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Are you applying to college in the US and need to use the Common App portal? If so, you may have noticed the "Honors" section of the Common App and might be wondering what to fill in. This guide is here to provide you with an explanation of what qualifies as honors in the Common App, as well as give you some tips on how to effectively fill out this section to ensure you have a compelling application.
Common App: What Qualifies as Honors?
Overview and General Guidelines
Overview: The "Honors" section of the Common App is a space for students to list up to 5 awards or honors they have received. Students can list honors from a variety of fields such as academic accomplishments, leadership, extracurriculars, etc. You will be asked to fill in the name of the honor, grade(s) in which you received it, and the level of the honor (local, state, national level).
Choosing and listing honors: In general, you should try to list honors and awards that represent your achievements and align with your intended field of study at college. This shows admissions officers that you are passionate about your field of study and have taken a significant amount of initiative in high school or in your community that led to you getting an honor/award. You should also highlight honors that showcase leadership skills, creativity, and critical thinking as these skills are commonly required at college and will be impressive to show admissions officers.
Formatting honors on the Common App: Note that there is a 100-character limit for describing each honor so be mindful of this limit when you are completing this section. Fill in the name of each honor (eg: National XYZ Award Recipient), along with the grade in which you received this honor. If you received it in multiple school years, include all the grades in which you received this honor.
What Counts as Honors
Academic honors: These could include making the Honor Roll at your high school, or even making the Dean's List if you are taking any college-level courses for credit. You could also include Class Rank honors (for being in the top % of students in a class/graduating year), AP scholar awards, or National Merit Recognition (for top standardized test scores).
Subject-specific awards: You can list any awards you received for excelling in a certain subject at school (eg: highest mark in math in a grade), Math/Science Olympiads, Science Fairs, Spelling Bees, Writing/Poetry Competitions, etc. You should highlight honors based on your intended major of study at college. For example, if you are applying to engineering, a Math Olympiad award is going to look much better than a Spelling Bee award.
Leadership/community service awards: You can include awards received for exemplary leadership skills or community service. These could include volunteering at local animal shelters, homeless soup kitchens, environmental cleanups, Boy Scouts/Girl Scouts, National Honor Society, student government, etc.
Other awards: These can include awards for music, sports, public speaking, Model UN participation, etc. In general, you should be talking about these activities in the "Activities List" section. Include these in your "Honors" section only if you have received a significant award at the regional or national level.
We hope this guide has provided you with an in-depth view of what qualifies as honors for the Common App. Good luck with your college applications!
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