Tips on making your college application stand out from the crowd


Whether we like it or not, the admission officers who sift through the hundreds and thousands of college applications will get eventually bored. Of course, they will have ideals and requirements they are looking for in particular, but if your application does not stand out from the crowd, then your chances of being accepted will diminish greatly. You’ll just be another name on a page.
You needn’t worry though, there are plenty of things you can do to make sure you are noticed. Here are some of our best tips.

Tips on making your college application stand out from the crowd

Write well

Ensuring that your application is exceptionally written is a great start. We’re not just talking getting someone to double check the spellings and making sure it all makes sense, but you need to make your words jump right out from the page. The officers reading it will need a sudden wake up from their trance so grab their attention! Perhaps write your application as a story, or format and structure your content in your own unique way. Be adventurous. Remember, this is especially important if your course is essay-based or writing-focused!

Personality

As well as including important grades, skills, and achievements, it’s also essential you get your personality across. Colleges like you to bring your individual flair to both your course and campus, so make sure they know who it really is that they’re reading about. Get creative. You could even add in some clever humor if you find it appropriate.

Get to the library

Researching and reading is the primary source of how you will be studying. You can’t escape it. So if you want to really impress, then have a look at some of the books from the course reading list and talk about parts you found interesting. This will show them you are dedicated to your studies and that you are especially interested in the chosen subject.

Provide supplementary material

It’s all well and good talking about your skills, hobbies, awards, and achievements, but providing evidence for these can make a real difference. This could be sending links to your website/blog, or sending in your photography or art portfolio, or even playing them a video recording of a performance. They may already ask for submitted examples like these, but sending them over first will make you immediately stand out.

Tips on making your college application stand out from the crowd

Make contact

This is often a debated thing to do, but making contact to your course leaders or admission officers can be a great thing. Your grades and skills will speak for themselves, but personally introducing yourself and keeping in touch makes you memorable. Making visits to the college and stopping by at annual events can allow you to form relationships already. Remember though, don’t bombard them with emails! Keep it professional.
If you’re feeling like an average joe or a plain jane, try out these effective ways of making your application mean something. A college application is all about shouting out to the reader that you are the candidate they are looking for, so ensure your passion is vividly felt, write your words skilfully pop, and back up everything you can offer them.

Recommended For You