I
Standing Out From the Crowd Matters
STEP 1 – MAKE A LIST OF YOUR STANDOUT TRAITS AND ACCOMPLISHMENTS
(Target Date: Summer Before Junior year)
Standing Out From the Crowd Matters
STEP 1 – MAKE A LIST OF YOUR STANDOUT TRAITS AND ACCOMPLISHMENTS
(Target Date: Summer Before Junior year)
Colleges seek to build a class of accomplished students. In order to tip the scale in your favor, you need to stand out from thousands of other applicants. Good grades and scores alone are not enough to get you admitted to selective schools.
A. Make a list of your traits and accomplishments.
Your list should include: sport, club and community service involvement; academic achievements; activities outside of school including hobbies, summer jobs, interesting trips, and college classes. You never know what might catch an admission officer's eye.
Keep in mind that colleges will likely compare your application to others from your own high school. If you attend a high achieving high school with many impressive students applying to the same colleges, you will need even greater attributes to stand out amongst your classmates.
B. Underline all extra traits/accomplishments that help you stand out even better.
Underline all of your extra traits/accomplishments, which include any unique talents/traits, leadership positions, sustained interest in activities, legacy and diversity.
1. Unique Talents/Traits
Unique talents and traits make you stand out from the crowd. If you are a juggler who performs in a traveling summer circus, or a person who can solve the Rubik's cube while blindfolded, these things could help make you memorable to admissions officers. Other traits, such as a “first-generation” status (first generation in your family to attend college) or a quirky personality can also help to weigh odds in your favor.
2. Leadership Positions
The better you demonstrate your ability to lead, the better your chances of admission. While anyone can join the Robotics Club, only one person can be the Founder or President of the Robotics Club. If you have not been appointed or elected to any significant positions, do not be afraid to create your own.
Leadership comes in many shapes and forms. For example, if you are too busy helping out at home to join clubs or play sports, you can demonstrate leadership by describing your family responsibilities. Things like baby- sitting your siblings and making dinner for your family on weekday nights count.
3. Sustained Interest
College applications are filled with questions about prospective students' passions. Passions are things that you enjoy so much that you do them every chance you get. Sustained interest in an activity therefore demonstrates your passion for it.
Even better than everyday passions are unique passions. Thousands of applicants are passionate about sports but less are passionate about saving endangered gorillas. The more unique your passion, the more you will stand out.
Make your passion memorable in your applications by pursuing your interest even further than other students. For example, if you love to run, you might organize an annual race to benefit a local charity. If you are an obsessive bargain hunter, you might start a weekly blog about your amazing finds.
4. Legacy
Legacy students are the children or other close relatives of a graduate of the college. Some schools place a lot of importance on legacy while others do not factor it in at all.
5. Diversity
Diversity can come from many areas, including race, nationality, religion, and even place of residence. Whatever differences you possess, put them on your list now so that you don't forget to make them known in your applications.
C. Bold or highlight all extraordinary traits/accomplishments that make you
A. Make a list of your traits and accomplishments.
Your list should include: sport, club and community service involvement; academic achievements; activities outside of school including hobbies, summer jobs, interesting trips, and college classes. You never know what might catch an admission officer's eye.
Keep in mind that colleges will likely compare your application to others from your own high school. If you attend a high achieving high school with many impressive students applying to the same colleges, you will need even greater attributes to stand out amongst your classmates.
B. Underline all extra traits/accomplishments that help you stand out even better.
Underline all of your extra traits/accomplishments, which include any unique talents/traits, leadership positions, sustained interest in activities, legacy and diversity.
1. Unique Talents/Traits
Unique talents and traits make you stand out from the crowd. If you are a juggler who performs in a traveling summer circus, or a person who can solve the Rubik's cube while blindfolded, these things could help make you memorable to admissions officers. Other traits, such as a “first-generation” status (first generation in your family to attend college) or a quirky personality can also help to weigh odds in your favor.
2. Leadership Positions
The better you demonstrate your ability to lead, the better your chances of admission. While anyone can join the Robotics Club, only one person can be the Founder or President of the Robotics Club. If you have not been appointed or elected to any significant positions, do not be afraid to create your own.
Leadership comes in many shapes and forms. For example, if you are too busy helping out at home to join clubs or play sports, you can demonstrate leadership by describing your family responsibilities. Things like baby- sitting your siblings and making dinner for your family on weekday nights count.
3. Sustained Interest
College applications are filled with questions about prospective students' passions. Passions are things that you enjoy so much that you do them every chance you get. Sustained interest in an activity therefore demonstrates your passion for it.
Even better than everyday passions are unique passions. Thousands of applicants are passionate about sports but less are passionate about saving endangered gorillas. The more unique your passion, the more you will stand out.
Make your passion memorable in your applications by pursuing your interest even further than other students. For example, if you love to run, you might organize an annual race to benefit a local charity. If you are an obsessive bargain hunter, you might start a weekly blog about your amazing finds.
4. Legacy
Legacy students are the children or other close relatives of a graduate of the college. Some schools place a lot of importance on legacy while others do not factor it in at all.
5. Diversity
Diversity can come from many areas, including race, nationality, religion, and even place of residence. Whatever differences you possess, put them on your list now so that you don't forget to make them known in your applications.
C. Bold or highlight all extraordinary traits/accomplishments that make you