Just wondering because I don’t really have that many awards. My mom says that since 8th graders shouldn’t have achieved that much in their short life so far so passion counts more, but is that the case?
Honestly, I think passion counts more. It’s better to have one or two activities you’re extremely passionate about, and you can convey your passion for those activites in your essays/interviews! You want to come off as an authentic 8th grader, rather than list off 20 different things you think will impress the AOs. Good luck!
As a fellow eighth grader, I’m no expert, but I think it just depends on the individual. If you’ve been awarded something really impressive (i.e. playing piano at Carnegie Hall, being at the top of your class, placing first in an academic competition) it certainly won’t hurt to have it in your application, especially if you worked really hard for said award. But you shouldn’t talk about awards that don’t mean anything/you didn’t have to work towards. Passion is really important to schools, so as long as you convey that you have passion you should be fine. Best of luck!
Neither: very few 8th graders have either. Are you well rounded and have you achieved academic success…
In my child’s letter from an AO and in his acceptance letter to a school, they spoke of his passion, not of his achievement, although they were both his sport. I think some schools do look at passion. They would much rather have a kid who is passionate about something than one who’s parents force them to do something they are good at.
My daughter will be entering the 6th grade next year so she’s a mere baby on these boards but she interviewed las week with a Director of Admissions and Financial Aid at one of our school choices. When I spoke with the AO after my daughter, AO seemed to have really enjoyed hearing about what my daughter was really passionate about. I think it matters regardless of what kind of interview a person is having – passion counts for something!
I think passion is a part of the whole package. Achievement may be nice, but I always tell my kids “you don’t want to peak in 8th grade”.
Although of course, passion and achievement often come together. If one is a passionate about playing the violin, one might expect for that person to have received several violin awards.
I think that in many cases, it’s authenticity more than either passion or achievement. Having either of the latter requires some serendipity – talent, the ability to find your thing, the resources to nurture it - and if that’s happened, great. But whether it has or hasn’t, it’s terrific if you can talk about what gives you joy or excites you.
I agree with @gardenstategal and would also add that people are different. Some kids are more inclined to have lots of interests and hobbies (multiple sports or instruments, for example) and generally be inclined to try new things, and others may have one or two true “passions” and be less inclined to branch out, or just have interests or hobbies that don’t fall into the standard extracurricular categories. However, authenticity will come through whether you’ve played a sport since age 3 or just discovered a love of cooking.
I think being authentic is the most important thing.