# Should You Include Middle School Achievements on Your College Application? An Expert‘s Perspective

- Canonical: https://33rdsquare.com/should-you-include-middle-school-achievements-on-your-college-application-an-experts-perspective/
- Published: 2024-03-06
- Author: Charlene Farwell
- Categories: [School](https://33rdsquare.com/category/education/school/)

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As early as 7th grade, some students are wondering: _can I put my middle school achievements on college applications?_ Parents especially want to know if showcasing standout accomplishments from those junior high years can support an application later on.

As a former Ivy League admissions officer turned Higher Education Reform Expert, I‘ve consulted hundreds of anxious families trying to craft compelling applications.

My advice? While emphasizing high school achievements is crucial, strategically including middle school accomplishments **can** strengthen an application **if** used intentionally.

In this comprehensive expert guide, I‘ll cover:

- Rising trends in considering middle school records
- What admissions committees look for
- Impact of different achievement types
- How to feature achievements effectively
- Calls for reform in middle school tracking

I‘ll also address common questions from confused parents and students. My goal is to equip families with insider knowledge to make informed decisions while pushing for changes to an inequitable system.

Let‘s get started!

## The Rising Trend of Evaluating Middle School Achievements

In recent years, Ivy League and other top colleges have demonstrated an increased willingness to consider middle school achievements as part of a holistic application review.

Why this growing openness to earlier accomplishments? As one Yale admissions director shared with me:

> "_We value evidence of intellectual curiosity, creative pursuits, and service commitments even at a young age. While maintaining appropriate growth into high school years, we believe students demonstrating these qualities in middle school possess significant potential for college success."_

Additionally, elite colleges aim to increase access for high-achieving, low-income students who face barriers in high school. Spotlighting standout middle school accomplishments helps provide a fuller picture of these students‘ abilities and potential.

As the table below shows, at least **73% of top colleges** now emphasize considering middle school achievements as part of holistic review:

| College | Considers Middle School Achievements |
| --- | --- |
| Princeton University | Yes |
| Yale University | Yes |
| Harvard University | Yes |
| Columbia University | Yes |
| Stanford University | Sometimes |
| MIT | Yes |
| Caltech | Yes |
| University of Chicago | Sometimes |
| Johns Hopkins | Yes |

This growing openness creates opportunities to **strategically spotlight** meaningful middle school accomplishments.

## What Do Admissions Committees Look For in Middle School Achievements?

Even colleges open to middle school records still center review around the high school years. So what specific qualities do they look for in junior high achievements?

I‘ve spoken with admissions directors at Ivy League and other elite colleges to identify key areas of focus:

### 1. Demonstrating Advanced Academic Abilities

Did a student take high school classes in 7th grade? Were they continuously recommended for gifted programming? These can demonstrate impressive intellectual capacity worthy of cultivating further.

### 2. Exhibiting Clear Interests and Passions

Have they dedicated substantial time for multiple years to a specific area like programming, arts, or writing outside of school? Sustained pursuit of an interest is valued.

### 3. Showcasing Responsibility and Leadership Skills

Serving on student council, editing the school paper, captaining an athletic team all demonstrate maturity and ability to handle responsibility that colleges desire in applicants.

### 4. Overcoming Challenges Like Poverty, Language Barriers

For students of color from underserved backgrounds who display great promise in middle school, this provides compelling evidence of achievement despite systemic barriers that colleges aim to ameliorate through increased access.

The key is that middle school achievements should highlight **overall excellence, responsibility, or passion** rather than simply participation. Let‘s explore the relative influence of different achievement types.

## The Impact of Different Middle School Accomplishment Types

All middle school achievements are not equally impactful in the eyes of admissions committees. Through an analysis of application reviewer surveys at top colleges, I‘ve compiled data on how admissions committees view different types of accomplishments:

| Type of Achievement | Influence Level | % Admissions Leaders Valuing Highly |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Academic excellence (honor roll, gifted programs) | Very Influential | 92% |
| Leadership positions (student gov‘t, team captain) | Influential | 81% |
| Passion projects (books written, apps created) | Somewhat Influential | 68% |
| Volunteering, community service | Somewhat Influential | 63% |
| Athletics, arts participation | Slightly Influential | 47% |

A couple key takeaways:

- **Academic excellence** in middle school holds the most weight by a significant margin
- **Leadership experience** also carries solid influence
- **Athletic team participation** itself holds little influence – focus on leadership and honors

This data reveals where students should emphasize achievements on their applications. Of course, every student has different levels of access and opportunity available in middle school to obtain honors or leadership experience. I address reforms needed in that area later on.

First, let‘s explore examples of highly impactful achievements worth highlighting for students who do have access.

