My child received a perfect 36 score on one of the ACT sections taken as a 7th grader as a part of the Duke TIP program (reading section). Her ACT Composite Score as a 7th Grader was a 29. She is now a rising Junior with a Composite of 34:) She was awarded a full scholarship from Duke TIP for their 3-Week Residential Summer Studies Program in which she completed a course that was equivalent to a full high school course (Biological & Chemical Sciences). 64,400 students took this test and she was one out 64 who received this award and one out 3 out from her home state. Because this was college entrance exam and the course she took was equivalent to a high school course, do you think this should be added to the college application somewhere? If so, where would you include it? She also took another science class as a rising 9th grader which will be included on the college app.
Middle school achievements typically hold no weight for colleges and don’t have a space on the Common App, however, I’m sure your daughter has great achievements from high school. If you’d really like to include it, though, I’d just mention the Duke TIP program rather than the ACT score.
No. My kid had a top 3 SAT score out of 10,000 8th graders through NUMATs, but it just isn’t something colleges care about. A kid who does that ought to have stellar scores by junior year anyway. And hopefully strong grades and EC accomplishments. Their middle school potential better pan out into an excellent HS record, or it is irrelevant. And the HS record is what colleges care about.
She did attend Davidson THINK the summer before 9th (and 10th) & got college credit for those courses. We sent the college transcripts for those courses to colleges. So if HS or college credit was awarded (esp with grades), then you could include the 8th grade experience.
Nope. @intparent is correct - colleges are interested in HS accomplishments, but presumably s/he will continue to improve, so great job so far.
Thanks all for your input. I kind of thought HS timeframe would really only matter, but as a parent you all know you don’t want to not acknowledge an achievement should it hold some relevance to colleges. Yes, her HS record to date is top-notch with 4.0/4.6 (uw/w), 3 APs taken to date (euro history, human geography and computer science principles) with all 5s. 4 APs junior year (chem, apush, computer sci A, and some English class). Ranked 2/475 at a competitive public school. Just finished a 5-week TN Governor’s School Program where she received 7 college credits from a 4-year state university in Bio, Stats and Lab. Received As:). Love these forums. Have been a stalker for a few months and finally decided to officially join. Wishing everyone the best of luck during the app process and hoping to be able to contribute as well!
Just remember, if she’s aiming high, it takes more than stats and rigor. The Gov’s school is good, but many states have them and many kids participate, in various ways.
@lookingforward Thanks for your insight. She had been consistently challenging herself academically (top rank, top standardized test scores) and I believe when the time comes her LORs and essays will be well above average and her ECs will probably be viewed slightly above average. She will be applying to RSI this fall which I know will be a real reach, but you can’t get in without applying! She is the typical high-achieving HS student that will probably be NHS (can’t join to jr year), Beta Club, Varsity Tennis, All State Orchestra, private cello instructor, math tutor, ACT tutor, Duke TIP summer studies programs, Gov School and National French Lang. Placement. If RSI doesn’t pan out, over the summer she will look most likely intern in the sciences or get a job over the summer and make some good old fashion $$!
I am a strong advocate that is not all about how many AP classes can you take, but about having a passion/drive coupled with balance in your life. I encourage my D to balance her academic success with enjoying her HS youth.
In regards to the Gov School, I will probably post another thread about that inquiring about it:)
Regarding my original post, after thinking about it some more, I will probably figure out a way to include a line item about the Duke TIP Bevan Scholarship. I think that if a 13 year old student is awarded a full scholarship worth several thousands dollars for having an ACT score surpassing 99% of all college-bound high schools students it is worth noting. IMO, getting a free ride to a 3-week residential program to study a high school level class as a 7th grader should be noted. I think it establishes an early indicator of passion for the sciences and for advanced learning. Maybe it will get incorporated into the Personal Statement or an essay somehow instead of placement on the common app. She definitely won’t mention the class taken taken as a rising 8th grader. I fully agree that HS stuff is the main focus.
