what would an ISEF best of category be?
Like #1 in a category, like chemistry, for example.
I don’t really know much about the other Olympiads, but making the training camp for USACO is a really big deal. And when you compare the people that made it last year to their performance on the USAMO series, there were 2 USAMO winners, 2 more Honorable mention, 1 more person in MOP, and 5 more USAMO qualifiers, out of 16 people. This also doesn’t include a lot of people that made MOP and USAMO in previous years. So even though there aren’t really that many people participating in the USACO I wouldn’t call making USAMO comparable to even making the training camp.
Here’s the most complete, and I’d add accurate, list on this thread.
10 - D1 athlete, IMO/IPHO/ICHO/IBO gold medals, Intel (top 10), Siemens National Winner/National Finalists, ISEF top 3 Grand Prize
9 - ISEF(1st places), Siemens Westinghouse (finalists), MOP, Intel Finalist, Presidential Scholar, Davidson Fellow
8 - TASP/RSI/NIH Research, USPhO/USChO/USABO/USAMO/USACO national finalist, Siemens Semi-finalists/ISEF(2-4 places), Intel semifinalist, Scholastic Writing and Art, Running your own <em>successful</em> business
7 - Perfect SAT scores, USPhO/USChO/USABO/USAMO/USACO semifinalist, Eagle Scout
6 - Selective summer programs or competitions, such as SSP, Clark Summer Program
5 - National Latin Convention 1st Places Academic Contests, All-Eastern/all-regional music, National Merit Finalist, National AP Scholar AFTER Junior Year
4- Perfect Score (Multiple Years) on National Latin Exam, or other languages, AP Scholar, some state awards (all-state music, etc), Science Olympiad state medals (depending on what state you’re from)
3 - All-County music, winning at local/regional science fairs
2 - Bank of America Awards, most local awards/trophies (art, music, community - although they will say something about your character), Essay Contests
1 - National Honor Society, Beta Club, School Departmental Awards, School Honor Roll
0 - Who’s Who, National Honor Roll
proletariat2 is offline
To be entirely honest with you guys, from what I’ve seen in the college admissions process, the top awards here do NOT guarantee college admissions anywhere. Personally, according to these lists, I have a total number of upwards of 50 on these scales if I only take into account awards ranked 6 or above (things like Intel ISEF Grand Awards, etc.). With strong grades and scores, I was waitlisted to Cornell. All I am trying to say here is that these things do not guarantee admission to top schools (which some people on CC seem to believe) and most people get into those schools without any of these things.
What do you mean by Scholastic Writing and Art?.. Like a gold key? silver key?
10 - D1 athlete, IMO/IPHO/ICHO/IBO gold medals, Intel (top 10), Siemens National Winner/National Finalists, ISEF top 3 Grand Prize
9 - ISEF(1st places), Siemens Westinghouse (finalists), MOP, Intel Finalist, Presidential Scholar, Davidson Fellow
8 - TASP/RSI/NIH Research, USPhO/USChO/USABO/USAMO/USACO national finalist, Siemens Semi-finalists/ISEF(2-4 places), Intel semifinalist, Scholastic Writing and Art, Running your own <em>successful</em> business, International Music Tours
7 - Perfect SAT scores, USPhO/USChO/USABO/USAMO/USACO semifinalist, Eagle Scout, A Major Project (like in Community, or Research)
6 - Selective summer programs or competitions, such as SSP, Clark Summer Program
5 - National Latin Convention 1st Places Academic Contests, All-Eastern/all-regional music, National Merit Finalist, National AP Scholar AFTER Junior Year
4- Perfect Score (Multiple Years) on National Latin Exam, or other languages, AP Scholar, some state awards (all-state music, etc), Science Olympiad state medals (depending on what state you’re from)
3 - All-County music, winning at local/regional science fairs, Regional Science Olympiad Awards
2 - Bank of America Awards, most local awards/trophies (art, music, community - although they will say something about your character), Essay Contests
1 - National Honor Society, Beta Club,
0 - Who’s Who, National Honor Roll
Another list in my opinion. Is it better or worse?
I must raise the issue of publication again. It must be noted that all of these are High School competitions, while publication in a peer reviewed journal is a Professional competition. I would say that publication in a peer reviewed professional journal is at least a 8, with higher caliber journals (if any High Schooler has been published in Nature or Science, they must be = God), so here is my suggestion:
10 - D1 athlete, IMO/IPHO/ICHO/IBO gold medals, Intel (top 10), Siemens National Winner/National Finalists, ISEF top 3 Grand Prize
9 - ISEF(1st places), Siemens Westinghouse (finalists), MOP, Intel Finalist, Presidential Scholar, Davidson Fellow, Publication in Peer Reviewed Professional Journal (Sole Author)
8 - TASP/RSI/NIH Research, USPhO/USChO/USABO/USAMO/USACO national finalist, Siemens Semi-finalists/ISEF(2-4 places), Intel semifinalist, Scholastic Writing and Art, Running your own <em>successful</em> business, Published (Co-author)
7 - Perfect SAT scores, USPhO/USChO/USABO/USAMO/USACO semifinalist, Eagle Scout
6 - Selective summer programs or competitions, such as SSP, Clark Summer Program
5 - National Latin Convention 1st Places Academic Contests, All-Eastern/all-regional music, National Merit Finalist, National AP Scholar AFTER Junior Year
4- Perfect Score (Multiple Years) on National Latin Exam, or other languages, AP Scholar, some state awards (all-state music, etc), Science Olympiad state medals (depending on what state you’re from)
3 - All-County music, winning at local/regional science fairs
2 - Bank of America Awards, most local awards/trophies (art, music, community - although they will say something about your character), Essay Contests
1 - National Honor Society, Beta Club, School Departmental Awards, School Honor Roll
0 - Who’s Who, National Honor Roll
Gosh, this thread’s been going for a while.
