Do awards matter for top 20 schools

Catcherinthetoast
Wed, 08 Sep 2021 16:21:16 +0000

tsbna44:

You may find it odd - but back to their question, would you advise them not to apply to a top 20 without an award?

Awards are a public recognition of achievement. As others have said some awards are more meaningful then others and the effort behind the award is what is most relevant.

With that said the vast majority of students at top colleges have been recognized with awards in addition to having academic records and test scores that suggest they will thrive at a top school.

This goes to the reality that these elite schools aren’t just looking for exceptional students but exceptional students plus something else that they will add to the broader community.

So at many of the elites 60+ percent of the students will have been class Val/Sal of their graduating class and or perfect test scores. When it gets interesting is when you talk to them and realize what likely distinguished them.

Typical answer “Athlete of the Year”, published creative writing, National math or science recognition, accomplished musicians started company. In most cases these successes at these activities resulted in some distinction, recognition or award.

So to answer OPs question, in the absence of this level of accomplishment I would not recommend wasting effort in applying to T20 (unless you want to just take a shot). If however your “thing” isn’t easily defined or publicly recognized but meaningful and relevant, then go for it and use your application to provide context.