<p>Hi, I'm a current Junior and I've heard about the University Book Awards.</p>
<p>How do you get the Harvard Book Award, and how do you qualify for it?</p>
<p>Thanks =]</p>
<p>Usually presented through local schools by the regional Harvard Club or Schools & Scholarships committee. A longstanding program available widely, although obviously not every place.</p>
<p>I got the Harvard Book Award last year as a junior. In my school, it is presented to the top-ranking student in the junior class. I'm not sure if it works the same everywhere.</p>
<p>I also got the harvard book award. I was in the top tenth of my class.</p>
<p>wow! so i'm guessing the book is only given out to ONE student?</p>
<p>yeah, it was the exact same situation as savvy_sley's when i got it last year as a junior.</p>
<p>At my school it's given annually to the top three ranking students in the junior class.</p>
<p>I got the Yale book award and my friend got the Harvard......meek!</p>
<p>I got the Harvard book award at my school- highest GPA. Does this help in Harvard admission in particular, or is it just another prize?</p>
<p>Although a nice honor, it has ABSOLUTELY ZERO impact on admissions to Harvard.</p>
<p>Oh..., I'd say it has more than "ABSOLUTELY ZERO" impact. </p>
<p>At a miniimum, it tells Harvard that your school sees you as the top student - or one of the top students - in your class.</p>
<p>If it had "ABSOLUTELY ZERO" impact, then 10's of thousands of them wouldn't have been passed out in the last 50 years.</p>
<p>Note, however, that more are awarded every year than there are slots in thr freshman class.</p>
<p>Byerly...</p>
<p>In most school districts or schools, it is automatically given to the highest ranking Junior... so, it means NOTHING IN ADDITION to the fact that student will most likely be valedictorian... that is, the student has an edge because he/she is valedictorian, but the Book Award IN OF ITSELF adds nothing to a student's credentials.</p>
<p>P.S. The Book Award is a P.R. tool of the university... not to sell the student to the school, but sell the school to the student.</p>
<p>Well as someone who has interviewed scores of applicants over the years, and talked about this point with many other interviewers from all over the country, I respectfully beg to differ.</p>
<p>I would certainly put it on my list of achievements and, without measuring its impact with mathematical precision, I can say that it will not be viewed as a negative!!!</p>
<p>Of course the original purpose was to encourage top students to apply, but these days, when schools may have 2o valedictorians (or, equally likely, "ABSOLUTELY ZERO" valedictorians!) it often evidences the judgement of the school as to who the "real" top student is. </p>
<p>I know this is true, because school officials have TOLD me so. On a number of occasions I have had the honor of personally presenting the Harvard Book.</p>
<p>Of course it isn't a negative!! I never said it was...
but it does not mean anything IN ADDITION to the fact that the student has a very high class rank.</p>
<p>Again, we can agree to disagree on this point: I do not accept your "ABSOLUTELY ZERO" dismissal of its significance.</p>
<p>well then this means that it only has to do with academics.. it's not given to the most well-rounded student with extremely strong extra-curriculars, i suppose?</p>
<p>at my school last year, although I was valedictorian, I did not get the harvard book award. it went to another guy in my class--he was in the top 5%, I think. he did not get into harvard--he's at georgetown now though, so that's not too shabby!--but I did.</p>
<p>so in other words, it depends on the school/area/etc.</p>
<p>what IS the harvard book award? do you have to write a book?!</p>
<p>NOOOO it's just an award given by your school to you. it's not decided by anyone to do with harvard and it doesn't have anything to do with a book.</p>
<p>***.. such a useless name then.
what do you do to get one, then?</p>