College. The thing that perhaps most high school students are worried about. Many students, especially upperclassmen, have taken many steps in order to set themselves up for the best chances to attend prestigious colleges, but how much can students really control their chances, especially with schools with 10% or less acceptance rate. During the selection process, colleges would look at the applicants GPA or grade-point-average. If they pass the GPA cutoff, the schools would look at the applicant’s extracurriculars and essay in order to decide if they are fit for the school. My brother attended Blake and managed to get into Northwestern, a very highly regarded college in Illinois. So, what are the things me and other students would be able to control to get into our dream colleges other than just grades?

One thing that students can control right away is what round of admissions they choose to enter for a school. Most students typically choose between the early decision and regular decision rounds. The acceptance rate when applying early is quite a bit higher than regular, which means that it is easier to get in if you apply for that round. However, the drawback for applying early is that if you get accepted, you have to attend that school. This means that students who have a very particular school that they want to attend and meet or exceed the typical grades and extracurricular requirements may choose to apply early in order to have the best chance of attending that particular school. In addition to applying early decision, there are still many more ways to improve your chances during your school years.

College counselor Jim Mahoney encourages high school students to find themselves and the passions they want to put their full effort into. He recommends, “For the first couple years of high school, [take] new classes and [be] open to new experiences as well as getting the most out of the relationships with friends and with teachers.” Mahoney continues saying, “Colleges look for students who can thrive within their community, one thing that they (students) can control is pursuing areas of interest that actually interest them and finding rigor, depth, and challenge in the things they love.” There are tons of different applicants with the same stats in terms of grades and extracurriculars, it is key that students pursue their passions and create uniqueness compared to the other applicants, which would set you apart from other applicants with similar grades and such. However, you, the student cannot fully control who the colleges choose, and unfortunately rejection to favorited schools happen.