2 answers
Grace
Student
Winston-Salem, North Carolina
1
Question
Asked
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What should I be doing in high school to make my college applications stand out and prepare myself for the college experience?
I am currently a high school senior and I am trying to get involved in the journalism field. My question relates to what should I do to make myself attractive to colleges and future employers.
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2 answers
Doc Frick
Career Coach and Mentor
1835
Answers
California, CA
Updated
Doc’s Answer
Grace colleges prioritize a strong academic record, challenging curriculum, a compelling essay, and extracurricular involvement when evaluating applications. They also look for demonstrated interest in the institution and positive character traits like leadership, initiative, and a sense of social responsibility.
📚 ACADEMICS
College is foremost an academic pursuit—so it makes sense that academics figure importantly in admissions decisions. Here are the two ways that your academic performance gets communicated on your application:
• GRADE POINT AVERAGE (GPA) — The most important step you can take to make yourself a competitive candidate is, of course, to work hard in school. Your GPA is the single most influential factor that any college will consider. It reflects your performance as a student over almost four years of your life and offers insight into what sort of college student you will be.
• ADVANCED PLACEMENT (AP) — If possible, enroll in honors classes during your freshman and sophomore years, and then AP classes during your junior and senior years. These will help boost your weighted GPA (an A in an AP course is typically worth 5.0 points instead of the 4.0 points awarded to an A in a regular course). More importantly, challenging classes demonstrate to admissions committees that you have the interest and the ability to take on higher-level work.
🎯 EXTRACURRICULAR ACTIVITIES
Colleges want to win over students who work hard in school—but they also want to see that you’ve got a well-rounded life outside of your academic pursuits. While you don’t need to go out and join every single club your school offers, you should participate in a few well-chosen extracurricular activities.
• CLUBS — Plan to join two or three high school clubs, ideally ascending to a leadership position in at least one of them over the course of your high school career. Colleges like to see breadth, but not at the expense of depth. Make sure that you find a way to get deeply involved in at least one activity besides school. Use your club involvement as a way to show admissions committees who you are.
• SPORTS — Another option is joining a sports team. Colleges know that sports often entail a major time commitment, so don’t feel that you have to join several clubs and play sports, as well—strike the balance that feels right to you. If you’re able to assume a leadership position on one or more sports teams, all the better—particularly if you aim to play college sports.
• COMMUNITY SERVICE — Volunteering is a good way to demonstrate that you are interested in giving back. You should try to volunteer for at least 20–30 hours every school year. Many high schools offer community service options. If yours doesn’t, consider starting your own service club.
• JOBS/INTERNSHIPS —.Many high school students rely on paid work to offset their expenses. If you have a job that prevents you from participating in as many clubs or sports as some of your classmates, take heart—colleges also like to see a strong work ethic, and they will take into account the fact that your part-time job required an investment of time.
🏆 AWARDS/HONORS
It’s likely that your school has one or more honor societies—such as the National Honor Society or foreign language honor societies—that you can join. These do not have to be solely academic. Being nominated as MVP for your sports team or winning a prize at debate club or Science Olympiad are also viewed very favorably by admissions committees.
📝 LETTERS OF RECOMMENDATION
Letters of recommendation are powerful because they tell a story of an applicant from a third-person perspective. For this reason, it’s important to choose your recommenders wisely. They may not be the professor of the class in which you got the best grade. Instead, choose the people that know you the best and have seen you grow and overcome obstacles. Put yourself in the recommenders’ shoes and think about what they could say about you.
📄 COLLEGE ESSAY
Your grades and test scores are your opportunity to demonstrate that you’d be a strong college student. Your extracurriculars afford you the chance to show off your wide range of talents and interests. Your essay, by contrast, is an opportunity to let admissions officers hear your unique voice. You may opt to share information that didn’t make it into the rest of your application.
🧿 DEMONSTRATED INTEREST
So far, we’ve talked a lot about what you can do to make yourself a more appealing candidate for colleges. But you should also show that you’re doing your own due diligence to find out which schools are the best fits for you. Schools keep track of your interactions with them—campus visits, communications, interviews, and so forth. (For this reason, you’ll want to make sure that your conduct and writing are always professional.) They want students who will be strong fits at their schools— and who’ve demonstrated interest in attending.
