If an applicant is not attending high school, what makes him/her stand out?

Applying to College
1

Hi everyone,

I’m an adult applicant applying as a freshman applicant after a several years’ gap. I’m just a bit nervous I might not be so strong an applicant when it comes to academics. Although I have built a solid work history, I haven’t had internships at companies with whopping name values, nor have I taken AP exams like other high school applicants. I’m still in my early 20s and will be taking my last sittings of the new SAT and the subject tests. I’m a writer, though not published, and I do have a decent list of relevant activities and jobs with which I’ll be filling the Activities section of the Common App.

So my question is, what do you think makes a person really stand out from the applicant pool if he/she is neither in high school nor in community college? Essays, perhaps? Is it a huge disadvantage if the person doesn’t have a transcript or a record of taking AP classes/exams? I’d love to be accepted to one of the UCs or other private ones like NYU, but those are just way too competitive. (I wouldn’t even start with the exosphere colleges like the Ivies, MIT, or Stanford, even though my dream college used to be Harvard.)

Thanks in advance.

2

Most colleges simply want your demonstrated academic ability – not a laundry list of clubs and ECs. Have a look through this http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/non-traditional-students/

3

You won’t be assessed as a high school student would be. You have had jobs and real world experiences that will be looked at. Adults going to college are seen in a positive light, as they are clearly motivated. The above advice is right. Check out the non-traditional students forum.