Feb 22 (edited) • 🎓 Strategy Posts
4️⃣ 🏆 Extracurriculars 104: Maximizing Your Honors & Awards
Honors & awards can be one of the most overlooked yet powerful parts of your application. They provide an objective benchmark for your achievements, helping admissions officers assess your impact beyond grades. This is especially valuable for international students, where school context or local grading systems may be difficult for colleges to evaluate.
But with only 5 spots on the Common App, you need to be strategic about what you include and how you present it.
💡 What Counts as an "Honor"?
Colleges care about external validation, but not all awards carry the same weight:
🏅 National & International: Olympiads, Intel ISEF, National Merit, Scholastic Art & Writing, global research or leadership awards.
🏅 State & Regional: State Science Fair, All-State Music, regional debate/math competitions, state-level championships.
🏅 Local & School: Valedictorian, district sports awards, school-based academic competitions, top leadership recognitions.
‼️ Context Matters! Always add details like acceptance rate, number of competitors, or how selective it was—otherwise, admissions officers have no way to gauge its significance. A regional competition with 50,000+ participants and a 2% selection rate can be more impressive than an "international" award with only 10 winners.
✨ No Big Awards? Here’s What You Can Do!
You can still showcase achievement through highly selective recognitions:
🔹 Publications & Features: Research in peer-reviewed journals, artwork in exhibitions, media coverage in major outlets.
🔹 Competitive Scholarships & Grants: Funding for research, entrepreneurship, or creative work through a selective application process.
🔹 Major Recognitions from Competitions or Organizations: Named to a national leadership list, earning a significant award, or receiving recognition for high-impact work.
Even if you don’t have "traditional" awards, official recognition of your work can be valuable.
❓Where to Find Awards & Competitions?
If you’re looking to build your honors list, start with:
- Your school’s academic clubs (Model UN, debate, math/science competitions)
- National & international competitions in your area of interest (writing, STEM, business, art)
- Subject-specific honor societies (National Latin Exam, AMC for math, research fairs)
- Online platforms that list scholarships & competitions (e.g., NSHSS, FastWeb, CollegeVine)
💡 Pro Tip: If there’s no major award in your field, look for ways to get external recognition—submit your project for grants, competitions, media features, or industry awards. Even student-led initiatives can gain honors if they create measurable impact and receive recognition.
🚀 What’s Your Next Move?
Review your honors & awards—do they reinforce your academic and extracurricular strengths? If not, explore ways to gain recognition in areas where you’re already excelling.
💬 Drop a comment if you’re unsure whether something counts as an “honor” for your application!
🎭 Coming Up? That’s it for extracurriculars! Next, we’re diving into the secret sauce of a standout application—your narrative. We’ll cover how to strategically shape your academics & extracurriculars and tie everything together into a compelling story for admissions officers.
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4️⃣ 🏆 Extracurriculars 104: Maximizing Your Honors & Awards
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