Hope this was helpful Grace
📚 ACADEMICS
College is foremost an academic pursuit—so it makes sense that academics figure importantly in admissions decisions. Here are the two ways that your academic performance gets communicated on your application:
• GRADE POINT AVERAGE (GPA) — The most important step you can take to make yourself a competitive candidate is, of course, to work hard in school. Your GPA is the single most influential factor that any college will consider. It reflects your performance as a student over almost four years of your life and offers insight into what sort of college student you will be.
• ADVANCED PLACEMENT (AP) — If possible, enroll in honors classes during your freshman and sophomore years, and then AP classes during your junior and senior years. These will help boost your weighted GPA (an A in an AP course is typically worth 5.0 points instead of the 4.0 points awarded to an A in a regular course). More importantly, challenging classes demonstrate to admissions committees that you have the interest and the ability to take on higher-level work.
🎯 EXTRACURRICULAR ACTIVITIES
Colleges want to win over students who work hard in school—but they also want to see that you’ve got a well-rounded life outside of your academic pursuits. While you don’t need to go out and join every single club your school offers, you should participate in a few well-chosen extracurricular activities.
• CLUBS — Plan to join two or three high school clubs, ideally ascending to a leadership position in at least one of them over the course of your high school career. Colleges like to see breadth, but not at the expense of depth. Make sure that you find a way to get deeply involved in at least one activity besides school. Use your club involvement as a way to show admissions committees who you are.
• SPORTS — Another option is joining a sports team. Colleges know that sports often entail a major time commitment, so don’t feel that you have to join several clubs and play sports, as well—strike the balance that feels right to you. If you’re able to assume a leadership position on one or more sports teams, all the better—particularly if you aim to play college sports.
• COMMUNITY SERVICE — Volunteering is a good way to demonstrate that you are interested in giving back. You should try to volunteer for at least 20–30 hours every school year. Many high schools offer community service options. If yours doesn’t, consider starting your own service club.
• JOBS/INTERNSHIPS —.Many high school students rely on paid work to offset their expenses. If you have a job that prevents you from participating in as many clubs or sports as some of your classmates, take heart—colleges also like to see a strong work ethic, and they will take into account the fact that your part-time job required an investment of time.
🏆 AWARDS/HONORS
It’s likely that your school has one or more honor societies—such as the National Honor Society or foreign language honor societies—that you can join. These do not have to be solely academic. Being nominated as MVP for your sports team or winning a prize at debate club or Science Olympiad are also viewed very favorably by admissions committees.
📝 LETTERS OF RECOMMENDATION
Letters of recommendation are powerful because they tell a story of an applicant from a third-person perspective. For this reason, it’s important to choose your recommenders wisely. They may not be the professor of the class in which you got the best grade. Instead, choose the people that know you the best and have seen you grow and overcome obstacles. Put yourself in the recommenders’ shoes and think about what they could say about you.
📄 COLLEGE ESSAY
Your grades and test scores are your opportunity to demonstrate that you’d be a strong college student. Your extracurriculars afford you the chance to show off your wide range of talents and interests. Your essay, by contrast, is an opportunity to let admissions officers hear your unique voice. You may opt to share information that didn’t make it into the rest of your application.
🧿 DEMONSTRATED INTEREST
So far, we’ve talked a lot about what you can do to make yourself a more appealing candidate for colleges. But you should also show that you’re doing your own due diligence to find out which schools are the best fits for you. Schools keep track of your interactions with them—campus visits, communications, interviews, and so forth. (For this reason, you’ll want to make sure that your conduct and writing are always professional.) They want students who will be strong fits at their schools— and who’ve demonstrated interest in attending.
Hope this was helpful Grace
Rithika Aluvala
Student
16
Answers
Sanford, Florida
Updated
Rithika’s Answer
Getting good grades is important, but volunteering and joining clubs can make a big difference too. By volunteering in various places, you can try out different tasks and learn new skills. This shows colleges and future employers that you have a wide range of abilities.