As a first time college applicant, what can I do to make my application stand out? Particularly my essays?
Planning to apply to fairly selective colleges as an engineering major.
There’s no magic formula. Stand out applications come from stand out applicants. I’m sorry but the reality is coldly simple: either you are one or you’re not. Everyone will put their best foot forward. My best may not be better than yours. Your best may be surpassed by others. That’s just how it is.
The best advice I can give you is to ensure you choose your rec letter writers wisely – ask your GC for advice. And then, don’t shirk on your personal statements. These are the only two areas that really “flesh” you out. Invest in them. Good luck.
Being yourself is a great way to stand out as nobody else is exactly like you, nobody else has your personality so make that shine in your essays.
@T26E4, is it really that simple? I agree that you need some basic raw ingredients, but it’s quite possible to have them and mess up executing the recipe.
A strong application is one that stands out in positive ways from thousands of others. Things that I can think of that might help accomplish this, beyond having some accomplishments to back this up:
- Think deeply about who you are and how you want to be perceived. Also think about what is important to you, and where you want to go in life.
- Focus on telling a story or creating a picture of yourself.
- Be personal. Dig deep.
- Be personal about your target schools. Research them, make a list of strengths/weaknesses and of specific resources which you might utilize. Show them that you've thought about their school in depth.
- Think about what about you differentiates you from other applicants, and why colleges should choose you. Be honest in assessing your strengths and weaknesses.
- Write sincerely and well. Avoid cliches and fancy language.
- Make sure that your GC and recommenders really know you as a person, and understand how you are trying to portray yourself. Sit down and talk with them, and make sure they have all the information they need.
- Put a lot of time and effort into each step, and make sure that your "voice" comes through. This is your big audition. As @rdeng2614 notes, be yourself.
I agree that without much underlying substance it is difficult to write a great application. But “stand out applicants” don’t necessarily stand out from the Common App; they have to carefully present themselves as such.
You do need to be outstanding in order to have an outstanding application. However, not every outstanding candidates reveal themselves properly on the application.
Thank you I’ll definitely keep all of that in mind!