Preparing For College Admission is getting more and more tricky as Colleges and Universities get competitive. If you are a student, or have a student, in junior high or high school, you’ve probably thought about college and whether or not you’re qualified. The truth of the matter is that most students are not going to get accepted to their first choice school. Either they’re not taking the right courses, not getting involved in enough extracurriculars, or simply haven’t done their college research and aren’t preparing for college admission.

Today’s college-bound students face the toughest and most competitive admissions in our country’s history. More and more students are going to college, and university admission standards are being raised as a result. As more and more students get denied from their top choice schools, it’s important to know a few aspects that can drastically help you gain admission. Let’s take a look at a few!

1. Grades – Obviously, grades are the single most important factor to a college when deciding to offer acceptance. But more importantly, what is a student’s specific grade within a specific subject area? For example, if you apply to the School of Engineering at the University of Illinois (one of the best programs in the country)and don’t have outstanding grades in both math and science, you will be denied!

Colleges are looking to see that you have the potential to take on the workload and academic rigor of their school/programs. If they don’t see it, you’ll have a hard time gaining acceptance. Yes, schools will look at overall grades and test scores, but the top tier schools will take a harder look and it often results in a denial if you’re deficient in any area. They have to maintain their school’s integrity and if you have the potential to compromise that, they won’t take a chance on you. They want as close to the “sure thing” as possible.

2. Take the Right Classes – Most students are taking a solid college preparatory curriculum in high school. But, if you want to stand out and make yourself look like a hard worker and a good time manager, try taking a higher level course. Advance Placement or Honors classes are probably offered at your school. Inquire about them, find out what they require and enroll in one or two classes if you think you can hack it. But, be careful! Make sure you’re ready for the extra work and time commitment associated with upper-level courses. Biting off more than you can chew will not only hurt your GPA, but it will also hurt your chances at a good college. The upside to this is that the accelerated workload of an AP or Honors course will definitely help in preparing for college admission by showing you what is expected in a college level course.

Another advantage to higher level courses is that some/most schools offer an extra incentive for getting high marks in Advanced Placement or Honors courses. For instance, if you earn an “A” in one of those courses, you could get extra grade points added to your overall GPA, which is a nice little touch when colleges look at your transcript. Check with your school to see what they offer!

3. Get Involved in the Right Activities – There are numerous students out there that have multiple “activities” or “clubs” listed on their high school resume. But, a lot of them are garbage! Don’t get me wrong, it’s great to be involved and have a lot of extras on your transcript. But try to stick with activities that will be impressive to colleges!

What do you think will look better on a transcript?: National Honor Society or Art Club? You got it! National Honor Society is the obvious choice, but why? Academic organizations and activities that display leadership will always be better choices than Chess Club, Drama or being the school mascot! In addition, organized sports are great choices too because they force student-athletes to learn time management, team building and leadership skills. These are all things that colleges look for, but don’t come right out and say it on an application.

These are just a few aspects that can be changed for the better by college bound students. In our next article, we’ll discuss a few more things that colleges don’t tell you but will make a big difference in your application status and in preparing for college admission!