<p>I live in AZ and the state brain bee (neuroscience) competition is coming up. How much would winning a state wide competition help my application? I ask because I could probably win if I studied really hard, but this requires a lot of work and I (as every other yale applicant) am really busy.</p>
<p>Also, if I won, I would attend the International Neuroscience Competition in Washington, D.C. </p>
<p>I plan to major in biology but maybe neuroscience. Currently, I have no major awards besides my Eagle Scout (National Merit Commendation, AP Scholar, Small Science Fairs).</p>
<p>I would certainly include it on your application. While it’s hard to tell to what degree it would improve your chances, it is certainly a huge accomplishment!</p>
<p>I won my regional/state brain bee competition last year and attended Nationals held in Maryland for 2008. I was also accepted into Yale for the class of 2013 (applied Early Action). I’m sure having this award bolstered my application in some way, but I doubt it was the driving factor that got me accepted (The International Brain Bee Competition isn’t really that well known).</p>
<p>Are you a senior or a junior? If you are a senior and have already sent in your application, it will probably be too late to add this award (in the event that you win) onto your application anyway. If you’re a junior, then I wouldn’t recommend competing for the sole purpose of putting it on you’re resume; mainly because the amount of time needed to prepare for this competition probably isn’t worth the small boost it will give your application.</p>
<p>I would do it even if you can’t put it on your application. This is something you are really interested in and the experience can only help you in the long run. Of course, it is ultimately your decisions because you would know if it’s too much work or not.</p>