Which honor is the most valuable one?

Applying to College
1

Not sure which ones below I should choose. Can anyone know the order of the following awards from the most valuable to the least? Thanks!

  1. USACO silver division qualifier
  2. Coca Cola scholarship semi final
  3. RIT Innovation & creativity book award
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2

Do you have space for three ? Then it won’t matter. Go with your gut. You likely have it right above.

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3

I have space for 2 awards and need to remove one.

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4

Use the RIT one along with either for RIT and the first two for others.

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5

Thanks! I do not plan to apply for RIT.

RIT is removed for other colleges. Is it because RIT is a school award? The other two are national/international.

6

Yes, there could be the assumption you are interested in RIT over the other colleges you are applying to. If they are protecting their yield, they could waitlist you while they figure out your interest level.

Book Awards are a nice honor and a way to get alumni involved, but do not carry as much weight as the others you have.

Nice work.

And RIT is a great college with lots to offer, maybe you will reconsider it.

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7

Reading the RIT award, I’d drop it. Much of it is a given - and yes, there’s more but not to the level of the others.

Innovation and Creativity Award and Scholarship Program

This program recognizes one male and one female from the junior class who:

  • Are pursuing a rigorous college-preparatory curriculum,
  • Have a cumulative grade point average of 3.7 or higher (4.0 scale), 93 or higher (100 point scale),
  • Rank in the top 10 percent of their junior class,
  • Are active and involved citizens in their school and/or community,
  • Demonstrate outstanding achievement in innovation, creativity, or entrepreneurship. Examples include:
    • Innovative use of technology in areas such as business, science, math, art, crafts, design, film, animation, or photography
    • Developing innovative solutions to problems such as starting their own business, innovative community service, or extensive involvement in activities related to sustainability and the environment
    • Creation of a new or unique project in art, crafts, design, film, animation, or photography using divergent thinking, imagination, and/or risk-taking
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8

I have one more award to add to the list:
4. National Merit Semifinalist

Need to choose two to put on the honor list.

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9

Boy - you hit the motherload.

If you’re going to become a finalist, it will be noted, if I’m not mistaken, by which school you select.

I would not mention this award over the other two - but that’s me.

I assume this isn’t for Common App as I believe you can list five.

10

Thanks! This is for common application. I already have 3 other awards selected. Now I need to select 2 from these 4 awards.

11

those other awards must be AWESOME.

You’re not going to get in or not based solely on awards - especially when you’re applying to schools like Princeton.

I’d hate to say you can use the additional section for others but I suppose you can.

To me, more important than the award is why you got it. For example, an NMF doesn’t matter unless you’re applying to a school that will reward it (like an Alabama that will pay you to go). As Princeton gives you no money, then it won’t matter or matters less.

Just my belief.

12

Thank you all. Then I will choose USACO Silver and Coca Cola award.

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13

Probably depends on the schools and major.

USACO would look good for CS. Anthropology not as much as NMSF.

14

Should be aware Alabama has more NMF than any school that keeps track of those stats. They pay to attract smart kids if money is a concern.

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15

Personally, I don’t think the Coke semi finalist means anything. If you were awarded the scholarship, that would be a different issue. What did you put in your Coke application that led you to be a semi-finalist? Those are the things that should be on your application.

Same goes for the book award. They really don’t mean much and don’t tell college admissions much about you, your passions or your achievements.

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16

I strongly disagree with the sentiment that book awards are somewhat meaningless. While I am not quibbling about where they should go on this particular student’s list, they have meaning when they are selected by the high school faculty.

While many students may have all the attributes listed for the RIT book award, the fact remains that the high school faculty chose one (or in this case two) student in the class to receive it.

In a time when high schools rarely rank and many colleges are test optional, AOs find book awards to be a useful indication of relative rank and the overall esteem in which the student is held by his/her teachers. It’s a bit of a bonus recommendation.

There are certainly more prestigious awards, but I wouldn’t dismiss a book award automatically.

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17

Completely agree, especially if coming from a HS with a large % who matriculate to T30 type schools, yet only picks a handful or so for these. They do signify faculty choice and are harder to get than Natl merit or AP scholar w Distinction and many other academic awards. No , they do not trump difficult state-wide or national academic awards, but they are legitimate academic awards.

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