Crafting a Cohesive College Application

The purpose of a thorough college application is to give the admissions committee a complete picture of an applicant. Typically, it’s required that an application form, a transcript, test scores, letters of recommendation, and essays be submitted in addition to any supplementary materials. Creating a complete and cohesive story with this diverse body of materials is a key part of the application process. 

In admitting students, each college is looking to build a diverse, yet complementary student body. It is thus increasingly important for students to compile an application that highlights both who they are as a student and as a person by drawing together all their application materials. Each component should reenforce or speak to another, forming a comprehensive narrative. 

Here are some pointers that will help your student bring cohesion to their application so that they can present themselves in an accurate and thoughtful way:

 

Create a Cohesive Story

Whether your child is a mathlete, athlete, or talented actor, their application should reenforce that story. Use the different writing opportunities to highlight their interests and reiterate their commitments to ideas, activities, or areas of study that appear elsewhere in their application. Draw lines between resumes and transcripts. Help the admissions committee understand your child’s journey and choices. While a connection between coursework and volunteer work may be obvious to the applicant, showing their awareness of it is also a great way to illustrate a student’s maturity and thought process. 

“My daughter wrote her main common app essay about her relationship with her brother and other kids with special needs...She then connected that to volunteer work she did in high school with kids on the autistic spectrum who were looking for the same connections all high school kids are looking for.” -- Versed Advisor

 

Include Significance

Don’t assume an activity is too small. Dance groups, sports teams, all extracurriculars and out-of-classroom activities of all sizes speak to who a student is. Be sure to write clubs, hobbies, whatever speaks to your child’s interests into their application. This may include interests that both you and your child discredit as an “real” interest. It could be a passion for baking on weekends or fixing cars every summer. Even activities that don’t come with an official membership are still of interest to admissions committees. Pastimes don’t have to be royally decreed in order to be considered good enough to include alongside Model UN or Robotics Club. 

 

Explain Inconsistencies

Essays can be an opportunity for students to expand on the different data points of their application. They can be the thread that ties the less obvious or seemingly random interests together, like a school trip that led to a volunteer opportunity. 

"Parents often say that their student has no interest, but what we often see is that parents are only focusing on certain types of interests. One student spent a lot of his free time learning about cars and electronics (what he does for fun, and what parents often overlook as legitimate interest). There is a lot that can be done marrying his interest in cars and electronics with is his academic interest (environmental science), in seeking out possible internship opportunities, participating in environmental clubs and starting up initiatives (electronics recycling, bringing awareness about alternative fuel cars, etc.)."

--Min, Versed Advisor/Founder

Essays can also be used to create understanding around poor semesters or lower grades. Whether it’s a sports injury or a personal loss, it’s better to be upfront and clarify instead of distract. Self-awareness can be as valuable as certain letter grades if wielded correctly.

 

Show Strong Character

Even students with proven skills and talents should have other elements of themselves in their application. Colleges want not only good students, but also good people. Good citizenship, strong ethics, integrity, and morality are strengths that admissions committees look for in applicants. Think about how to highlight your child’s values, ideas, and principals in each application. Discuss interests and passions that speak to who your child is as a person and what they bring to their community, not just their classroom.

 

If you are interested in speaking with one of our Advisors about crafting the right college application, you can schedule a free consultation here.

 

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For additional information and insights, check out our blog: 

5 Simple Tips to Writing a Great College Application Essay

How to choose colleges to apply to

5 Ways Parents Can Better Support Their Children During the College Admissions Process