Curating a strong application and sharing an authentic and compelling personal story with a college or university is essential to the admissions process. Be warned long post to follow…
There is no substitution to hard work and a well-rounded high school experience. Starting in 9th grade, students who have ambitious goals to attend selective universities will need to strive for near academic perfection every year. Additionally, students need to prepare for and achieve high scores on standardized exams. Finally, students need to show engagement in their school through extracurricular activities and in their community through volunteerism and/or work.
Schools are looking to determine whether a student will be able to succeed both academically and engage in the campus community. They do not want students who may fail out or drop out because they don’t fit into the campus culture. Retention is important to all schools. Students need to demonstrate to admissions teams that they are both academically strong candidates who will succeed at the collegiate level and that they will likely connect with the school campus through extracurricular activities and graduate in 4 years.
Academic success is relatively simple to demonstrate, but it still requires many strategic decisions throughout one’s high school term. For instance, colleges will be more impressed with AP courses because they are designed at a collegiate level. However, strong grades in honors, gifted, IB, dual-credit courses will also demonstrate a student’s academic strength. Taking as many high-level courses as possible while also maintaining a high GPA is the ideal route. Help your student find the right balance of coursework throughout high school to maximize their grades and college credits before you even apply.
Demonstrating commitment and school engagement is less straightforward but equally as important. In undergraduate recruitment most colleges will state that their admissions process is holistic, meaning that they are reviewing the student as a whole, not just their academic performance. I believe that it is important to show engagement within the school community. Students can show engagement by playing sports all four years; or being involved in lots of different activities like band, theater, athletics, and spirit activities. What you are communicating through your extracurricular resume is that you are involved, engaged, and dedicated to the school culture.
Finally, the most creative piece of the admissions process is sharing a personal and compelling story in an essay or personal statement. This part of the admissions process ties into community engagement, work, and life experiences. Here a student needs to be able to eave their life story, their passions, and their academic and career goals.
Before one can craft the perfect essay, a student needs to be intentional about selecting volunteer opportunities and community outreach. For example, a student who is interested in working with animals and studying life sciences, pre-vet, or any other related field could volunteer on weekends at an animal shelter, fosters dogs at home, organizes adoption events in their community, and/or fundraise for animal causes. Another example may be for a student who is interested in physical therapy, pre-med, kinesiology, or a related field they can work with trainers and coaches alongside athletes, they can volunteer at an old-age home, they can find a doctor-in-training program where they shadow medical professionals, they can travel on a mission to a developing country and help administer vaccines and teach about health initiatives. For creative students who are hoping to pursue the Arts, get involved in community beautification projects, paint a public mural, teach art after school at under-privileged schools, start a challenge at your school where students create art projects to share with a children’s hospital. Whatever field you are drawn to, find a way to volunteer and give back to the community while developing skills that will help you succeed in your studies as well. Once you have lived these rich experiences it will be more natural to weave it all together a coherent story. Being able to express your story and your goals with clarity of purpose will communicate your readiness and value to admissions teams.
Of course, not all students are in a position of privilege that would allow them to study without interruption, or have the money to pay for extracurricular fees, or the time to volunteer when they may need to work to support their family. If you are persevering in high school and aspiring to go to college despite not having support at home, despite adversity, despite having to work full-time in a minimum wage job, and despite not having any family members who have been to college, you have a compelling story too. You don’t need a perfect high school resume to get into college. Write about your challenges, show the admissions teams what you have overcome, share the good, the bad, the ugly. Rising above adversity shows grit, determination, and strength and this will resonate with admissions committees.
With a clear and compelling story, a strong academic profile, and an engaged extracurricular resume you should feel confident in your candidacy. Once you have found your college matches and you are ready to apply, carefully craft each application to help the admissions team get to know you personally. And in the end if some colleges and universities do not accept your application, just know that it was not the right match. There are plenty of other fish in the sea and you will find the best school for your goals in the end.
Best,
Sophie
Hi I am Sophie Roth
Bach is a concierge college counseling service. Going to college is an investment of time and money, as with any other important investment it is wise to meet with experts to guide your decisions. Students who make informed, thoughtful, and intentional choices when selecting colleges will enjoy more success. Students who take ownership of the process for themselves will feel accomplished and empowered that they have made the right choice and will arrive on campus with confidence.
