List of Top, Prestigious Awards

Pre-College Issues High School Life
701

I still like the traditional rankings. While some could argue for a few of these being moved up or down 1 position, it seems accurate to me. And while it’s arguably more difficult to make USAMO than it is to make Intel semifinalist, I think they’re about the same level (8) in terms of prestige – being an Intel semifinalist is a major ticket to top schools; with just this honor + strong involvement, test scores, and grades, you’ll most likely get Ivy, if not HYPSM

10 - D1 athlete, IMO/IPHO/ICHO/IBO medals, Intel (top 10), Siemens National Winner/National Finalists, ISEF top 3 Grand Prize, Published in Nature or Science

9 - Siemens Westinghouse (finalists), MOP, Intel Finalist, NFL Nationals winner (speech and debate), RSI

8 - TASP, USPhO/USChO/USABO/USAMO/USACO national finalist (inclusive of USAMO qualification), Siemens Semi-finalists/ISEF(1-4 places), Intel semifinalist, Running your own <em>successful</em> business, AMC Perfect Score, Presidential Scholar, Davidson Fellow, Presidential Scholar of the Arts, Scholastic Art & Writing Portfolio Gold Award

7 - Selective summer programs or competitions, such as SSP, Clark Summer Program, YESS, NIH Research, and MITES. ARML top score, Scholastic Art & Writing National Silver or Gold Medal. NFL Nationals qualifier (speech and debate), Congressional Award Gold Medalist, YES Competition (Young Epidemiology Scholarship) Top 4.

6 - USPhO/USChO/USABO/USACO semifinalist, Science Olympiad National medals, Congressional Award Silver Medalist, Science Bowl/Ocean Science Bowl/NAQT winners

5 - National Latin Convention 1st Places Academic Contests, All-Eastern/all-regional music, National History Day winner, AIME, AMC 12 school winner

4- Perfect Score (Multiple Years) on National Latin Exam, or other languages, some state awards (all-state music, etc), Science Olympiad state medals (depending on what state you’re from), USAMTS Gold, National History Day, JETS TEAMS National Finalist or Regional winner, MUN Gavel

3 - All-County music, winning at local/regional science fairs, Eagle Scout, National Merit

2 - Bank of America Awards, most local awards/trophies (art, music, community - although they will say something about your character), Essay Contests, State History Day

1 - National Honor Society, Beta Club, School Departmental Awards, School Honor Roll, Key Club, CSF, Interact Club

0 - Who’s Who, National Honor Roll, National Society of High School Scholars

702

Where would one rank getting Honors (top 150) or High Honors (top 50) in the US National Chemistry Olympiad (USNCO)?

703

considering 8 is USNCO finals (top 20) and 6 is semifinals (around ~1000) id say an intermediate award like honors or high honors would be 7.

704

I don’t understand this list. Isn’t USAMTS Gold (4) significantly harder/more impressive than intel or siemens SF?

Also, isn’t AIME considered more impressive than USPhO, which is relatively easy to pass?

705

I’m not an expert or anything, but USAMTS, while a good indicator of mathematical ability, is definitely not as highly revered as Intel or Siemens! Those contests are national in scope, have been around much longer, and receive thousands of participants per year.
The fact that USAMTS is solely an online contest (everything is distributed and submitted via the Internet) likely detracts from its prestige a bit – one could theoretically have another person complete the problems for them.

Also, all of the science olympiads are very prestigious – only a few hundred (150 for USAPhO, I believe) qualify as semifinalists, whereas AIME has thousands of qualifiers each year.

While the list may seem arbitrary, I think it’s actually quite accurate and reliable when you consider how many students qualify at each respective level and how each is generally regarded

706

how does DECA nationals rank?

707

I would also love to know about where DECA stands in this ranking! ^

708

Publishing in nature or science journal as a high school student is unheard of… Has anyone here on CC done it?

709

the closest I know is someone who published first author in PNAS in high school. No one has done any better in high school. Very few (I’d estimate ~5 - 10) undergraduates get attached to a paper of that stature, let alone high school students…

710

if you’re into science research, it’s not <em>entirely</em> unheard of for a HS student to co-author a published paper, quite a few Intel/Siemens semifinalists (especially finalists) get that… Idk about in Science or Nature, that’s kinda crazy. since that’s a 10, being published in general would probably be an 8 or 9, on par w/ Intel and Siemens

711

Just asking, Is this ranking scale additive or exponential? For instance is rank #3 three times as prestigious as #1 or say if it had an factor of three times more prestigious per level 27 times more prestigious as #1

712

what would having a patent rank?

and junior science and humanities symposium competitor or winning corporate awards at ISEF, not just qualifying?

713

our jshs was a bust… there were supposed to be 3 judges. one was a no show, one came late and was a math judge (kid was in envirn. sci)…her only question to students"where are your math equations?" grrr…

714

YoungArts? Published novelist?

715

So, I won National History Day last year (nationals) what would that be?
Also, what about being a former national and international unicycling champion in several disciplines?
Weird awards… I know

716

Where would you place competing (or placing) at internationals in relatively large academic competitions, such as Mu Alpha Theta, DECA, FBLA, FPS etc?

Personally, I’d say placing top-5 ish at state (thereby making internationals) in DECA would be a 3, and placing top-10 at DECA internationals would be a 6, judging from the others.

717

What would being a USAJMO qualifier rank as?

718

yayy so a published coauthor is an 8? i feel special

719

TSA (technology student association) state winner? National winner?

How many of these does the typical Ivy worthy applicant have?

720

How would FBLA regional/state/national awards place? Say 1st place at regionals, states, and nationals in an event?