Genuine efforts stand out from crowd
Print Edition
Application statistics for college or university admissions can seem daunting; but you know what they say about statistics, you can make them say anything you want.
The numbers are certainly part of the picture, but applicants also need to be looking at what they are offering and what makes them a good fit in order to stand out from the crowd.
Of course, you can’t get away from grades; they have to match what the university is looking for and perhaps even exceed that. Work hard, do your best and get the grades you deserve.
The quandary is, if everyone is applying with similar grades, how do university admissions staff differentiate? How can you make sure that you offer that something special? This takes time, it’s a slow burner and it happens because you are genuinely committed to learning, you love it and you are fascinated by what you are learning. If this is true then you are already half way there; universities want people in their classrooms who are interesting and interested.
People who are successful are often very reflective; so reflect on what you are enjoying at school and what demonstrates that interest.
Perhaps you love economics and attended a lecture in your own time and that helped you look at the subject from a new perspective. Perhaps you went on to make cross curricular connections, too, and so no longer looked at your subjects in isolation.
Reading is also crucial. If you read to expand your knowledge beyond the school curriculum, then you are showing the admissions tutor that your academic enthusiasm is not confined to the classroom.
Someone truly engaged in her physics lessons will be looking for ways to find out more, they will be questioning and looking at the latest research in their key area of interest. Form opinions about how your reading and school work connect and how this adds to your level of comprehension. A true literature buff will read the classics as well as modern literature and a budding lawyer will be looking at the news and current affairs to see what is happening and how this might help them gain an appreciation for the complexity of issues.
Interested in a career in medicine? Then get some work experience, show the university staff that you have an understanding of this demanding profession from your own experience with patients, clinical situations or caring environments.
Love your business classes? Start up or join an enterprise group, put the theory to the test.
If a particular university is where you see yourself, then look at what their professors are researching, listen to their podcasts, and look at articles about their research on the university website.
Of course it isn’t all about academics. When you start your university life, you are becoming part of their community. If you are involved in activities that demonstrate great personal qualities, then the admissions tutor will see that you are also responsible, trustworthy, collaborative, a leader or any number of positive characteristics that an activity that you are committed to might show.
So, you don’t have to be one in a million; but you do need to be genuine. Be interested, reflective, a reader; make connections, keep current and be able to discuss thoughts and ideas. This can of course happen in the classroom, but it can also happen on the school bus, around the dinner table, in a café wherever and whenever.
Finally, don’t wait for the university applications to start. Pursue those enthusiasms now and enjoy all that this approach brings; not just to your applications and your studies, but to life. It’s great being interested!
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