I got the highest mark for quite a few courses this year but my school has a rule that no one person can get more than 2 subject awards (it’s an official rule). I only got 2 but I have very high mark for other courses (apparently highest). Can I explain this somewhere when listing awards on the application? Is this understandable?
Colleges will see your grades and that you did well so I wouldn’t mention this.
@suzy100 But is it true that they want to see awards?
I don’t think colleges will even care about one more award for highest mark, so do whatever you feel comfy with.
If you want to describe that you received the highest mark in _____ classes, that would be fine. If you want to list the actual individual awards (meaning that they wouldn’t know you got the highest mark because some were over the limit so they didn’t give you the award), that would be fine, too.
There is only space for 5 honors. How many will you have? You may want to just lump them together and say something like, “Received award for highest mark in the following classes (maximum permitted per student per year is 2): Algebra (9), History (9), French (10)…” I think there is a character count so you may have to play with it.
I’m curious. Let’s say you had the highest grade in four classes junior year. How do they decide which classes to give you the award for? Do they give someone else the award if they had the second highest grade if the highest grade-earner maxed out because of receiving the award in other classes?
@suzy100 I think the second-highest gets it. My friend got the chemistry award and her mark was right below mine.
Your situation is far from unusual, and in no way, shape, or form worth the time or ink trying to explain it, IMO.
While you ceratainly can do it, it’s not going to be the deciding factor in the admissions decision.
I highly doubt if college admissions folk care whether or not you had the highest grade in any particular class. GPA and class rank tells them what they need to know.
I absolutely would not explain it. As noted above this is a very common situation and IMO it would come off as whining about something very unimportant. In-school awards will not make or break any application. Admissions officers will see your grades on your transcript.
A college will say: Look! Geekgurl got A+ in AP Bio.
They know what that means. They know you will do well in college.
It won’t help them to know you got the highest or you only got 2 out of 5 awards instead of all 5.
They will see your awesome GPA.
But yes you should mention the honor you got because you were awarded it.
@KKmama My school doesn’t have class rank, but does it change anything?
Don’t worry, geekgurl. Colleges will see your GPA and ACT/SAT and those are the most important things
It doesn’t matter that your school.does not rank.
One way to think about it is that the college cares about your achievement, not whether your achievement happens to be the best in your school or second best or fifth best. I mean, what if the year you graduate there is the greatest genius in the history of the world in your class. That kid blows through every class with perfect grades. Contrast that with a class there isn’t a single person other than you with near perfect grades. Do you think the college really is going to think that you are of “better quality” in the second example than the first? No. You are the same student, and colleges will see you as the same student.
And know that if you try to explain it, it will come across as " I am better than I look and better than my classmates but some bureaucracy at my school is in the way of making it crystal clear." That is not a person you want in your community! Your excellent record will speak for itself.
This is exactly the sort of thing that the counselor recommendation, or possibly a teacher recommendation, should point out about you. I agree it would do little good for you to waste space on the App detailing your high marks, but ideally one of your recommendations would say something along the lines of “great student, earning the high mark in their class in X of their courses” or something.