What is exactly is an "award" and how exactly does one go about getting them?

Applying to College
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<p>Heyyooooo </p>

<p>I've been vigorously lurking on these forums during the EA season just to check some stuff out, but I've just now decided to make my own account because why not.</p>

<p>Something that's been tickling at the back of my mind since frosh year (I'm a soph now) is the entire "award" thing and whether they are "national, international, etc., whatever." </p>

<p>These "awards;" I don't even know what exactly they are; seem to be a missing link in my mental college admission application-chain. I'm still pretty young so there's no need to freak out yet. but It's probably time I started getting a little more serious. </p>

<p>Well anyways, so my mental applications is pretty much as follows:</p>

<p>Academics: Most rigorous courseload, shoot for maximum weighted and unweighted GPA. How to: Just go to school. sign up for hard classes, and study your butt off. Self-explanatory.</p>

<p>ECs: Do clubs that you enjoy, ideally obtain leadership positions as you get old. How to: Sign up for clubs you might like, attend the meets, participate, and work hard. Again, self-explanatory.</p>

<p>Athletics: Do sports you enjoy, ideally start and/or obtain "captain" title once you get old. How to: Tryout/make the sports teams you like. Attend practices/meets/games, participate, work hard. Again self-explanatory.</p>

<p>Volunteering: Service clubs, or find volunteer opportunities in your field of interest by means of internet, newpaper, etc. Again, mostly self-explanatory.</p>

<p>Awards: WHAT ARE THEY? HOW DO GET THEM? HELP??? WHAT IS THE DEAL WITH AWARDS? </p>

<p>Looking at other peoples' applications, I notice the majority of them have awards in the science bowls, the math competitions, and I hear talk of things like "Intel" and "Siemens" as well. I'm fairly certain the majority of those "big name awards" are math/science related, and while I am fairly proficient in both of those subjects, I am better in the social science/language department. I find very few available "awards" in those areas. Am I just not looking hard enough? Am I even supposed to be looking at all? Excluding Volunteering, all other components of the application come pretty naturally, in that one is handed the opportunities to them pretty much by their school. Did all these other ivy-prospective-students seek out themselves the opportunities for these giant stacks of awards I see on chance threads? Or am I missing something here? Because I cannot seem to be able to find any such opportunities, at least via internet, to enter in some sort of competition or whatever and possibly win a so-called "award." </p>

<p>Should I just relax? Because as it stands now I'm not going to have any "awards" come senior year and I will just leave that part of the application blank? I am missing something key here? Or even does anybody have any social science/language competitions that could yield an award to suggest? Help a n00b out?</p>

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<p>If you like art or writing there are the scholastic awards. You can enter paintings, drawings, photography (my sister won an award for a photo of my brother playing in the snow lol), and there are lots of writing categories. It costs 5 dollars per entry but if they’re even decently good they’ll probably win at least an honorable mention. Hope I helped!! </p>

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<p>searched around here and flund this list for you- there’s prob an updated one here if you hunt!</p>

<p>Awards (ranked 1-10, 1 is most impressive):
1: D1 athlete, IMO/IPHO/ICHO/IBO medals, Intel (top 10), Siemens National Winnter/National Finalists, ISEF top 3 Grand Prize, Published in Nature or Science</p>

<p>2: Siemens Westinghouse (finalists), MOP, Intel Finalist, NFL Nationals winner, RSI</p>

<p>3: TASP, USPhO/USChO/USABO/USAMO/USACO national finalist (& USAMO qualification), Siemens Semi-finalists/ISEF (1-4 places), Intel semifinalist, Running your own <em>successful</em> business, AMC Perfect Score, Presidential Scholar, Davidson Fellowship, Presidential Scholar of the Arts, Scholastic Art & Writing Portfolio Gold Award</p>

<p>4: Selective summer programs/competitions (e.g. SSP, Clark Summer Program, YESS, NIH Research, and MITES) ARML top score, Scholastic Art & Writing National Silver or Gold Medal. NFL Nationals qualifier, Congressional Award Gold Medalist, YES Competition top 4.</p>

<p>5: USPhO/USChO/USABO/USACO semifinalist, Science Olympiad National medals, Congressional Award Silver Medalist, Science Bowl/Ocean Science Bowl/NAQT winners</p>

