These are the things you should keep in mind throughout high school for a strong application
Everywhere you look, you will find people telling you how to get in to college—“It’s easy! Just do what I did!” or “Follow this check list of activities and classes!” Unfortunately, these are the worst things you could do. Both help very little. Replicating another student’s classes and resume will only result in a student clone that has no passion, interests, inclinations, or drive of their own.
Instead, the only formula worth following (and that colleges are evaluating) are what we will call the college application trifecta—your intellectual drive, your extracurricular success, and your personal character. The operative word here being ‘your.’
Intellectual Drive
There is a big difference between learning for the sake of learning and learning for the sake of moving ahead in life. If we are being honest, many do want to move ahead, but it is a red flag to top institutions if you lack a love of learning. College is the time to advance your intellect, they want to admit students that will push the envelope and embrace challenge. These are the students who wind up changing the world in research or novels or policy.
It isn’t hard to demonstrate your intellectual drive, but you do have to start early. A big window into this aspect of your application is your teacher recommendations. Your teachers will write about you moving class discussions forward through thought provoking comments and questions, or how you challenge yourself by choosing more difficult projects and research that interest you. These teachers can attest to your intellectual curiosity and originality. However, a big eye-roll for colleges are the students who are just out for the grade, so avoid being a grade grubber. Pushing your teachers to give you a better grade will just result in annoyance and tension with the teacher who is meant to be making you shine in a recommendation. If you do receive a poor mark from a teacher you are planning to ask, talk to them about what happened and how you can do better next time. This shows initiative, care, and desire to improve.
Another way to demonstrate your intellectual drive is through the interview in how you talk about your classes and intellectual interests. Saying you like science because it comes naturally to you is a big no-no. That demonstrates no curiosity or love of learning. Another red flag is saying you are taking certain classes because others told you to, or an older sibling did so you followed suit. This shows no initiative, in this scenario you look more sheep than leader. Rather, it reflects better to talk about specifically draws you to certain subjects, how you are excited to take the next step in your learning, and how you continuously look for ways to challenge yourself.
For those following a research route, it’d certainly be a flag to say you fell into it, or the project isn’t really interesting to you. Or worse, you just did a project that your teacher set you up with. Sell the school, the interviewer, the world, that you are pursuing something important and something that matters!
Extracurricular Success
Gone are the days where students can check boxes off a list—National Honor Society, check! Volunteering, obviously done! Sports, bingo! What colleges are looking for now are depth and passion. As a student, you need to reflect on the things that are important to you, what value you place on them, and how they should play into your life. Your application will go much further if you are doing extracurriculars because they mean something to you, rather than trying to fill your resume. You will be far more likely to be dedicated and evolve into a leader in activities that spark joy. You’ll actively want to spend your time developing your skills, building the club, taking initiative, and displaying leadership. This will all come out in your application (especially your interview)—a student that hates music will not spend hours every week making new reeds, or talk about how much he has learned from something so minuscule (and let’s face it, it may be potentially boring or tedious to other students). The more you love something, the more likely you are to succeed. That’s a one two punch for college admissions—passion and success.
To be clear, there are many ways to express growth and passion, but typical extracurriculars are not the only ways to do this. Showing dedication at a job you work part time demonstrates maturity, responsibility, and humility. Bonus points for recognition or promotions. Alternatively, if there is a job peripherally related to a passion of yours it would be a great way to demonstrate that passion and initiative. For example, an animal love could volunteer or work at the local animal shelter or veterinarian office.
Personal Character
This aspect of your triangle is the most difficult to convey, but obviously still important. It is hardest for colleges to see on your application, except in interviews and teacher recommendations—this means you can’t fake it.
After ten years of interviewing for an Ivy League school, character is always the biggest takeaway from the conversation. This dives into your motivations, who you are at your core, what kind of roommate you would be and who you would be on campus.
Some positive attributes to strive for are maturity, care for others, humility, passion, perseverance, reflection, self-awareness, initiation, leadership.
Negative attributes that will taint both your interview and application are selfishness or self-centeredness, interruption, overly competitive, immaturity, condescension, lack of drive or vision, follower.
The essay is a great place to show your character. And we do mean that. Show, don’t tell. Write about a moment in your life that exhibits your great qualities without trying to do a macro, over-arching story on your accolades. A micro story that brings us in to your daily life, your minute thoughts, or a quirky anecdote about your relationship with family, sibling, teacher, friend, etc gives much more color than over explaining yourself and your passions. Get deep, get personal, and show the school who you really are.
Your Trifecta
Now that you’ve identified what you bring to the table in each of these categories, you’re much more prepared for college applications and essays. This serves as your foundation for which to frame your essays, your activities and priorities, even the schools you apply to.
Your personal triangle doesn’t have to be equilateral. But if your academics are a little weaker, your extracurriculars should be spectacular and your personal qualities should be second to none. Think national or international board for the Red Cross, nationally recognized athlete, etc. If you are looking for more guidance in this deep dive, or how to translate it into a stand out application, schedule your free consultation with OCC today.
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