Although there is no guarantee that a particular application will be an absolute success, there are ways to ensure you stand out from the crowd. Promoting yourself and the academic success you have accomplished should be the priority for anyone looking to head off to college. This is how you set yourself apart when admissions officers are reviewing applicants.
In this article, three of the best ways to promote your academic success in a college application will be explained to help you succeed as you apply for your dream college.
Achieve Good Grades
One of the main things that colleges look at are grades. A student’s grades will demonstrate their academic performance and their readiness for further education to college admissions staff. Although colleges primarily look at the core subjects, such as English, Mathematics, and Science, they will also the difficulty of classes taken.
Although almost 75% of colleges believe there is considerable importance on total high school grades, National Association for College Admission Counselling found that 76.8% of colleges found there is considerable importance on high school grades in college prep courses. Students should ensure their grades are adequate throughout their school education and the classes they select are intellectually stimulating. A more rigorous curriculum will be better preparation for college-level work.
Participate in Extracurricular Activities
Being involved in additional activities outside of school can complement your college application. Not only do colleges want to see evidence of academic performance, they also want proof you have diverse abilities and interests. This might be through the arts, community work, sports, etc.
Extracurriculars can help students develop a variety of skills, such as communication, leadership, organization, and more. These skills can be proof that you will contribute to college life; remember, there are plenty of societies and groups on campus that you can join as a student.
Whatever activities you choose to participate in should be things you enjoy as this will give colleges an insight into your character, too. You should avoid participating in too many activities as this might overwhelm you and provide colleges with an inconsistent image of you as a student.
Request Letters of Recommendation
Letters of recommendation play a large part in showing your potential rather just your grades. These letters can reveal how ready a student is to attend college and display what talents the student has, which helps admissions officers make a final decision on the applicant.
However, Going Ivy states that “the more selective the school, the more important the letter of recommendation is.” The letters might be less important than grades and personal statements, but they are still an important factor. For elite colleges, it is more likely they will request multiple recommendation letters from people other than a high school teacher; coaches, friends, and mentors are often good options.
If you are in the process of requesting good references, you should begin asking early to give each individual plenty of time to complete and submit their letters. The people you choose should have positive relationships with you, so it is wise to avoid the teacher who gave you detention.
Although there are many other aspects that go into proving your academic success to colleges, these three ways of self-promotion will boost your college application.