Why Pick Me? How to Stand Out in a Sea of Qualified Applicants

This is a fair question, and it deserves an insightful answer. The truth is, there are thousands of students applying to top schools each year. Many of these applicants have impressive transcripts and extracurricular achievements to offer. However, since there are only so many seats available in any given incoming class, colleges are forced to reject a vast majority of them. What differentiates those that get in from those that do not? More importantly, what can you do now to maximize your chances of ending up in the admitted group when you apply? Let’s take a look.

Students are not evaluated in a vacuum

Student A and Student B might have identical GPAs, but colleges look at more than just the numbers. First, they evaluate the “quality” of your high school’s curriculum as well as the difficulty of your particular course load. While this is not an exact science, for varying reasons, colleges often prefer students from certain high schools, especially those that have yielded exceptional students in the past. However, whether you go to one of these highly-regarded high schools or not, you can put your best foot forward by taking the most rigorous course that your high school offers. Excelling in these difficult courses is not only evidence of your academic prowess, it also shows your willingness to challenge yourself and to overcome difficult obstacles. You do NOT have to graduate from a prestigious high school to get into a top college, but you clearly must excel in the highest-level courses available to you to maximize your chances. So, in short, choose your courses wisely and do not be afraid push yourself to your academic limits.

Extracurriculars are important

We don’t want to sound like a broken record because you have heard this before, but it is worth reiterating it. Your extracurriculars can definitely help you differentiate yourself, and colleges expect students to have a broad array of extracurricular endeavors and achievements as a matter of course. Our best advice in this area is to try to find extracurricular activities that you truly enjoy, not just to pad your resume. The more you like something, the more likely you are to stick with it and work hard at it to achieve success.

Your essay is your greatest tiebreaker

Hang around Admissions Gurus long enough and you will hear this over and over again. Sometimes in life, there are actual ties! It happens in sports every day, and it can happen in any competitive environment. The college application process is no different. There are many instances where colleges will find students “equal” on paper. If there are two such “equal” students vying for one seat, your personal statement is without question your best chance to tip the scales in your favor. The beauty of this opportunity is that it is completely within your control, unlike the high school you attend or the courses that it offers. Seize the opportunity to write a compelling essay that focusses on what you plan on bringing to the table when you get to college. Even though most of your essay will be written in the past tense, colleges are most interested in learning how these past experiences made you who you are today, and as a result, how you can be a valuable addition to their campus community.