If you’re a top student who already does well in school then chances are you’ll want a to get an idea of what it actually takes to be able to get into the best colleges. After all, you want to maximise your potential and getting in with a top college is definitely one of the best ways to go about that. You might think that having good grades means you’ll get in with ease, but it’s actually not as simple as that.
Most applicants who are at the level to apply to top colleges already have top grades, so what it’s really about is working out exactly how to show what makes you stand out in a crowded group. It can help a lot to understand how colleges view potential and how they read an application because it stops you from guessing or spreading yourself too thin by trying to do everything and get it down on paper because you think this is what they want.
Once you know this, you can go from there and focus on the things that matter to you as well as what looks good on your application.
Know what top colleges look for
As we’ve mentioned, if you know what colleges pay attention to it’ll stop you from wasting time on things that look impressive on paper (but do very little for your application). Colleges will want to see that you can handle challenging work and keep at that level even when the pressure goes up, and they also look for signs that you commit to the things you care about rather than dipping in and out of lots of activities just to fill a list.
If you have a strong interest like a sport, a craft, a home business etc you’ve set up then this can be a fantastic way to show that you’ve got a good amount of commitment to something. If you’ve got a long list of things you’ve dipped in and out of then this might raise some minor red flags. If you have something that you’re genuinely passionate about then being able to speak about it and show that energy towards it is easy, so pick up a hobby you actually love as opposed to trying to fill gaps on your college application.
Presenting yourself in the best way
The college admissions consultant will be looking at the whole picture of you as a person, which includes things like the recommendations that people write for you, and as mentioned above the activities you choose to spend your time on.
They’lll want to see what your background is like and what opportunities you’ve had (or haven’t had) and how you’ve responded to whatever challenges came your way. So don’t let a less than perfect background put you off from applying. Just be sure to explain it in a way that gives a background of you and show everything you’ve overcome to get to where you are.
Academics are still at the foundation of it all
There’s no denying that strong grades are still the centre of everything when you want to go to a top college, even if they aren’t the only thing that’s being paid attention to. They tend to care a lot more about seeing steady, consistent work than a course list jammed with things that just leave you completely drained so only take harder courses if you’re able to keep up with them. Make sure everything you do do is at the best standard.
