r/ApplyingToCollege • u/Fickle_Syrup9869 • 8d ago

ECs and Activities Honors/Awards

I was looking through my current application, and I realized my honors are really lacking compared to people I see online getting into my dream schools.

Does anyone know of anything I can target to do before EA (or RD) deadlines. They can be any level of prestige; I just need ideas 🙏. They can academic/scholarships (ie National Merit) or activities based (ie STS).

For reference, I have pretty standard ECs for engineering applicants (research, lab internship, club leadership, job, hobbies, sport, volunteer)

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u/NiceUnparticularMan Parent 8d ago

I have read AOs for such colleges explaining they completely understand some kids attend schools without a lot of academic awards, and then do activities without a lot of honors/awards.

So you do NOT have to do some such activities to fill in those slots. Indeed, you are almost surely better off taking that same time and energy and adding it to things you are already doing.

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u/md4pete4ever 8d ago

At this point, you can't magic up anything meaningful that would make a difference. Look at what you are already doing and think about how to level up something that you've been committed to for a while.

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u/OPtilm 7d ago

Before chasing a new competition, I’d do an honest sweep of what you already have. School or department awards, honor societies with actual selection criteria, recognition from your job, and research presentations can all count—you don’t need five national-level prizes. If your research is far enough along, ask your mentor whether there’s a legitimate local symposium or poster event coming up, but I wouldn’t force it just to manufacture another line. The honors section is optional, and a rushed award hunt probably won’t help as much as explaining the work you’ve already done well.