Beat the College Admissions Game: Do a Project!
If you’re college-bound and you’re watching your 12th grade friends stress out about receiving those college rejection letters, you’re not alone. You hear about the kid with a 4.6 GPA and perfect SAT scores who just got rejected from Harvard, and you wonder whether or not you’ll even get into a top college. Even college advisors don’t really know what goes on behind closed doors in college admissions offices. So what’s the secret?
How can you get into your dream college?
You need to stand out among your peers. Colleges are simply a big business, and they’re looking for the next Steve Jobs or Bill Gates. If they believe that you’ll add value to their college by bringing recognition to your alma mater, you’ll get their attention. That doesn’t mean joining a dozen clubs or playing 3 sports. That doesn’t mean going to expensive summer programs on their college campuses. That doesn’t mean volunteering for every marathon or community building project. What they’re looking for is the student who organizes innovative programs or follows their passion to create change. They recruit students who demonstrate that they’re curious, motivated and doers.
So how do you show them that you’ve got the RIGHT STUFF?
DO A PROJECT! Take your curiosity or passion and move it to the next level. You can start a business, design new software, engineer a life-saving device, write a book, produce a film – the options are limitless. By brainstorming and implementing your ideas, you are demonstrating your zest for life and unstoppable drive. These are the traits that colleges are seeking and by doing a project, you give them the undeniable message that you will become a great legacy for their institution. Remember, they’re a business and you’re a commodity (sorry – I know this sounds cold). So market yourself by showing them what you’ve got.
A project is NOT a class assignment or a requirement for a club or organization. It is an original idea – your idea – that you are pursuing because you’re an amazing young teen. Whenever something is accomplished because a teacher assigns it or a supervisor requires it, the whole idea loses steam. Colleges want students who are naturally curious leaders. They want to offer admission to the person who starts the organization, not the one who volunteers for it.
It’s best to start your project in 8th or 9th grade to give you plenty of time to explore your options and to make mistakes, launch your idea, and complete it by the start of 12th grade. That way, you’ll have plenty of fascinating stories for your personal statements about the obstacles you overcame and the success you’ve achieved. Check out projects that other students have done. If you’d like guidance in doing your project, check out Online College Advisory.
You’ll find that doing a project will improve your self esteem and change the way you look at the world. It’s never too late to start a project, so get started now!