The story offers advice from several types of applicants: the long shot with an interesting hook, who was admitted to his dream school, despite being discouraged by his college counselor; the strong candidate who didn’t get accepted to the reach schools and and didn’t have a suitable back-up; the aspiring Ivy League applicant who didn’t properly proofread the application and was rejected.

Advice: Have a backup plan, don’t get scared off by long odds and remember to carefully proofread.

• Maximize Your Mileage on High School Activities

• Getting Accepted: What Colleges Really Care About

Was it a fluke? Unfortunately not. College admissions officers will tell you that gaining admission to highly-competitive schools takes more than having academic credentials that would place you in the top half of the freshman class. Intellectual curiosity, great grades and high scores are not enough. In fact, at the top schools, most academically-qualified applicants are rejected. There are simply not enough places in the entering class. Harvard, Yale, Princeton, Stanford MIT, Brown, Columbia admitted fewer than ten percent of all applicants.

So, who gets in to the most selective colleges and universities? For the most part, admitted students fall into one or more of these three categories: (1) students who can bring something “special” that the school desires; (2) those with exceptional promise; and (3) academically-qualified legacy applicants.

Most successful applicants are also perceived to have a strong interest and fit with the institution.

If you lack exceptional promise (perhaps you are not an Intel Scholar or the author of a best seller), your best strategy is usually to distinguish yourself in a manner that admissions officers may consider desirable.

Just how do you make yourself special? As a college consultant, I encourage students to focus on quality over quantity. We look for the opportunity to pursue (with gusto) one or two interesting projects, activities, and/or areas of research where the student can showcase some combination of leadership, character, determination, intellectual curiosity, talent, heartfelt interest, creativity, problem-solving and/or communication skills, maturity and ability. The “hook” should be genuine and be a good fit with the student’s interests and abilities. A hook can also be developed to either offset an area of perceived weakness or to create positive differentiation.

An example of a complementary strategy would be for a student interested in engineering to pursue a project that involves motivating people and/or writing.

Your special project or activity need not be expensive or require travel. In fact some of the best projects can be pursued in the local community or via the Internet.

As an example, one of my clients was dismayed by the lack of intercultural harmony at her public high school. She endeavored to improve the situation by bringing together students to share her love for gardening. She founded a community garden project and encouraged diverse participation. She described her experiences (positive and negative) in various college application essays and was thrilled to gain admission to a number of the most selective colleges and universities.

Often, it is not at all obvious what this sort of activity or “passion” should be. There is no right answer. Rather, it takes a combination of ardent thoughtfulness and a trusted sounding board to elicit ideas that are both exceptional and sincere.

In the instances where a student has come to me as a rising senior, the challenge has been to identify and integrate an activity that hopefully has already started. It is far better to plan for this as a sophomore or early junior year, when there is ample time to put a plan into action. This is not a guaranty of success, of course, but it could be the difference between being “Admitted”, or merely being “Impressive”.

Author: Lynn Radlauer Lubell is the Publisher of InLikeMe.com, and the Founder of Admission By Design, a College Consultancy, based in Boca Raton, Florida.

Shelley D. (’10) – Strive for the best recommendations. Teacher evaluation can be a really important factor in admissions. Make an effort to get to know teachers who will give you high ratings. Take a look at the Common App teacher evaluation form to see the general criteria. The most helpful recommendations are often written by junior year teachers who know you as both a student and a person.

Miguel F. (’09) – Make sure you have good raw material for your application essays. Check out some application essay prompts for colleges that interest you, along with the Common App. Example: Write a concise narrative (500 words) describing a meaningful event, experience or accomplishment in your life and how it will affect your college experience or your contribution to the college community. If you don’t have good stuff to write about, think about finding a new activity, project, community service, or job that you can write about.

Amy L. (’08) – Beef up your resume. Almost all applications ask for your extracurriculars, volunteer activities, community service work, employment, special talents and awards. Unless you are already very active and successful, think about finding some new activities that interest you and get involved. Colleges are especially interested in leadership. It really helps if you have some sort of attractive “hook” that sets you apart from other applicants.

Danny R. (’09) – Get a Job. Colleges seem to like ambitious students with demonstrated discipline. I worked as a waiter starting at 16 and was an assistant manager when I applied to college. The college interviewers seemed more impressed with my job experience than my A average.

