Admission Advice > Improving Your Chances

Stand Out in the Admission Process

By Shari Miller

Sure, staying focused on your studies is the most important thing you can do to prepare for college. But there are plenty of unique opportunities that can help you make the most of the time you have left. Here are some great ways to do that.

Service activities, or volunteering, can be fun and rewarding. It also makes you a well-rounded person with a wealth of experience—qualities admission committees are looking for. You don’t necessarily have to go abroad to find service activities; there are important things you can do in your own community. From delivering meals to senior citizens in your neighborhood to helping the poor in Bangladesh, the opportunities are everywhere. Check out the organizations listed here, and go online to find other volunteer opportunities.

Travel is another great option. It can provide you with adventures and unique experiences, and by broadening your experience of the country and the world, travel can also help with your admissions essays and interviews, as well as with your resumé and job interviews after you graduate.

Paul Marthers, Dean of Admission at Reed College, believes that applicants write and speak about experiences they are passionate about with more persuasive detail. “Activities done simply to impress a college have a way of appearing artificial,” he warns. It’s a good idea to keep a journal of your travels or other pre-college activities. Keep a record of where you went, what you did, and how you grew and changed as a result.

Pre-college learning programs also provide equally valuable opportunities for students. You can explore interesting subjects, experience college-level study, and even earn college credits while you’re still in high school. Summer programs are also a great way to explore a college you’re interested in attending—and that can make you a more attractive candidate for admission. Enroll in a summer course at a college near you, investigate pre-college opportunities at colleges you’re interested in attending full-time, or look into some of the other pre-college options listed here.

If you’re already interested in a specific career, consider joining a professional organization, such as the Society of Women Engineers. Professional organizations can help you locate summer programs and scholarships, and they can offer some helpful career information as well as professional contacts.

“Why should I?” Why would you want to get involved in something that requires work when you could be coasting?
• You’ll challenge yourself physically, mentally, and emotionally.
• You’ll make a difference in your life and in the world.
• You could connect with the right college.
• Your studies come to life.
• You’ll build the competencies you’ll need for both college and career.

“How do I decide what to do?” There are so many different activities—how will you choose? Is one activity “better” than another?

Don’t worry too much about what kinds of activities you should engage in. Most admission officers agree that the most important thing you can do is find an activity that
is relevant to you. You can’t help but grow and learn as a result.

A helpful resource for finding activities is The Teenagers’ Guide to School Outside the Box by Rebecca Green (Free Spirit Publishing, 2001). It offers tons of information about study abroad opportunities, service activities, job shadowing, internships, apprenticeships, and mentorships—all of which can help you get into the right college and find a job after graduation.

“How much time should I expect to invest?” Many students don’t start looking for additional activities until their junior year in high school; then they pile them on, believing that more activities will look better to college admission committees. This simply isn’t the way things work.

“Padding a college resumé is often obvious—the passion for an activity doesn’t shine through, ” warns Nanette Tarbouni, Director of Admissions at Washington University in St. Louis. “Whatever ways students participate, we recommend that they do so because of a real desire and love for the activity.” Admission counselors are looking for quality of involvement, not quantity, and they urge students to consider the impact of their activities on the lives of others as well as their own.

Suppose you have other obligations, such as work or caring for a younger sibling, and you don’t have time for outside activities. Don’t despair. Any activity is important, as long as it contributes to your growth. You can use experiences such as a job or childcare on your admission applications to show that you are responsible, caring, and contributing.

“What’s the next step?” Get busy! Do some research and discuss options with your parents; then get involved in a service activity, enroll in a summer course, join a professional organization, or look into travel opportunities. Kimberly Williams, a graduate of American University, says there’s only one thing holding most students back: “In their minds, they think they’re kids and can’t do big things. In reality, there’s nothing stopping them!”


Shari Miller is a freelance writer and teacher who lives in Kansas.

2009