hello!
I took part in the NACLO (north american computational linguistics olympiad ) invitational round last year, and I was wondering if colleges knew what it was. Is it considered prestigious (like AIME/USAMO level?) Do colleges even know what it is / what the selection process is like?
Also, what about the International Olympiad in Linguistics (IOL )? Are colleges aware of it? Is it treated the same as other international contests (like IMO?)
I do not think NACLO is anywhere nearly as well known as AIME or USAMO. I am sure it is known by the linguistics department so if you are applying as a computational linguistics major, it will certainly be recognized. There may be a way you can mention it in one of your essay prompts, assuming you plan to pursue the study in college, be it in applied math or computational bio, etc.
MIT has a line on their application for AMC and AIME scores, but does not list any other competition. They do have a section for scholastic distinction, so you can list NACLO there as an international award.
My son also competed in the invitational round, but did not proceed beyond that round. He also participated in USACO and ARML. These are all nice to add to your application, but only a handful of students will perform at the tippy top level, so not something that tips the scales. If these are your interests and passions, let that message shine through in your essay responses.
Best of luck to you.
thanks for your response! Out of curiosity, do you know about IOL? I read on MIT’s website that it is considered as one of the “international science olympiads”, are those typically well known in college?
I do not know about it, but my lack of knowledge should not mean anything to you.
My son didn’t focus on any one area. He had his hand in a lot of activities ranging from debate, quiz bowl, and a HS sport to these CS, Math & Linguistics competitions outside of school.
Linguistics is a fairly small dept at most universities, but growing on the computational side.
It’s rare for a high school student to identify linguistics as their interest. Your achievements will stand out, to the linguistics departments. I think that your best bet would be to reach out to the ling profs and comp sci profs whose interests coincide most closely with yours. They may be able to advocate for you with the admissions committee. What schools are you considering, for what year? Are you currently a junior? Senior?
If your username is your real name, you may want to change it to protect your privacy.
Thanks for the heads up!