Holistic reviews have become a common practice for colleges and universities across the US. As such, a strong college application contains a mix of strong academics and extracurriculars that add depth to your child’s overall profile. Even though most students don’t begin taking their college profile seriously until their junior year, the truth is that creating a strong college application starts the moment they begin high school.
What Looks Most Impressive on a College Application?
With testing policies changing almost yearly, college admissions teams are looking for well-rounded applicants now more than ever. They want to see depth in an applicant’s experience and a demonstrated interest in their school. This can help them better gauge your child’s interest in certain areas of study and how likely they are to enroll should the school extend an acceptance letter.
Unless your child is applying to a test-blind school, their standardized test scores are a great way for colleges to determine how well they’re likely to do in higher education. In fact, recent research has demonstrated that standardized test scores predict college performance far more accurately than high school grades do.
High School Coursework and GPA
Honors and advanced placement (AP®) courses are more rigorous than a typical high school course, so they have more impact on your child’s overall GPA. Taking (and doing well in) honors and AP courses throughout high school shows colleges your child can rise to academic challenges and do well with more advanced coursework. Passing the corresponding AP exam at the end of the year can help your child earn college credit before graduation, and, if they apply to a test-flexible school, your child may be able to use AP exam scores in place of ACT® or SAT® scores.
While your child may be tempted to stack their schedule with as many AP classes as possible, it’s important for them to be realistic about what they can and can’t handle. Doing well in AP courses can boost their college profile, but doing poorly in them can have the opposite effect. More importantly, academics alone aren’t the only factor college admissions teams consider when deciding members of their incoming class—overloading on AP classes can reduce the time your child has to dedicate to other important activities, such as extracurriculars or community service.
Standardized Test Scores
Prior to the widespread implementation of test-flexible policies, the main standardized test scores colleges considered when deciding incoming students were ACT scores and SAT scores. Test-flexible policies, such as those of NYU and Yale, expand this scope to also include AP scores and International Baccalaureate® (IB) scores. Applying to a test-flexible school allows your child to choose which scores they want to submit, allowing them to further customize their application and stand out from their competition.
Extracurriculars
This could include joining a school club or sports team, getting a part-time job after work, shadowing employees in a field your child wants to enter after college, participating in volunteer opportunities, and much more. Rather than dabbling in one activity then quickly moving onto something else, focus on opportunities your child can see themselves advancing in over time.
Seeing how your child rose through the ranks of a single school club can be more impactful to admissions teams than seeing how they’ve bounced between multiple clubs each year.
If your child prefers part-time work to joining a club or sports team, this can be a great way to showcase their work ethic. This could also offer bonus points if the role is related to their desired career path or another interest they have that wouldn’t be represented in their academic profile.
Personal Statement
Just like extracurriculars, personal statements are another way your child can add a personal touch to their application. In fact, the essay is considered to be one of the most important factors in admission decisions, following course rigor and GPA.
Your child should take advantage of this opportunity to tell a unique, compelling story about themselves to help themselves stand out from other applicants. While your child may be tempted to rehash their academic feats, this statement should focus on their experiences, how they’ve overcome challenges to become who they are today, and what makes them a great choice over the competition.
This statement should add depth that demonstrates your child’s character, motivations, and goals. If your child is having trouble creating a winning personal statement, our College Essay program can put them on the right track.
How Can I Make My Application Stronger?
Creating a strong college application starts in your child’s freshman year of high school. Working closely with their high school guidance counselor and a college admissions counselor can help your child map out their coursework, choose the best extracurricular opportunities for them, revise their college application essay, and more.
If your child didn’t meet with their guidance counselor in freshman year, that’s okay too! The sooner they can schedule an appointment with their counselor, the more efficiently your child can use their remaining time in high school. We also strongly encourage your child to work with a college admissions counselor since they can offer more specialized support and advice than a guidance counselor. College admissions counselors understand what it takes to be a competitive applicant for more selective schools, and can help your child create a game plan with this in mind.
High school coursework alone isn’t enough to prepare your child for the ACT or SAT. Unless your child is applying for a UC school, plan to enroll them in either an ACT Prep program or SAT Prep program to help them earn high marks on their first try. ACT and SAT scores are still incredibly beneficial in our current test-flexible and test-optional environment.
If your child plans on attending a test-flexible school and submitting an AP score instead, enroll them in an AP Prep program. Out of the 2,500,000+ students that take AP exams each year, only 15% actually earn a 5. Completing an AP Prep program before taking what could be a once in a lifetime exam can help your child be part of that exclusive 15%.
Including a compelling personal statement alongside impressive scores could be the deciding factor for an admissions team. As such, your child should spend time creating a captivating response that takes their application to the next level. Working with experienced writing experts can ensure your child presents a polished, authentic, and riveting narrative to admissions teams.
If your child hasn’t participated in extracurriculars, our college admissions counselors can work with them to discover their interests and choose the best activities for them.
Does Applying Early Increase the Chance of Acceptance?
Yes, applying to college through Early Decision or Early Action can increase your child’s chances of being accepted to a four-year college. This is because a comparatively small percentage of students actually apply through these methods, which means your child is competing with less than half of the regular applicant pool, often for the same number of spots. However, simply applying through these methods doesn’t guarantee your child a spot.
Students who usually apply through Early Decision or Early Action have strong qualifications and would be attractive options regardless of when they choose to apply. Rather than rushing to apply before your child is ready, make sure they weigh their options, carefully research the colleges on their list, and create the strongest application they can.
Remember, the quality of their application outweighs whether it’s sent early or through regular decision. C2 can help your child build a stellar college profile that secures a spot at their dream college. Whether they need help crafting essays, preparing for a standardized test of their choice, or support mapping out their high school experience, our experts can help.
Reach out today and let’s get started.
