How big of a deal is it? Thank you I’m advance 
1 Like
It won’t kick you to the top of the pile. But if you have a strong interest in the field in which you won, it certainly validates your follow through and ability. And to the extent it helps pull together the story of “you”, it helps.
@happy1 it’s a national, top-level award. It’s a pretty big deal, to answer the OP’s question.
As @gardenstategal says, it doesn’t kick anybody to the top of the pile, but it highlights a genuine, nationally recognized talent, and can add a lot to your story.
Thank you guys so much!
@jazhope321
Just to clarify gold metals are regional awards. All gold metals then compete for national awards but the OP did not state that she won a national award.
They are definitely great to have and they can help you with your application story. My D won several gold metals from freshmen to senior year plus she had other in depth extracurricular. She was accepted to schools we expected her to be accepted according to her overall profile. I think they helped her stand out and when she said writing was one of her things the admission counselors had a solid idea what she meant. But they did not create miracle admissions.
My D really, really enjoyed winning those awards. They meant a lot to her. Congratulations!
1 Like
@am9799, the OP didn’t specifically say national, but if I remember correctly, the regional ones are Gold Key. The Gold Medal is a national award.
And definitely, congratulations all around!
Note that am9799 acknowledged “her overall profile.” Depending on your college targets, there may be no award that works admissions miracles. They’re good, but it takes a lot more to make an app compelling.
If you got a national award, now turn your attention to what does make a match.
@HarrietMWelsch You are right! I totally forgot the KEY part.
Congratulations to OP!
Sorry just to clarify, I was talking about the National Gold Medal, not the regional gold key.