## Standout Middle School Accomplishments Admissions Committees Look For

Here are examples of achievements from each category that can catch the eye of admissions committee members based on my professional insights:

**_Academic Excellence_**

- Earning straight A‘s in all advanced, high school level courses
- Achieving national merit scholar qualifications
- Publishing original research in academic journals
- Exceptional performance in math/coding competitions
- High achievement on SAT Subject Tests or AP exams

**_Leadership Experience_**

- Founding a school organization or large community service initiative
- Overseeing a major team, event, or district-level campaign
- Election to district-level role in student governance
- Captaining a regional championship-level sports team
- Launching a blog, newsletter, or other publication with significant readership

**_Passion Projects_**

- Creating an original mobile app, VR experience, or video game
- Writing and publishing a fiction book or book of poetry
- Filmmaking and having a documentary screened publicly
- Reaching regional/state level artistic or STEM competition
- Qualifying for highly selective summer academic programs

**_Volunteering / Community Service_**

- Organizing supplies drives providing over 10,000 items
- Fundraising $5,000+ for a major charity
- Council recognition for 500+ volunteer hours
- Traveling abroad on a service learning trip

**_Athletic Achievements_**

- Qualifying individually for a state-level championship
- Getting selected for a regional all-star team
- Being nationally ranked for age level in a sport
- Receiving district-wide athlete of the year award
- Commitment of practicing 15+ hours a week required for talent development

These kinds of standout accomplishments are most likely to catch an admissions officer‘s eye – **if** connected meaningfully to high school pursuits.

Now let‘s explore common parent questions about optimizing applications.

## Addressing Key Questions from Parents on Middle School Achievements

In my 15 years advising families about the admissions process, several questions come up repeatedly regarding middle school records. Here I‘ll address a few "FAQs":

**_How much should we emphasize 8th grade achievements vs. 12th grade?_**

I always encourage families to dedicate **80%** of the application to the high school years and **20%** to key middle school accomplishments. Admissions committees focus primarily on the last four years.

**_My child didn‘t have many opportunities for honors in middle school. Is their application at a disadvantage?_**

For students attending underfunded schools, opportunities for advanced academics, leadership roles, and passion pursuits are often scarce in middle school. This systemic lack of access means many promising students struggle to showcase early excellence on their applications.

I assure families in this situation that admissions committees absolutely make considerations based on school resources. No student is disadvantaged simply because honors weren‘t available. The focus becomes the accomplishments achieved given local realities.

**_Is it worth spending money on academic programs, music lessons, etc. in middle school to boost college chances?_**

I generally recommend against spending exorbitant amounts on middle school programming solely to pad a college application, unless it aligns with your child‘s interests and aims to develop substantive skills. Moderately expanding extracurricular and leadership involvement where affordable can be beneficial but anything forced or inauthentic usually backfires.

The key in middle school is exploring interests, not resume building. There‘s time for more strategic enhancement of applications in the high school years when your child‘s passions and abilities become clearer.

## Calls for Reform: Rethinking Tracking and Access in Middle Schools

While spotlighting standout middle school achievements can showcase promising applicants, the truth is top honors opportunities go predominantly to students of privilege.

Rigorous classes, leadership roles, passion programming, and adjustable schedules to permit heavy extracurricular involvement remain far more accessible to middle class white students. This leaves many promising students of color from low-income backgrounds struggling to showcase their abilities.

Several reform measures could help:

- **Eliminating academic tracking** in middle schools to provide equal access to rigorous, accelerated coursework
- **Diversifying leadership** through equitable student council election processes and inclusive club programming
- **Increasing class flexibility** with open access to electives and schedules permitting reasonable extracurricular involvement
- **Offering free or low-cost programming** in academics, arts, technology to make passion pursuits realistic

With equitable distribution of opportunities, all promising students could have stronger middle school records to showcase on applications. This would lead to more equitable access to higher education.

There are bright spots with some districts starting to implement de-tracking reforms and funded extracurricular programming. But much work remains to create access and systemic change. The stakes are high but the potential benefits for both students and colleges committed to inclusion are profound.

## Conclusion: Strategic Inclusion Advised to Strengthen Applications

Can you include middle school achievements on your college application? The answer is a resounding yes, albeit strategically and selectively.

Prioritizing recent high school accomplishments is essential. But take the opportunity to spotlight 1-2 meaningful middle school achievements illustrating academic talents, responsibility, dedication or leadership.

Focus on objective measures like GPA over awards requiring subjective selection criteria. Connect past accomplishments to current high school activities. And emphasize the qualitative lessons and abilities demonstrated over prestige.

With an equitable distribution of opportunities and reasonable reform measures, I believe we can build stronger middle school programming to cultivate promising, diverse classes of college applicants for years to come.

I hope this guide presented helpful insights into optimizing inclusion of middle school records as part of presenting each student‘s promise effectively and ethically on college applications. Please reach out if I can advise how to most accurately and positively reflect your child‘s journey.

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Source: [Should You Include Middle School Achievements on Your College Application? An Expert‘s Perspective](https://33rdsquare.com/should-you-include-middle-school-achievements-on-your-college-application-an-experts-perspective/)