholarship awrds. NO school level awrds as there is no space.
I think those are Honors or “Recognition of Merit,” even if they are not awards. For example, in my profession if i was invited to be a keynote speaker at a professional conference, that would be “Professional Recognition,” even if not an “award.”