10 - D1 athlete, IMO/IPHO/ICHO/IBO gold medals, Intel (top 10), Siemens National Winner/National Finalists, ISEF top 3 Grand Prize, publishing in Nature or Science
9 - ISEF(1st places), Siemens Westinghouse (finalists), MOP, Intel Finalist, Presidential Scholar, Davidson Fellow, Publication in Peer Reviewed Professional Journal
8 - TASP/RSI/NIH Research, USPhO/USChO/USABO/USAMO/USACO national finalist, Siemens Semi-finalists/ISEF(2-4 places), Intel semifinalist, Scholastic Writing and Art, Running your own <em>successful</em> business, submitting a paper to a conference
7 - Perfect SAT scores, USPhO/USChO/USABO/USAMO/USACO semifinalist, Eagle Scout
6 - Selective summer programs or competitions, such as SSP, Clark Summer Program
5 - National Latin Convention 1st Places Academic Contests, All-Eastern/all-regional music, National Merit Finalist, National AP Scholar AFTER Junior Year
4- Perfect Score (Multiple Years) on National Latin Exam, or other languages, AP Scholar, some state awards (all-state music, etc), Science Olympiad state medals (depending on what state you’re from)
3 - All-County music, winning at local/regional science fairs
2 - Bank of America Awards, most local awards/trophies (art, music, community - although they will say something about your character), Essay Contests
1 - National Honor Society, Beta Club, School Departmental Awards, School Honor Roll
0 - Who’s Who, National Honor Roll
with the publications, can you guys give some examples of magazines that are legitimate? Would a magazine for a national institute for a certain disease for patients qualify?
this is a good thread 
hpa10 “True, but D1 athlete = automatic acceptance at almost any school (as long as you have the academic credentials).”
Is that true for the other 10 category accomplishments?
Do you think getting a 10 (non-athletic), a few 9’s, and a few 8’s = automatic acceptance at HYPS (assuming grades,scores and recs are pretty good)?
Not that I have…just dreaming, lol.
“with the publications, can you guys give some examples of magazines that are legitimate? Would a magazine for a national institute for a certain disease for patients qualify?”
try journals dude
we’re talking real isht:
[Mathematics</a> Journals](<a href=“http://www.math.neu.edu/~Suciu/journals.html]Mathematics”>http://www.math.neu.edu/~Suciu/journals.html)
you can’t look at [url=<a href=“http://www.ams.org/distribution/jag/0000-000-00/]this[/url”>AMS :: Journal of Algebraic Geometry]this[/url</a>] and tell me it aint hardco
publication in such journals, given they are relatively well-known, is pretty 1337, since you’re going to be submitting to a whole journal devoted to your subject, with hundreds of other demigods twice your age
is there any other type of publication other than research that will help? would something like this ([ACS</a> :: Triumph](<a href=“http://www.cancer.org/docroot/DON/content/DON_8_1_Triumph.asp]ACS”>http://www.cancer.org/docroot/DON/content/DON_8_1_Triumph.asp)) that isn’t research be comparable?
That’s not necessary the exact magazine im referring to in my case, but it’s a close example.
^^^^^if you mean a story in a magazine, then im sure that would be considered, but not nearly as prestigious as publishing novel research in a peer reviewed journal.
Also, I wouldn’t say submitting a paper to a conference would be nearly as important as publication.
I think it’s significant that there are no humanities awards in the first category (10 pts) and only one in the 9 pt category. It just shows you how much harder it is for humanities kids to get recognition.
I think Davidson Fellowship should be moved to a 10. Also, there are some essay contests that are incredibly prestigious and are def. better than a 2.
what is MOP?
and what about national history contests? Those have to count somewhere too.
There is a math competition called IMO, the International Mathematical Olympiad. Countries send teams of 6 high school students to compete in a 2-day, 6 question proof contest. In the US, the about 70 highest scoring students on the USAMO, another math contest (preferences are given to younger students and girls) and MOP will select and train the US team, and also give training to potential future members of the US team. Also, the US teams for the Chinese Girls Mathematical Olympiad I think will train at MOP too.
The godliest of things would be winning an international award (not IMO, on the likes of Nobel prize :P) or getting an IQ of 280 (don’t say “IQ ISNT A GOOD MEASURE OF INTELLIGENCE”, anyone getting a 280 is damn sure accepted everywhere.)
Also for #10 it shouldnt be IMO, IPhO, IChO gold medals. If you qualify for any of those its basically a guaranteed admission despite what you place at the end…
Getting a gold is just a bonus.
Oh and another #10 is becoming rags to riches as a high school student. (i.e. by the end of high school an annual salary of over 450 000$)
lol, actually it isn’t, because people have gotten (surprisingly) rejected from HYPSM even with a gold medal at I_O. I think those are just special cases though.
not to be debbie downer, but I did know a legacy intel final winner (i checked the website-she won best team overall a few years ago; it wasn’t that she was like 3rd or 9th) who got rejected. It was surprising-but her application “didn’t make sense”. She told me that she was “incredibly passionate about politics and languages” and “sciences weren’t really her thing”…and she scored <600 on the math section, and better on CR, didn’t take math sat iis. the fact that her dad OWNED the lab she and her partner worked in? Hmm, I wonder who did the work on that project? (the partner got accepted to MIT, etc)