For example, since national and international contests and competitions attract so many students, winning an award like these would undoubtedly impress the admissions committee. The more selective an honor or academic award is, the more impressive it will look on your college application. I'm going to be a senior in the fall and I've realized that I don't have many state or local awards of any kind. My school gives awards and I have a Rensselaer Medal, but that's about it.
So how important are awards in the college application process? They are not very important in the application process. However, it makes students feel better to put something in all the small lines. One of the reasons is that they are quite subjective. You may receive the award for the best math student in your school, while in one other district, they have a high school diploma with a full cohort of students more advanced than you.
Awards are a way to demonstrate your achievements or interest in an area. Unless you face the most important ones (for example, the Olympics), the prizes won't give much impetus to your application. What you've actually done is more important. For example, an art-related award will be of little importance to a university that accepts artistic supplements.
An Olympic gold medal or an Intel award will help. An award for the best article in English in your high school education won't do much good. My advice: don't worry about what you don't have and focus on what you've achieved. In the case of schools that require interviews, this sometimes gives the interviewer a main question, something to talk about to help them feel less nervous.
Especially when the name is something you may not have heard of. My boyfriend (at the time) from HS was convinced that every line of the application had to have something, so he stated that he was a “finalist for the Alfred E Neuman Award”. There are a number of contests for high school students that are highly respected by admissions offices. They offer financial rewards and, more importantly, increase their attractiveness to top-tier colleges and universities.
In addition, by competing, you will develop the skills that universities seek, such as research skills, critical thinking, communication and, in many of the competitions, cooperation. In the words of Franklin Roosevelt: “Competition has proven useful to a certain extent and not beyond that, but cooperation, which is what we must strive for today, begins where competition ends. Don't make fun of the Perfect Attendance award or think it doesn't deserve a spot on your application. This is an important distinction that shows admissions officers that you worked hard in high school and that you have a great degree of dedication.
Prizes are a plus, but admissions officers know that not all activities are associated with awards. If your extracurricular activities aren't the kind of thing where championships and competitions have, then not having a prize is fine. There are two different President's Education Awards awarded to elementary, middle and high school students. Well, I agree that the prizes awarded by the school are not entirely important or beneficial, but state and national awards from different organizations can definitely not only demonstrate your interest in an area, but they also help you apply by demonstrating your achievements.
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