Discus Awards

Ronne Turner is the Associate Vice President of Enrollment & Dean of Admissions and Marketing at Northeastern University in Boston, Massachusetts.  She also authors the blog Northeastern Admissions: An Inside Look. 

There are many false ideas about what colleges and universities value in the decision process, from high school quotas to overloading on extracurricular activities. At Northeastern University, our primary goal in admissions is to seek out and build a talented and diverse student body that is best suited to take advantage of a Northeastern education. The key to Northeastern’s strength is experiential learning, or the dynamic integration of classroom study and work outside the classroom. With one hundred years of global leadership in the integration of study and practice, Northeastern offers an unparalled method of education that leads to infinite personal and intellectual growth.

Since experiential learning is at the heart of everything we do, we look for students that are engaged and successful in and outside of the classroom. Our admissions counselors seek students who don’t just see the world, they are shaping it – whether it be through involvement within the community, engaging in social justice activities in high school, or participating in international experiences that engages the diverse cultures and world beyond your doorstep.

You can start by getting involved in a couple of activities that interest you. We want you to enjoy high school and take advantage of the opportunities to explore, learn and experience new academic subjects, activities and friendships. Most college admissions officers are more impressed with students who have pursued coursework and activities based on genuine interest over those students who are simply motivated by what they think will look good on their college applications. Spend your high schools years clarifying your goals and values; working hard to earn the grades that will place you in the best position to achieve your dreams; and developing the interpersonal and leadership skills consistent with your aspirations.  ...continue reading

Filed under: Dean Turner • College Prep • Outside the Classroom • The Extracurricular Experience • College Admissions

I want to introduce you to a new award for video game players created by Boy Scouts of America. Scouts can now be awarded a belt loop and academics pin for playing video games. This brings a whole new point to the popular argument that video games can be educational, it also means that video games are becoming more mainstream.

Available to the Tiger Clubs, Cub Scouts, and Webelos Scouts, each scout must meet specific requirements to earn the award. To win the belt loop, there are three requirements that must be met. One of the requirements is that the scout has to learn how to play a new video game. Imagine not having to do chores because your parents knew you had to play video games all day for an award.

To earn the academics pin, they must have obtained the belt loop and meet five of nine additional requirements. Some of these requirements are quite fun. For example, in one requirement they have to teach an adult or friend how to play a video game. You can tell your grandparents to set aside their backgammon board game because it is time for a lesson in video games!

For more details of the requirements go to their video games award page. It is always exciting to see awards that recognize students for skills beyond good grades and test scores similar to the Discus Awards.

Filed under: Johnny 5 • College Prep • Outside the Classroom • The Extracurricular Experience

Key Club International is the largest and oldest service program for high school students in the world. The Key Club provides opportunities for you to not only volunteer for various community service projects, but also to take leadership roles and even develop new service projects of your own. “As president of the Key Club I oversee 80 members and their involvement in the community,” writes Andrew, a Discus Awards winner and a senior in a Washington high school. “I have organized food drives, Red Cross Blood Drives, and various donation projects for the March of Dimes and Diabetes Association.”

Many Discus Awards winners have demonstrated their commitment to community service by getting involved with Key Club. Oklahoma senior Casey Holden wrote, “Key Club is my favorite organization with which I am involved…It has given me the opportunity to head many service projects such as the collection of sports equipment to send to Rwanda and the planting of trees in our local parks.” Through Key Club, Vermont junior Adrienne has “made dolls for children in Africa…and planned bake sales to raise money for the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation and the Haiti crisis.”

With a Key Club in more than 5,000 high schools across 30 countries, and an easy process to charter a club at high schools without one, the Key Club is a fun, easy, and wonderful way to enhance your application while making a difference in people’s lives.

Have you volunteered through your Key Club? What have you done?  Share your experiences in the comments section!

Filed under: Discus Dan • Outside the Classroom • The Extracurricular Experience • Volunteer Here