From the perspective of students and parents, participating in competitions is, of course, to enhance competitiveness for their college applications. The higher the prestige of the competition, the more it can boost your application.
Typical examples include various Olympiads, the AMC (American Mathematics Competitions), robotics competitions, coding competitions, and so on. Some well-known competitions include the Science Bowl, Regeneron Science Talent Search, ISEF (Regeneron International Science & Engineering Fair), and the International Biology Olympiad (IBO). The most familiar business competitions for everyone may include various business contests. Some well-known ones include the Conrad Challenge and the Wharton Global High School Investment Competition.
There are writing competitions as well, such as the New York Times, and John Lock essay competition.
For the humanities competitions, probably the most famous one is the Model United Nations.
The reasons why competitions are popular as follows:
It's straightforward and easier to navigate: if I want to study CS, I go with computer related competitions. All I need to do is practice with test questions and advancing step by step. In contrast, independent research projects may leave students feeling lost about where to begin.
Tangible results: Competitions provide clear outcomes, which are easily understandable compared to activities like research projects or summer programs, where the impact may be less tangible. Students and parents assume that competitions are more objective, making them more appealing to admissions officers. Competitions also simplify their work when write application essays.
However, if it’s accurate?
I think it might be true that students find competitions easier to start with since everything was set by the organization. Students don’t have to come up with a tangible plan. However, the second point, which is that admissions officers are more likely to accept this, is not a fact. For admissions officers, there is no distinction between good and bad activities; what matters is that your activities reflect your application theme, your activities are reasonable, logical, and coherent. Conversely, if you have engaged in a bunch of activities but admissions officers don’t know why you did them or what passion and achievements you have, then those activities are not successful.
When admission officers review competitions, they categorize them into four tiers. The tier one, the highest, includes national/international sports competitions, national/international music competitions, and national/international science competitions such as IBO and USAMO. The tier two includes awards or positions that demonstrate leadership, such as being the president of Model UN or debate teams.
There are a couple of main reasons why participating in competitions is difficult. Firstly, the top-tier competition winners, whom top universities favor, are mostly recipients of the tier one and tier two awards. Only a few individuals can meet such standards, so statistically, competing in these events should not be mainstream.
Secondly, it's also a matter of probability. Think about how many students do Ivy League schools admit each year? However, how many students participate in competitions? If 70% of your peers are doing the same thing, you can rest assured that most people are just part of the denominator.
Thirdly, participating in competitions requires a significant time investment. You have to climb up the ladder step by step, which requires early planning and practice. Compared to other types of activities, competition is not an efficient choice.
Of course, I'm not here to discourage anyone. I just want to emphasize the importance of tailoring our approach to each individual. Every student is different. And competition is not for everyone. We have students who are suitable for competitions, and we encourage them to participate. For those who don't enjoy or excel in competitions, then they should do things they like or they are good at.
Competitions are just one of many options for background enhancement
Here, I want to broaden your horizons and introduce other alternatives besides competitions. For example, in mathematics and natural sciences, students can engage in summer schools, research projects, tutoring others, joining clubs, conducting independent studies, and internships. Whatever you choose to do, it should reflect your application theme, be logical and reasonable, and strike a balance between the depth and breadth of activities. If you choose to pursue the competition route, participating in tier one and tier two competitions will be most beneficial to your application.
Finally, here are a few recommendations for tier one and tier two competitions for your reference.
Business/Economics
Conrad Challenge
Blue Ocean High School Entrepreneur Pitch Competition
Wharton Global High School Investment Competition
GENIUS Olympiad Business
Yale DHSRI High School Investment Competition
STEM
Regeneron International Science & Engineering Fair
Regeneron Science Talent Search
International Physics Olympiad (IPhO)
FIRST Robotics Competition (FRC)
International Biology Olympiad (IBO)
Writing
New York Times Essay competition
Social Science
Model UN