How to stand out with a boring application

Applying to College
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From what I know about applying to top colleges, students should write a cohesive application that showcases their genuine interests while standing out and demonstrating excellence/passion. I’ve also heard that having niche interests like crocheting or whatever is good because it’s something most people don’t have.

Most of my interests are pretty standard, and this is reflected in my extracurriculars. I play a sport, do an instrument, and have a bunch of different activities related to my major. While my activities are genuine and (I think) represent me well as a person, none of them is particularly unique. I demonstrate excellence in all of these things, but I’m certainly not the best (or close to it). So how can I stand out while having a pretty run-of-the-mill application?

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Engaging, well-written essays and short answer questions. To the extent that any of the colleges have their own short answer questions, make sure you’ve researched the college, its mission/values and try to reflect those in your answers.

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You may want to check out the answers from our expert from our boot camp from earlier in the week:
https://talk.collegeconfidential.com/t/cc-bootcamp-understand-the-admissions-process-live-session-w-ivy-league-potential-on-aug-19-at-7pm-et/3671927/

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Many students have somewhat standard applications. Spend time developing the best possible common app and supplemental essays, get LORs from teachers who know you, display interest (even interview) at colleges where that matters (look at common data set), apply to a good mix of reach, match, and safety schools that appear affordable, and you will be fine.

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Hey e_w_13, don’t worry about “niche” interests being the only way to stand out! Here’s the thing:

  • Depth over breadth: Focus on showcasing your passion and dedication in your existing activities, not just listing them. Highlight leadership roles, achievements, or unique projects that demonstrate your impact.
  • Focus on the “why”: Go beyond the activities themselves. What drives your interest in music, sports, and your major? Connect your passions and show how they shape your goals.
  • Impact beyond activities: Volunteer work, community involvement, or even a summer job can showcase well-roundedness. Highlight experiences that demonstrate transferable skills like leadership, teamwork, or problem-solving.

By focusing on depth, personal connection, and well-roundedness, you can make even “standard” activities shine!

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Everyone is unique in their own way but everyone’s EC list isn’t.

You’ve been the best you that you can be. Follow your passions. You cannot control who will accept you.

You can only put your best foot forward.

All schools will have far more like you than the person who crochets.

Control what you can - bring the best, most passionate and sincere, you.

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My two cents is when it comes to activities and such, a lot of kids are overly focused with “impressing” college AOs, which is extremely hard to do, and not focused enough on “interesting” college AOs, which is way easier to do. Indeed, most AOs are the sorts of people who find kids inherently interesting, because they wouldn’t want to do the job otherwise. So they really WANT to find you interesting, you just have to help them out.

OK, then I think even if kids kinda get the idea of being interesting, they sometimes think that means they have to do something really unique. Again, it is very, very hard to do something truly unique, so that is not a very promising path.

So what is the alternative? I think it is useful to start with the old point about showing and not telling. Meaning you want to show you are an interesting person, not just tell the reader that you are interesting in some way.

OK, so how do you show you are interesting without citing unique activities? Well, I think one really useful technique is to think carefully about incorporating really specific, vivid details. “I cooked breakfast,” is not a very interesting sentence. “I cooked a frittata,” is a little better. “I cooked a butternut squash and blue cheese frittata,” is making me hungry. “I rustled up a butternut squash and blue cheese frittata,” paints a dynamic picture of your cooking process. And so on.

So my bet is if you take some time, including time to go away and come back, with things like activity descriptions, relevant essays, and so on, you can “punch them up” with more specific and vivid details.

My last note is just that if at all possible, you have to have a positive attitude toward yourself. You ARE an interesting person! I don’t know you, but I know you are, because I have not met a kid yet that I did not find interesting once they opened up a bit and started talking without a lot of filters about something they actually care about. I know it can be challenging to convey that in an application, indeed it can feel risky to even try. But I know it IS possible for you, and your readers will appreciate getting to see that.

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Some of the best, as in most interesting, essays are about the most mundane things. They can show who you are as a person.

The essay is the part of the application that allows you to be a human, not an assembly of stats. Think about using that real estate for that, and that alone.

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I was going to suggest that you be genuine, and do what is right for you. However, it sounds like you are already doing exactly that.

Playing a sport is good. Playing a music instrument is good.

For those of us who did attend a highly ranked university (or two), it might be difficult in most cases for us to know why we got accepted. However, it is much easier to notice that after graduation we got a job, worked alongside graduates from a very wide range of universities, and no one cared where any of us got our degree. Similarly, in attending a highly ranked graduate program, we might notice that the other students in the same program had graduated from a very wide range of universities.

This comes up a lot on this web site. The same advice gets repeated: Apply to safeties. Keep your budget in mind and try to minimize or avoid debt. Look for colleges and universities that are a good fit for you. This will work out.

This is a very good idea. On any given application, if you can explain in a genuine way “Why is this college/university a good fit for you” then I think that one way or another this will come across in your essays and will help you chances for admissions. Of course this also increases your chances of getting to attend a university that really is a good fit for you.

But you can do very well in life with a degree from any one of a very wide range of colleges and universities. This will work out one way or another.

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It sounds like you are having a great high school experience. I hope that the competitive stress that sometimes shows up in certain environments, is not present in your school. And try to ignore it here on CC.

There are countless great schools that will be happy to welcome you. I suggest you take a look at the Colleges that Change Lives website. Colleges That Change Lives (ctcl.org) Many state universities have great programs. And you can look at “little Ivies” as well, depending on grades.

A likable, engaging essay can help in some cases. Do you work in the summer?

The kids I know who had your activities in high school did fine with admissions.

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If your application is genuine, and represents you well as a person…that is what matters.

You don’t have to be “unique” in any other way.

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To stand out with a standard application, focus on the depth of your involvement and the impact you’ve made in your activities. Highlight unique experiences or challenges you’ve faced within these activities that shaped your perspective or growth. Use your essays to connect your passions to your future goals, demonstrating how your experiences, even if common, have uniquely prepared you for success in college and beyond. Authenticity and a clear narrative that ties your activities to your personal story can make even the most standard application stand out.

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You can stand out by being yourself and not worrying about not having crocheting on your app.

There’s a well known post here on CC. https://talk.collegeconfidential.com/t/the-original-average-excellent-student-graduates-today

I wrote it about my own kid, who sounded a lot like you. She is now living her best life in a job she enjoys, paying her own bills, traveling when she can, investing time in her relationships, and generally doing what all parents hope their kids are doing by the time they are out of college for a few years.

Be genuine. You don’t have to have a burning passion as a high schooler to do well in college and beyond. The beauty of your college years is that you are still able to explore whatever interests you.

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It depends on where you apply. If it’s an ivy league, it’s impossible to stand out. If it’s your home state university, you could get a full ride scholarship in an honors program, which is a tangible accomplishment you can put on a job resume.

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