USPho 2011

Pre-College Topics High School Life
1

<p>Hey guys, I’m one of the 2011 USPho Semi-Finalists and would love to be part of the team, but we’ll see what happens next. I know for a fact being part of the team is a big deal and would be very impressive for college apps, but how big of a deal is being a Semi-Finalist in reality like in terms of college admissions for top engineering schools?</p>

<p>Thank You!</p>

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<p>There are already duplicates of this topic (search USPHO 2011). </p>

<p>But to answer your question, it is a significant accomplishment but it is hard to really quantify how important it really is.</p>

<p>Take a look at this thread to gauge what USPHO Semis really means: <a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/high-school-life/302001-list-top-prestigious-awards.html[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/high-school-life/302001-list-top-prestigious-awards.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

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<p>Alright thanks for that link, originalthought. Did you get into CalTech? Very Nice!</p>

<p>Any other responses are welcome as well.</p>

4

<p>USPhO Semifinalist will give you a nice boost, but it isn’t a hook. I’d rank the olympiads in terms of significance starting with USAMO, then USPhO, then USABO, then USNCO. I can’t comment on the USACO (Computing Olympiad) since I don’t have any experience with it. But overall, semifinalist is a good achievement but it won’t be the sole deciding factor in college admissions, in my opinion.</p>