15 Jul 6 Ways to Impress the College Admissions Team
Preparing to apply to colleges is an exciting time. One thing prospective students worry about is impressing the college admissions team. To be ready to dazzle when the time comes, high school students can take away some of the stress and start thinking early about how they’re going to approach the college admission process.
Here are six ways you can impress the college admissions team at the schools you most want to attend.
1. Show Interest
One way to set yourself apart from the competition is to show interest in the school. Do your research ahead of time, and learn about the school’s history, academic offerings, and extracurricular activities. The more you show interest in and enthusiasm for a school, they’ll be more inclined to be more interested in you. Engage with the admissions office and apply early for entry.
Pro tip: Applying early also opens up more potential scholarship opportunities.
2. Ask Good Questions
You can learn a lot online about colleges by reading their websites, exploring discussion forums, and reading reviews. However, websites only tell you so much and everything else is completely subjective. The best way to get to know if a school is a good fit for you is to ask questions which will demonstrate your strong interest in the school. Just be careful not to ask questions that can easily be found on the website—be sure to ask good ones.
3. Choose the Right High School Classes
Taking challenging classes in high school, such as AP and IB, tends to impress many college admissions offices. Important to think about though—don’t take more than you can handle, because lower grades will bring down your GPA, which brings us to the next point…
4. Focus on Getting Good Grades
Some colleges heavily consider GPAs and test scores in their admitting process, but not all of them. Determine ahead of time if the schools put heavy weight on your grades (and what that minimum GPA is) or if they look at more of a holistic view. If your dream school puts emphasis on grades, be sure not to overwhelm yourself in your junior and senior years and focus on keeping your GPA up.
5. Choose the Right Extracurriculars
Admissions officers do look to see what prospective students do outside of the classroom. If you’re seeking a specific degree program, look at clubs or other activities to demonstrate high interest. Even if you don’t get involved with academic-related extracurriculars, that’s OK. In most cases, it’s more important to choose something you’re interested in and stick with it because it shows commitment. It’s better to engage heavily in one or two clubs/sports than do 10 different things to boost your application. Decision-makers easily see through joining a plethora of extracurriculars to try to impress—it’s better to be yourself!
6. Dress to Impress
First impressions can mean everything. When interacting with the college admissions office, be it at college fairs or at the school itself, dress professionally. In many cases, this will set you apart from other students.
Contact Accolade Financial
At Accolade https://www.accoladefinancial.com/contact/Financial, our goal is to help students and their families identify the right school and examine financing options. To learn more, schedule an appointment today.