Make Your College Application Stand Out

Entering high school can be an intimidating experience. Having a child enter high school can be nerve-wracking, too. After all, you want your child to excel socially and scholastically; add in beneficial extracurricular activities, and high school students already have a full schedule. Then, just, once your student and family start to get into a groove, thoughts of college sneak up on you. As if managing high school wasn’t enough! College applications can be stressful, but fear not - here are some expert tips to help you make your college application stand out.

The college application evaluations start much sooner than the 12th, or even 11th grade. As a student, you need to plan many of your high school activities around your specific interests. If you are considering going to college, you will likely need some help to get there. 

Companies such as Empowerly offer College Admissions Counseling services. These services will help you plan for your academics, create a college list, and provide expert advice. College Admission Counseling also includes College Financial Planning assistance to get your family through the potential stress of financial aid, scholarships, and grants. 

As competition for spots in the incoming class increases, colleges often look for much more than a good GPA or SAT score. So, what do colleges look for? This answer depends on the college and specific majors within the college. While many colleges do not release specific information as to how to get in, there are ways for resourceful students to avoid being left in the dark. 

First, gear your application specifically to each school and major you are applying for. If you are applying to major in Economics at Princeton University, you can bank on the fact that, like most economics programs,  college admissions officers would be interested in learning about your internship in Economics Consulting and Research with IBM. On the other hand, if the essay prompt asks, “Why did you choose Princeton?” your essay should be customized to details about Princeton… not any other school. 

How do you find impressive internship opportunities? Empowerly also maintains a network of close partnerships with schools, employment companies, and community organizations. These partnerships—along with expert advice—can give you the inside track to great internship opportunities and developing the best possible student resume. With these resources, you increase your chances of gaining school admissions.

To separate yourself from the competition and make your college application stand out, seek out unique experiences you can include in your application for colleges. These unique experiences make great writing opportunities for your college application essays. Keep in mind that college application reviewers go through thousands of applications. Your application has between two and five minutes to stand out during an initial review. 

While that might sound harsh, you don’t have to figure out how to stand out alone. Using offerings from Empowerly, you can have your college application essays reviewed and edited. Even better, you can have your entire college application reviewed by a committee that includes former college admissions counselors. Receiving qualified holistic feedback is the best route to a tight application.

One of the biggest questions asked during college application time is, “What colleges can I get into?”. Many students have high hopes for Ivy Leagues, while others seek admission from excellent state programs. Regardless of the goal, no one wants to experience the disappointment of rejection from their top schools. Planning ahead and engaging in beneficial extracurriculars is an effective way to set yourself up for success, and make your college application stand out.

If you’re just starting now, there are other ways to see how you stack up. By taking the Empowerly Quiz, you will receive a forecast of your level of college preparedness. You will also have an opportunity to get an Empowerly Score. An Empowerly Score provides an actual numerical score that will show you potential areas of improvement, measure your academics and extracurriculars, and analyze your impact and competitiveness for top colleges in the United States. This tool is a great way to assess what colleges you can get into with your current application profile. If you don’t like the answer, there may still be a path to get you into the school of your dreams. 
The college application process doesn’t have to be grueling. There are many steps you can take to help the process become more rewarding. Learning to separate yourself from the competition and gear your application to specific schools is a step in the right direction. But, if you need more help consider scheduling a consultation with Empowerly. Creating a plan specific to you or your student from experts in the college admission field will help to reach college goals.