4 Ways to Make Your College Application Stand Out

College Applications 101: Not Just the Numbers 

It's your senior year of homeschool—time to apply to college. You go online to start your applications. A half hour goes into typing up your personal information. Then comes the important stuff. Your SATs are solid. Your GPA is way above the college minimum. So far, so good.

But then you hit the admissions essay. 'Share something you've done to enhance your community.'

How hard could this be?

"As a bagger at Stop & Shop, I always put the eggs on top..." Ugh, no. That's so lame. I'd be fired if I did it the other way.

"I founded a cheese-appreciation club that sampled fine feta and good gouda..." Really? It's not too impressive when the only other members were my little sister and our Labradoodle.

"I volunteered to feed the hungry by microwaving Dino-Nuggets for my six siblings when Mom was away at Women's Retreat."

I bang my head on the desk. What are they looking for? Who is going to read this? Am I supposed to stand out or fit in? Is it okay to brag?

And for another hour, I overthink, second guess, and start over. Why didn't anyone tell me it would be this difficult?

Throughout homeschooling, the college advice I got revolved around academics. If I earned high grades and crushed the SATs, I'd surely get into my first choice— and maybe even score a few scholarships. While academics are important on a college application, they aren't everything. Colleges also look for other things— individuality, compassion, and well-roundedness. If academics alone don't guarantee acceptance—not even to your safety school—what does?

I talked to some admissions officers at a couple of universities (including the one I now go to), and here's what they had to say.

1. Show That You're Well Balanced and Persistent

Colleges are looking for well-rounded students, which means they dig beyond the SATs and GPAs. "We like to take a holistic approach to our applicant review," Jan McCrady, senior director of enrollment marketing at Baylor University, told me. "Naturally, academics, rigor of the classes a student takes, and activities they participate in are things that we look at first."

When it comes to looking well-rounded, those extracurricular activities are important, but quality beats quantity. It will impress the admissions committee that you spent three years in theater set design or four seasons playing flag football. It shows you can commit to

something and stick with it. But if you flail from water polo to watercolors to beach cleanup, you might look like you're just treading water.

2. Be a Person

Breathe some life into your application so admissions officers get a glimpse of you as a person. "Honesty in everything, including your personality and who you are, are great in applications," Ruth Ireland, Torrey honors admissions intern, told me. There's a difference between being a person and being applicant #1,034B.

The application essays are the best place to show your personality. Don't just state the facts of your life; talk about what you're passionate about and what inspires you—all those things that have shaped the person you've become. Don't just say the what; say the why.

And try to write an essay only you could write. Every admissions officer must plod through hundreds of how-soccer-made-me-a-team-player essays. It's refreshing to read something new.

Make sure you address the essay's prompt. This means you might not be able to send the same essay to every school.

3. Look Polished and Professional

Before you click send, ensure you've proofread and polished everything you've written. "Not taking time to check for simple grammar or spelling errors by running your work through Word Docs or Google Docs is a mistake," Ireland said. "Also, one-word answers and not showing that you are interested [are other errors]."

Have a few others read your application over for mistakes—because we all make mistakes. If you write, "I'm very interested in you're English department. It's the subject I want to major in," you're not going to get far.

And when it comes to professionalism, if you're still using that littlemermaid102@aol.com email account from the eighth grade, create a new one. Make sure you use the same email every time you contact the school, and check that account often.

4. Avoid Red Flags

While we're talking about the important DOs, what are some DON'Ts when it comes to your application? What raises a red flag? "Someone who has not done well in their schoolwork, hasn't gotten to know much about our college, and doesn't do any additional optional items," McCrady told me. "So, the opposite of what makes an application stand out."

In other words, do your homework. Make it clear you care enough to have researched the school—even if it's not your top choice. Mention [a specific] club if that's something you're looking for. Drop the name of that criminal justice professor whose class sounds arresting. "Do not feel like you have to be someone you're not," Ireland told me, "but also know the programs you are applying for. We can tell if you don't know what you're talking about."

Ultimately, you want to show yourself throughout the application process. You want to prove to the admissions team that you know yourself, the school, and why the school connects to what you want to do.

Copyright 2022, The Old Schoolhouse®. Used with permission. All rights reserved by the Author. Originally appeared in the Winter 2022-23 issue of The Old Schoolhouse® Magazine, the trade publication for homeschool moms. Read The Old Schoolhouse® Magazine free at www.TOSMagazine.com, or download the free reader apps at www.TOSApps.com for mobile devices. Read the STORY of The Old Schoolhouse® Magazine and how it came to be.

Trinity Van Gaasbeek is majoring in English with an emphasis in writing at Biola University. She has worked on two of her university's student-run publications and plans to work in publishing after she graduates. Before college, her mom homeschooled her from kindergarten through her senior year of high school.

This article is part of our larger Higher Education resource library centered around colleges and universities. We hope these articles help you narrow down your search for Christian colleges and seminaries. 

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