Art teachers, critics, etc. want to see a body of classical art technique from a student. Still life, figure drawing, drawing from nature, from life, basic core stuff. Google about art portfolios for college. Look at AP Art grading samples below. Educate yourself on what is being looked for. There is plenty of info available on the internet to learn from. All art training focuses on developing a fundamental skill set of classical training. Most of the most stylistic famous artists will have solid classical training. (or in the case of artists like Basquiat, their complete originality comes into play)
http://apcentral.collegeboard.com/apc/members/exam/exam_information/220194.html
Make efforts to get some art training and/or create art outside the manga/anime realm.