If you are a high school student who is making plans to attend college, you want to do all you can along the way to make your college application look as impressive as possible to those in the admissions office. Since you of course want to be able to attend the college that is your first choice, having an application that will put you head and shoulders above other applicants is crucial. While this sounds hard, it is much easier than you think. To improve your college application, take the following steps.
A Well-Written Essay
If your college application requires you to include an essay, make sure it is well-written, sincere, and conveys your thoughts not only about attending that particular college, but also about how you hope to use your college experience to embark on an excellent career. If you think these essays are never read, think again. In many cases, it can be the determining factor when deciding who is granted admission or who is not.
Volunteer Experience
If you make the time to volunteer with local charities or other groups in your community while you are in high school, this will look very impressive on your college application. Whether you are wanting to attend a private school or a public university, volunteering with kids, senior citizens, or anyone else in between will demonstrate your initiative and willingness to help others.
Letters of Recommendation
Whether it is a letter from a favorite teacher, your minister, or others who know you very well, including one or two letters of recommendation with your college application can be of great help. By being willing to write these letters, these individuals are telling the college or university that they trust you, consider you to be of impeccable character, and feel you would be a wonderful addition to any college campus.
Improve Your Grades
Perhaps more than anything else you can do to ensure you get accepted into a top college or university, study hard while in high school to make sure your grades are as high as possible. Even if you need to put in extra time studying on weekends or work with a tutor on your most difficult subject, putting in this time and effort will likely pay off in an acceptance letter coming your way in the mail.
By taking these steps and others such as participating in extracurricular activities, your college application will be one of the best a college admissions office has ever received.