Are silver/bronze medals worth mentioning on college apps?Answered
Hello,
I'm a sophomore who recently moved across the coast. In my old school, the French department would compete in a national French competition. I competed last year and got a gold medal (1 pt away from Platinum). However, in my new school, the department did not conduct this competition. I talked to the teachers and they were nice enough to enroll me in the competition, but I had to self-study, and I was the only one taking it in the whole school. Unfortunately, this time I was 1 pt away from gold and got a silver instead. In the future, these tests are probably going to get harder and there's a possibility I might get silver/bronze medals. My question is, is it worth taking these tests/mentioning them to potential future colleges? Silver still seems okay but I'm not sure if bronze will make a positive difference. Some insight would be appreciated!
Thank you!!
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1 answer
Hello @deys_ly! Congratulations on your awards! Colleges love to see you participate in competitions and receive awards for your efforts! I see no reason not to include this on your college application. By including this, it shows persistence and hard work. Even if you lost the competition, it is great to include as you can explain the content you learned and how you are able to use it. Also, if you are able to learn a Silver, Gold or Platinum medal in the future, it shows you improved greatly from before! Even if you got a Gold medal last year, it would only improve your standings if you mentioned all the medals you receive, even Bronze.
TLDR; Yes! Mention it, it will make a difference!
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Thank you!! Yes, I thought about the experience aspect but I wasn't sure if colleges cared as much about learning experience as they did about actual achievements.