<p>Plenty of colleges, including Harvard, give book awards. These are simply books, donated to high schools by local alumni organizations of colleges. The books go to the top students who embody certain qualities.</p>
<p>Getting a book award is no guarantee at all that a student will be accepted to the college. It’s simply a way that the college alumni organization promotes its college and encourages promising students to apply.</p>
<p>Not all high schools give book awards. Whether they do depends solely on the local alumni association. For instance, my local Harvard chapter is virtually nonexistant except for the work we do interviewing students. We don’t give any book awards.</p>