<p>Please ignore bad grammar as this is typed via Nook... Okay so Im not a brilliant student, but Im pretty smart. You know, 3.8 UW with probably 1900ish SAT and 30ish ACT. I play a ton of sports and am very involved in my school, but until very recently I had nothing to separate me from all other slightly above average kids. </p>
<p>I entered a competition recently... a video contest called "What should the next president do to improve the economy?" Despite the low funds for our school resulting in a low quality video, my video won against kids from all over the country. This resulted/results in:</p>
<p>-National recognition
-A letter from Maryland senator Ben Cardin
-A letter from Maryland senator Barbara Mikulski
-Being on the front page of the Maryland council of social studies website
-Letter from my county's board of education
-Hopefully an outstanding letter of recommendation from my econ teacher (my win resulted in her receiving $500.)</p>
<p>What do you all at CC think this will do to my application? Im applying to schools as prestigious as Williams, Claremont McKenna, and Colorado College so i need all the help i can get. Thank you everybody</p>
<p>Not a great deal, I am afraid. At elite colleges such as you’ve named, the “hooks” that make a big difference are things that fulfill a need or a want of the institution. These colleges want athletes for their intercollegiate teams (especially the high-profile teams), celebrities and children of celebrities, wealthy donors. They want happy alumni, so sometimes they give a boost to legacy applicants. They want socioeconomic and cultural diversity, so they look for promising applicants from underrepresented minority groups or underprivileged backgrounds.</p>
<p>But they don’t have a need for, nor any particular desire for, a guy who made an award-winning home-made video.</p>
<p>Don’t get me wrong. Winning this award is a really nice accomplishment (for which, congratulations!), and you should certainly list it on your applications. But lots of other accomplishments would be just as nice and would do just as much for you in college admissions. And although it might not be fair, none of them would help as much as being able to renovate the chemistry building or dunk a basketball with two hands.</p>
<p>“But they don’t have a need for, nor any particular desire for, a guy who made an award-winning home-made video.”<br>
I have afeeling he missed the part about"
-National recognition
-A letter from Maryland senator Ben Cardin
-A letter from Maryland senator Barbara Mikulski
-Being on the front page of the Maryland council of social studies website
-Letter from my county’s board of education
and although you are not naming specifics “I play a ton of sports and am very involved in my school” sounds good at face value
but if you really are looking for something more, Tournements (acedemic and physical) and individual competions are really impressive (math tournaments, Martial arts tournaments (which is a good thing to get into), geography bee, spelling bee, history day projects, acedemic challenge, Varsity campionships ect.) and awards and national recognition looks great too like the duke of edinburgh award, the people to people ambassodor (which isn’t as hard as it sounds, although funds are necassary), who’s who recognition program ect.</p>
<p>No, I didn’t miss any of those things. Letters from both senators don’t do anything to enhance the reputation or visibility of the college. Neither does the OP’s face on the welcome page of a web site.</p>
<p>They are nice accomplishments. I said so. But they won’t carry any more weight with colleges than any other accomplishments that don’t really draw attention to the college. Sure, they help with admissions. But not especially more than being your state’s debate champion or being a prize-winning folk dancer. </p>
<p>Making an award-winning video is an accomplishment. Being Emma Watson or Malia Obama is a hook.</p>
<p>After mulling this over, I realize that in two posts I haven’t quite said exactly what I intended to say. I think winning this video competition wil keep you on a footing that’s pretty much even with other applicants who have distinguished themselves outside the classroom. That’s why you should be sure to mention it in your application. I just don’t think it will catapult you past most of the applicant pool the way that being the most sought-after high-school linebacker in Texas, or a Kennedy, might.</p>
<p>@guy1234: those “letters of commendation” from politicians? They hand them out like candy corn at Halloween. Really. They make recipients feel good and favorably inclined towards the politician – but they aren’t some fabulous treasure.</p>
<p>The templates are on some staffer’s laptop. Cut and paste name of recipient, address, award. Print.</p>
<p>Recognition of this type can be helpful in local competetions for scholarships and helpful on your resume for the extras - a summer job, school internship, etc. Congrats!</p>
<p>Thanks all of you for your insight. @T26E4, we have national winners from FBLA at our school and they never got any. I know of someone with a perfect SAT and ACT who didn’t get one. I also got a letter from Governor Martin O’ Malley. </p>
<p>I’m not saying that I expect this silly video to make Ivy Leagues beg me to come. I don’t have an incredibly difficult list of schools:</p>
<p>-Williams
-Claremont McKenna
-Kenyon
-Colorado College
-Pitzer
-Occidental
-Allegheny
-Lawrence
-St. Johns
^Probably how difficult it will be to get admitted, top being the most difficult.</p>
<p>So we’re looking at schools from 12% all the way to schools with 78%. Either way, it can’t hurt, and thanks to all of you guys for helping!</p>
<p>If your competition award is a one-time event then its impact will be minimal. If it is a capstone to a high school career filled with accomplishment in the area of video production then it will carry far more weight.</p>
<p>Similarly, if you intend to major in a related area such as media it will be more impactful.</p>
<p>However, based on how you have described the award, I agree with Sikorsky that it sounds like it won’t affect your application much.</p>
<p>My kid has letters of commendation from both of our senators (2 from each for different things), one from our House Rep, and one from our governor. She did not mention any of them on her college app (and just got into U of Chicago). I guess what I am saying is certainly put the video on your application. But do NOT mention the letters. They are irrelevant. If your accomplishment is impressive, the ad coms will see that. Tooting your horn about letters from politicians is not going to help. If nothing else, the politician did NOT send that letter. Their intern did, and stamped their name on it. The politician did NOT take notice of you (their intern did).</p>
<p>Winning a national competition is a great achievement. Definitely put it on your app (just list it on the CommonApp awards section) and be proud of it! I’m sure you’ll get into some of those schools, since you’ve got good grades and scores and seem very involved. Good luck!</p>
<p>The only thing you’ll put on your application is that you were winner of this contest. The letters/recognition will not be part of your application.</p>
<p>It won’t be particularly helpful, but it’s certainly interesting. At the end of the day there wasn’t much skill/knowledge required and not much prestige involved. Admissions usually like to see awards to validate your skills and abilities. Would be more meaningful if you were applying for film school or something.</p>