What Counts as Academic Honors in High School?

Hi folks! I'm currently working on my college applications and am wondering what kinds of accomplishments count as 'academic honors' in high school. Can you help me out? What types of achievements should I include here? Thanks!

Hi there! Academic honors are achievements that demonstrate your academic success and progress throughout high school. These honors can come from various sources, such as your school, local, regional, or even national/international organizations. Here's a list of some examples of academic honors that you can include:

1. Honor roll or Principal's List: If you consistently maintained a high GPA, resulting in being on the honor roll, it's worth mentioning.

2. National Merit Scholarship Program: If you were a National Merit Semifinalist, Finalist, or received a scholarship, this shows strong academic achievement.

3. Advanced Placement (AP) Scholar Awards: These include AP Scholar, AP Scholar with Honor, and AP Scholar with Distinction, based on the number of AP exams you've taken and the scores you received.

4. Department-specific awards: If your school awards students for being the best in specific subjects like math, science, or language arts, don't forget to list these.

5. State or regional academic competitions: If you participated and won or placed highly in events like the state science fair, MathCounts, or Academic Decathlon, include these honors.

6. Membership in honor societies: If you are a member of a selective honor society like the National Honor Society or a subject-specific one like the Spanish Honor Society, add this to your application.

7. International or national-level competitions and awards: This includes honors like the USA Math Olympiad, the Intel International Science and Engineering Fair, or Scholastic Art & Writing Awards.

When filling out the academic honors section of your college application, focus on the most significant and relevant achievements to showcase your academic prowess. Remember to list these in order of importance or prestige, and provide a brief explanation if the honor is not widely known.