How to Ace Your College Admissions Application

So you’ve got all of your credentials in place: grades, test scores, life experiences, and more. Now you need to figure out how to put all of that together in a way that will cause your college admissions application to standout in the eyes of the colleges of your dreams. To do so, follow these five tips:

1. Don’t limit yourself to completing the standard application form. If you have more information to communicate than the application form allows for, then attach that additional information. Feel free to submit an extra essay, extra recommendation, or a note about a special circumstance.
2. Pick an unusual essay topic. Rather than writing about your room, focus on something that really reflects upon who you are as a person. What are your academic strengths and accomplishments? Give examples. Prove, don’t just say, that you are a scholar.
3. Highlight your leadership skills. Did you head up a youth group or design and implement any special projects for a volunteer organization? Did you have any leadership roles, even for a few hours, at a summer job?
4. Send extra materials if your talents justify it. Are you a talented musician? Send a CD of your music to the admissions office and to the music department. Are you a great photographer? Put together a portfolio and submit a copy to the admissions office and to the photography department.