<p>6: National Latin Convention 1st Places Academic Contests, All-Eastern/all-regional music, National History Day winner, AIME, AMC 12 school winner</p>

<p>7: Perfect Score (multiple years) on National Latin Exam, or other languages, some state awards (all-state music, etc), Science Olympiad state medals (depends on your state), USAMTS Gold, National History Day, JETS TEAMS National Finalist or Regional winner, MUN Gavel</p>

<p>8: All-County music, winning at local/regional science fairs, Eagle Scout, National Merit</p>

<p>9: Bank of America awards, most local awards/trophies (art, music, community - although they will say something about your character), Essay Contests, State History Day</p>

<p>10: NHS, Beta Club, School Departmental Awards, School Honor Roll, Key Club, CSF, Interact Club</p>

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<p>Amazing! Thanks guys! Although in that enormous list above, the vast majority appear to be math/sciececy, other than nfl nationals, which I’m fairly certain you must enter as a school, and my school unfortunately does not participate in it.</p>

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<p>Any other ideas or thoughts?</p>

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<p>You win stuff. Obtain award. 'Nuff said on what they are.</p>

<p>There are lots of essay competitions, music evaluation contests, art competititions out there, although that also depends on where you are. Some people in my school did these (e.g. Scholastic Art competition), but I’m not too familiar with them.</p>

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<p><a href=“http://www.wordwrightchallenge.com/Enrollment_Information_WordWright_Challenge_Allen_NJ.html”>http://www.wordwrightchallenge.com/Enrollment_Information_WordWright_Challenge_Allen_NJ.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

<p><a href=“http://www.poetryoutloud.org/”>http://www.poetryoutloud.org/&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

<p><a href=“http://aynrandnovels.org/essay-contests.html”>http://aynrandnovels.org/essay-contests.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

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<p>Your school might also have regional reading competitions which should be free to enter.</p>

<p>Ask your English teacher for more ideas.</p>

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<p><a href=“List of Top, Prestigious Awards - #841 by riffed - High School Life - College Confidential Forums”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/high-school-life/302001-list-of-top-prestigious-awards-p57.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

<p>I prefer DigitalKing’s ranking in post #846. On this scale, 10 is most impressive.</p>

<p>10 - D1 athlete, IMO/IPHO/ICHO/IBO medals, Intel (top 10), Siemens National Winner/National Finalists, ISEF top 3 Grand Prize, Google Science Fair age group winner, Published in Nature or Science, RSI</p>

<p>9 - Siemens Westinghouse (finalists), Google Science Fair Finalist, MOP, Intel Finalist, NFL Nationals winner (speech and debate)</p>

<p>8 - TASP, USPhO/USChO/USABO/USACO national finalist, Google Science Fair Semifinalist, 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</p>

<p>7 - Selective summer programs or competitions, such as SSP, Clark Summer Program, YESS, NIH Research, and MITES. USAMO qualification, ARML Tiebreaker Round / Top Team, Scholastic Art & Writing National Silver or Gold Medal. NFL Nationals (speech and debate) “breakers” (elimination rounds), Tournament of Champions (debate) “breakers,” Congressional Award Gold Medalist, USAMTS Gold Medal, YES Competition (Young Epidemiology Scholarship) Top 4, Science Bowl/Ocean Science Bowl/NAQT winners.</p>

<p>6 - USPhO/USChO/USABO/USACO semifinalist, Science Olympiad National medals, Congressional Award Silver Medalist, NFL Nationals/Tournament of Champions Qualifier, ISEF Finalist, AIME qualification</p>

<p>5 - National Latin Convention 1st Places Academic Contests, All-Eastern/all-regional music, National History Day winner, Science Bowl national qualification</p>

<p>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), National History Day, JETS TEAMS National Finalist or Regional winner, MUN Gavel, AMC 10/12 school winner (depends on your school), Art and Writing Regional Gold award</p>

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

<p>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</p>

<p>1 - National Honor Society, Beta Club, School Departmental Awards, School Honor Roll, Key Club, CSF, Interact Club</p>

<p>0 - Who’s Who, National Honor Roll, National Society of High School Scholars</p>

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thanks super helpful!

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@Mangiafuoco Looking for where Intel ISEF ranked in category is. (1st - 4th in the category of XXXX) at Intel ISEF (not Intel STS).