Most American teenagers have shelves filled with plastic trophies from sports and other competitions going back to kindergarten. In contrast, many high school students are at a loss to fill in the five-item list of academic awards in the Common Application. Some students are not sure what they are supposed to do; they ask if community service hours or a music achievement certificate count for this list. In this post I will explain what this section means and how to prepare to shine when filling it out.
As elementary as this may sound, the key word in academic award is academic. Not extracurricular, not community service. To put it in simple English, colleges like to see applicants who win academic awards because they are educational institutions.
Most smart and hard-working high school students will earn some academic awards automatically, finding out about them after the fact, such as a marking period honor roll. Many academic awards, however, must be anticipated in advance; the student must prepare and perhaps even formally apply to earn the honor. In fact, it is a good habit for a young person to learn about awards that can be won in high school, in college, or in graduate school to help set goals and make a plan to achieve them.
To guide your son or daughter in this process, it is important to find out what academic awards your high school offers. Some high schools, often rigorous independent schools, minimize the awards that are available to students. I am not sure what the reasoning is for limiting the opportunities for recognition; perhaps they want to avoid creating too much competition among students, but in a highly selective school, the students are already pretty ambitious. I believe that recognition is always a good idea, especially for adolescents, who can only benefit from positive reinforcement. In any event, the profile sent to colleges will clarify which awards your high school does or does not offer, so it cannot be assumed that your son or daughter failed to earn any if they are simply not offered.
The awards your student should plan to be earning for college applications include the following, if offered by your high school:
1. Honor roll and/or high honor roll. Of course, your student should be trying to earn the highest possible GPA, since grades are the most important factor in admissions decisions. This behavior will automatically earn honor or high honor roll designation for multiple marking periods.
2. National Honor Society. NHS is an organization consisting of individual high school chapters throughout the United States and Canada. Selection is based on four criteria: scholarship, leadership, service, character. Every high school chapter sets its own specific standards, but it typically requires a benchmark level GPA, documented community service hours, demonstration of leadership roles, and teacher recommendations.
Typically students are inducted in spring of the junior year; I recommend that sophomores find out who the high school chapter’s faculty adviser is and ask for an application to learn exactly what is required and when. Most colleges expected that strong students in a high school that has an NHS chapter will be members, so it is advisable to suggest advanced planning for NHS to your son or daughter. (Incidentally, National Honor Society is not to be confused with National Society of High School Scholars.)
3. The Other National Honor Societies. The Cum Laude Society honors scholastic achievement at the high school level similar to the Phi Beta Kappa Society, which honors scholastic achievements at the university level. Each local high school chapter may elect up to 20% of the members of the senior class, half at the end of junior year or at any time during senior year and the remainder at the end of senior year. Unfortunately, some members will not be elected in time to register the honor on college applications.
Subject-specific honor societies include: Spanish (Sociedad Honoraria Hispánica), French (Société Honoraire de Français), German (Delta Phi Alpha), Math (Mu Alpha Theta), Science, Art, Music (Tri-M), Speech & Debate, Journalism (Quill & Scroll), and Theater (International Thespian Society).
4. Subject-specific exams. In areas of academic strength, encourage your student to participate in subject-specific exams or competitions; your student contact his or her teacher to find out how to participate, or find out from the official web site of the sponsoring organization. Such exams include (to name a few): National Latin Exam, National French Contest (Le Grand Concours), National Spanish Exam, American Mathematics Competitions, and Science Olympiad.
5. National Merit Scholarship. In October of your student’s junior year, he or she will take the PSAT-NMSQT in school. Your student will have taken the PSAT once before, as a sophomore, and may or may not have prepared for the 10th grade exam sitting. This test date counts, not with the colleges, but for the National Merit Scholarship Program, a United States academic scholarship competition for recognition and university scholarships administered by the non-profit National Merit Scholarship Corporation (NMSC).
Of the 1.5 million NMSP entrants, about 50,000 qualify for recognition. More than two-thirds of qualifiers receive Letters of Commendation (through the high school in September of senior year); a third of the 50,000 become Semifinalists, 94% of whom go on to become Finalists. Over half the Finalists are selected for merit scholarships. I recommend that juniors prepare for the PSAT with a tutor or, at minimum, with a test prep book, so to perform at least well enough to earn a Letter of Commendation.
6. AP Scholar Awards. The College Board recognizes strong performers on its AP (Advanced Placement) exams. Each award-winning student receives a certificate, acknowledged on any AP score report that is sent to colleges after the award has been conferred. Awards are added to students’ online score reports in late August; test-takes are notified by email if they have earned an award, with certificates sent by mail in September. The College Board AP web page lists the criteria for AP Scholar award levels.
For more in-depth information about national and international high school academic competitions, consult Academic Competitions for Gifted Students: A Resource Book for Teachers and Parents 2nd Ed. by Mary K. Tallent-Runnels, Ann C. Candler-Lotven or The Best Competitions for Talented Kids: Win Scholarships, Big Prize Money, and Recognition 2nd Ed. by Frances Karnes, Tracy Riley.
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