I think it benefits to stop and realize the competition for tippy tops is fierce, to the point of ridiculous. Her profile, in her hs, will be similar to many others. Not that this is about unusual.
Getting a scholarhsip to TIP is not a tip for college admissions. Next to nothing from middle school is. What matters is the choices one makes as she matures, the challenges (beyond academics,) what those show about thinking, commitment, awareness, and more. Don’t miss the community service, the sort where she rolls up her sleeves, digs in, not just tutoring or hanging.
Mentioning the scholarship in her essay can be a misunderstanding of the point of the essay and leave adcoms wondering why a 7th grade experience plays so heavily in her presentation.
I agree that mention of a 7th grade award means nothing with respect to college admissions.
Your daughter’s most outstanding accomplishment to date, in my opinion, is achieving the rank of #2 out of 475 students in her class. Varsity tennis & all state orchestra also help to show that your daughter is well rounded & likely to contribute in multiple ways to the college or university community.
Okay, you all have convinced me again to not have her say a peep about it.
To be blunt, mention of a 7th grade Duke Tip achievement & scholarship might do more harm than good on a college application unless the applicant is applying to college several years earlier than normal.
We are so proud of our kid’s accomplishments that it is really hard to see them brushed aside as irrelevant or less important than they seem to us. The college process is tough on the kids- but it can be tough on the parents as well. Your beautiful, smart, talented, hard-working, gifted kid is headed to the deep end of the pool, where you discover there are a truly surprising number of other kids- not just in your school/region/state, but all over the US & the world- who are every bit as spectacular as your kid. It is a jolt, but one you need to face, to prepare you daughter for the reality ahead.
Remember that it’s not your college application, it is your daughter who will be going, and the name of the college she goes to is not a reflection on you, your parenting or her talents.
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I will probably figure out a way to include a line item about the Duke TIP Bevan Scholarship I think that if a 13 year old student is awarded a full scholarship worth several thousands dollars for having an ACT score surpassing 99% of all college-bound high schools students it is worth noting.** IMO**, getting a free ride to a 3-week residential program to study a high school level class as a 7th grader should be noted. I think it establishes an early indicator of passion for the sciences and for advanced learning. **Maybe it will get incorporated into the Personal Statement **or an essay somehow instead of placement on the common app. **She definitely won’t **mention the class taken taken as a rising 8th grader./quote
The posters above who noted that MS achievements just show potential, but HS should show that potential being achieved are making the point that how it looks from your pov is not necessarily how it looks to AdComms.
Another part of the college app journey, which doesn’t always come easily, is backing yourself out of the center of the process, and letting your daughter take the lead. It’s early days- it looks as though she is a rising Junior? - and each kid is different. But by the time it gets to writing the personal statement (which is a year away, and your daughter will be doing a lot of maturing this year), you should not have any more involvement than poking to make sure that it is on track to be done by deadline and proofing IF requested (and accepting that it might not be).
So, welcome! it’s a long 2 years, but there is a lot of support here. With each collegekid I have been dazzled by the way they have matured through this process. Just keep your eye on the ‘prize’ of your daughter being accepted to a school that she looks forward to attending and that you can afford!
@collegemom3717 Yes, I admit I am a helicopter mom and I agree that at app time it needs to be her voice not mine.
I would like to think that in actuality both myself and my daughter are realists with optimism when it comes to the college admissions process. Kindly note that I was not trying to imply that she is a shoe-in to top colleges, especialIy being a rising junior with much more high school to go. I do not think that. When it’s time to apply, she will not only be applying to selective schools, but will be seeking out good safeties and matches as well.
I truly appreciate all the feedback whether it is positive or negative. Keep it coming!
The reason is that some kids plateau and some take off in HS and beyond, so the closer accomplishments are to there senior year the better. Same thing can be said about athletes.
^^^^^^ Yep. I don’t care if you had a 300 game in bowling in middle school if your average is 105 today. You are not getting on my scratch bowling team.