User
anonymous5
Honors on Common app

Is this referring to your top 5 academic honors only? Or does honors encompass community service awards, music competition wins etc.
Cheers.

3 Replies

User
m.hardy

Hi @anonymous5

Regarding your query, it sounds like you may be getting confused between about which awards you should list in the Honors section and which ones you should list in the Activities section since you are asked to list awards won under those activities as well. In general, you should list an honor or award in the Activities section if it can be directly tied to a specific activity mentioned.

For instance, if you receive a varsity letter for basketball, you should list it under your basketball entry in the Activities section. Similarly, if you place first in a Mathletes competition in which you participate as part of Mathletes club, you should list that under your Mathletes entry in Activities.

However, if you receive an honor that isn’t tied to a particular extracurricular activity, or is associated with a class, this type of award should be included in the Honors section. That includes scholarships and contests that aren’t awarded within the context of an extracurricular activity. For example, if you win a statewide essay contest for a piece you wrote for your English class or on your own, you should list that award there.

Buuuut if you are having trouble filling all five slots in the Honors section feel free to break the rule and list an award you received through an extracurricular as an honor instead.

I hope this helps!

User
anonymous5

Sweet thank you that makes sense!
Just to confirm though, if someone was to win an NZ Youth Award or a Nobel Peace Prize (an example!), would they put it under Honors or Activities? Because they’re more about general community service and although they may tie into several different extracurricular activities, it doesn’t really fit under a specific ‘activity’?

User
m.hardy

If you have a very prestigous award that isn’t tied exactly to one particular extracurricular I would list it in the Honors section. Just because if it is exrra signifcant you want to make sure it is highlighted.

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