Hi, I am a current junior in high school and I have some questions regarding my chess ec’s
If i played chess since I was 5, but stopped when I was in 10th grade, would it still be a notable achievement to put on college apps? I used to be in the USCF top 100 player list for age when I was 7 or 8 and I achieved a max rating of 1594 (I kind of plateaued at the 1400s for a while). Some notable tournaments I won was 2nd place in California Grade Level Championships (7th grade), 1st place team California Grade Level Championships (7th grade, basically won for my school along with my friend who got 1st), and also numerous Northern California Tournaments 1st place.
I am mostly considered that although I won these notable tournaments, I won them when I was smaller and also how my rating isn’t that high especially considering how long i played
If the chess information is important to you, include it. ECs are not listed in order of value, although some are more impressive. They help show your interests and maybe even skills like band as a way of knowing you. They probably carry less weight in the admissions decision in contrast to academics and test scores, unless you are a totally fabulous athlete that the team needs.
If you were still competing in chess in 9th/10th grade, it is legitimate to put on your application. However, be careful of leading with activities that you have since dropped–chess may indeed make your list, but it shouldn’t be in your top 5 if you aren’t doing it anymore and don’t plan to go back to it either. As a general rule, you don’t list awards you won in middle school, only high school–there are exceptions, of course, but ask around first.
@BooBooBear thanks for the advice, yeah chess isn’t one of my top activities. Quick question, why is it looked down upon to list awards won in middle school?