<p>Hi guys! I'm in my sophomore year of high school. I really would love to go to Harvard (Yale, Princeton, etc. are all fine too), and I've been working really hard with grades/volunteering/clubs/sports to make sure that I'll be in tip-top shape when it comes time to start filling out my app. But one thing I'm reaalllyy worried about are honors & awards. My school is just your average public school - not prestigious or rigorous, and they've never sent anyone to an Ivy. Therefore, they are not very helpful when it comes to advice on what awards I should start looking into and how I need to go about preparing in hopes of receiving them. I am looking for you guys to recommend some truly stand-out awards that are worthy of Harvard's application, and any advice on reaching them. I love science, math, music, and I do a lot of volunteering... Feel free to use those as a base for honors to look into.</p>
<p>Don’t just “look” for honors: follow that passion. (there’s a reason cliched statements are there, and that is because they are true) You say science? Go make Intel semis, or USAMO, or do some research on the topic of your choice (contrary to popular opinion, you don’t NEED a mentor - I didn’t have one and I did extremely well at science fairs, although admittedly it was for math) Like music? Find some way to play in a regional orchestra/Carnegie Hall to get noticed.</p>
<p>Your prose (“I’ll be in tip-top shape when it comes time to start filling out my app”, “Yale, Princeton, etc. are all fine too”) makes it sound like attending a prestigious college is your goal (especially since the other Ivies are simply “fine” - they should be more than that if you truly want to attend). Do not make that your goal. Do you know what you want to major in? If you say engineering, then you haven’t done your research - Harvard shouldn’t be your first choice. etc.</p>