Updating Applications: How big of an award to do so

How big of an award should one be awarded for it to be worth it to update an application. I have four questions:
(1) Do updates of this manner usually ever have an effect of any kind?
(2) Will admissions officers look down on these updates if they are not large enough?
(3) Would being nominated for the Presidential Scholar’s Program be a large enough update?
(4) Is it ever to late to update the application?

I am of the belief that the college has everything it needs to make its decisions. Every applicant to a selective college will have accomplishments which occur after submission. AOs know that, but they don’t want to be inundated with minor updates from thousands of applicants.

So does that mean that one should not submit updates? No. That’s not what I’m saying. But one needs to be judicious. If it’s something that made the nationally-read papers (and not just the local free weekly) like an Academy Award nomination (or similar prestigious achievement), include on the update. If it’s to tell them that you were elected softball captain, had another 4.0 quarter (or anything at the school level Including MVP), don’t.

Works for me.

Yes. Once decisions are made, but before they are released, you should assume that they are unlikely to review your application again. The challenge is you don;t know when decisions have been finalized, in most cases.

If you were nominated based solely on your test scores (as is the case with the majority of nominees), I wouldn’t bother because they already have your scores and can probably infer whether or not you’d meet the cutoff. However, if you got the nomination for achievement in the arts or CTE, then go for it!

By the way, congrats on your achievement!