What would count for academic achievements?

Question

What would count for academic achievements for entry into a university that requires some sort of evidence of academic achievements?

Does anyone have any ideas? Not only awards, but anything else? Besides GPA, etc, what else?

Answer 1

Being accepted into any honorary society, such as NHS, is indeed an accomplishment. Also, science fair activities, exceptional SAT or PSAT scores, deans list, valedictorian, awards and academic-based scholarships, math competitions, debate team awards, foreign language awards or competitions.

Answer 2

Memberships in honor societies, selection into exclusive activities (such as getting into CTY - Center for Talented Youth), awards or recognition for being the best in a particular subject matter (at your school, or in a broader arena), National Merit Scholarship winner or runner-up, etc., participation (especially if you did well) in Academic Decathlon, etc.

Answer 3

** This is a little long answer, but i have it from experience. I only wish someone told me this when i was applyin, i just graduated from high school, so everything is accurate. sorry for the length

it can get a little bit tricky when applying for a university (assuming ur doing that). If ur goal is to get in to a university whether state or private (ive or regular) u have many things to consider that will establish a base for ur application to be considered superior than the others. I write the credentials i can think for along the lines for Universities like Duke or Columbia, that way u can do watever u like whether lessen or increase.
1) Universities require academic requirements more than anything. They include a) courses taken
b)level of course taken( honors or adv or ap
c) standardized test score achieved in the course if available (mostly APs and SAT sub tests)

-A well rounded student would take 4 yrs of eng (honors 9th & 10th, AP 11 & 12); 4 yrs of math( start probably with geo & end with at least AP calc AB if not BC); 4 yrs of science (all honors bio, chem, phy and then respective APs in them) ; 4 yrs of social studies ( honors and AP wherever possible);
-now to set u apart- it is always good to end a line of courses u have taken from 9th grade with a AP class or college credited class to give a clean finish, to show that u have gone as much as possible with the best AP score possible. so i would take 4 yrs of a foriegn language and the AP class to cap it off.
*careful, this is recommended, but lets say ur a math person and r terrible in eng, dont take the all APs, take honors work hard and get a good grade
-now there might be other courses in which ap classes r offered besides the cores. So now ur interest take place. But the best way is to combine ur core class requirements along with ur interests. For ex. anatomy & physiology and psychology were courses i liked. so similarly with u.
- Now u must keep the best gpa possible. there is a little loophole here. it depends how ur gpa is calculated. for ex. in NC, gpa is letter based. there is range of points like 93-100 is an A so depending on the level of class, if u have an A and its a honors class, u will get 5 points. Then u tally the points and etc. But in places like NY, the gpa is done numerically like they take ur actual grade u achieved after all marking periods and exams. then the add with other courses and tally up the pionts. The difference is if u have a NC type calculation, all u have to get is a 95 b/c no matter wat u do, u will get an A. so what matters there is the number of honors or ap courses u took, becasue the more u take the higher ur gpa is. But in NY type gpa calculations u have to get the best grade possible not as many classes. So this is relative. So i suggest depending on either system, take a gpa booster class,( an easy class here and there to keep the 100 for the NY system and then more easy classes with A's for the NC system).

-now for the standardized tests, which ur interests r based on whether sciences or history take the respective honors classes, then the ap classes to cap it off. But if ur going to the ivies, then u will have to take sub tests, which r very hard. so to make it easier for u, the subs which u have taken ap courses take sub tests in them with some additional studying. no SAT tutor can beat old fashioned yearly class with hwk and work grilled in to u for a yr. I suggest gettin a tutuor for the SAT or ACT, whichever u like, see reviews.

2) Now extra currucular activites- scicence research INTEL westinghouse, talents in music art etc( bring it out, if ur a good violinist or violist, make u sure ur talent is out in the open), athletics if it aplies to u, volunteer hours in respective places. Now there r many programmes in certain schools. In my school in NC there was a allied science health care programme where future health care pros would go for 3 hr a day and shadow real docs and take blood and a whole lotta cool stuff. search ur school for programmes and the community too.
3) letter of recommendation, depending on wat u did in the 1st bullet, these will follow w/out any prob.

Universities want to see academic excellence as primary. Otherwise u have to be a specialist in watever u do, like read, write and speak 5 different languages, or a very gifted musician or exceptional athlete. Or be a very studious well rounded academic with ability to balance everything. A job, classes, vacations with experience etc

Good luck.

Answer 4

Funny I was stuck on this same part of my application. Well on my application i put National Honor Society and Math Honor Society bc i am in both of thoes. But i assumed that they ment that any award that u have recieved for acedemics durring ur high school visit.

Answer 5

Perhaps making the Dean's list, the honor roll, or winning academic contests.