Becky W. (’10) – Prep for the SAT, ACT and Subject Tests. At my high school it was pretty easy to get good grades, even in the hardest classes. But, the kids who got into the best colleges were the ones who did well on the entrance exams. Unless you have something amazing to offer the college, the SAT and ACT seem to be an acid test at a lot of schools. If you get started early enough, and take your studying seriously, you can really raise your scores.

Nancy S. (’10) – Shoot for honors and awards. At the beginning of junior year, I asked my school guidance counselor about the honors, awards and scholarships that recent graduates had received. Wow. I had no idea there were so many opportunities besides National Honor Society. I entered writing contests & the science fair, applied for local book club awards, and tried for best student honors in some of my classes. I batted well below 50%, but filled every line in the honors and awards section of my college applications.

Andrew C. (’11) – Read Challenging Articles. My parents hired a college consultant who suggested I read articles from the Wall Street Journal, New York Times and Economist. I didn’t take it seriously at first, but looking back on things, it was the best advice. My reading scores went up from the 75th percentile to the 95th, and I’ve learned about so many new areas that interested me. For the first time I was exposed to business and economics, which I am pursuing as a dual major in college.

Jennifer R. (’09) – Sign up for the SAT and ACT. When my parents were young, high school kids applying to colleges in the northeast hardly ever took the ACT. Most of those colleges didn’t accept it. That’s not the case anymore. The ACT has become extremely popular at my school. It’s more of an achievement test and less tricky than the SAT. Some kids do much better (in percentile terms) on one test vs. the other. I think my high ACT scores helped me stand out.

Erica M. (’10) – Research & Visit Colleges. After you check out some schools, in person or on-line (Unigo.com is really good), you’ll start to develop your own preferences. The earlier you figure out what’s important to you, the more time you’ll have to get to know colleges that could be a good fit. During a family vacation in New England (sophomore year) we toured a few colleges nearby where we were staying. I hardly expected to fall in love with one of the schools and be living here a few years later!

Joey B. (’11) – Get up to Speed on Scholarships. I was a solid student looking to attend a private university without incurring a lot of debt. My counselor told me about merit scholarship opportunities. I focused on schools known to be generous with merit money, where I would be considered a desirable candidate . The Common Data Set was really helpful along with information in the Scholarship Room at my high school. It took some effort, but it was well worthwhile. I had a number of excellent choices to pick from. Now that I am interested in graduate school, I am especially happy to be going to college almost debt free.

If you have helpful advice, different from what’s already been covered, and you’d like it to be considered for publication, please contact InLikeMe.

Merit aid – grants, scholarships and tuition discounts, awarded without regard to financial need – is available to students from wealthy families and those with modest means.

According to the National Association of State Student Grant and Aid Programs’ (NASSGAP) 38th annual survey, merit aid comprised more than 25% of the $9.3 billion of state-funded aid during recent years. Billions more dollars of merit aid are awarded annually by colleges, universities, endowments and other groups.

During recent years, a number of public and private colleges have stepped-up their merit aid programs to attract top students. At some schools, the growth in merit-based aid has outpaced need-based aid in an effort to attract affluent students with higher board scores who will improve the school’s profile and its potential ranking on the various college lists. Many of these students have less than perfect GPAs.

You can learn about merit aid opportunities from colleges and universities (check the school’s web site or contact the admissions and/or financial aid office), your guidance counselor and state aid agencies. The National Association of State Student Grant and Aid Programs (NASSGAP) provides links to State Aid Agencies. 

Scholarships are another source of merit aid. Non-profit groups, corporations, foundations, community organizations, wealthy individuals, religious groups, civic clubs and affinity groups award hundreds of millions of dollars annually. 

Consider these scholarship guidebooks, they can help expedite your efforts.

• Scholarship Handbook 2012 (College Board Scholarship Handbook)

• Kaplan Scholarships 2012

• The Ultimate Scholarship Book 2013: Billions of Dollars in Scholarships, Grants and Prizes

• Scholarships, Grants & Prizes 2012 (Peterson’s Scholarships, Grants & Prizes)

• The Scholarship Book, 13th Edition: The Complete Guide to Private-Sector Scholarships, Fellowships, Grants, and Loans for the Undergraduate

• The Everything Paying For College Book: Grants, Loans, Scholarships, And Financial Aid — All You Need To Fund Higher Education (Everything: School and Careers)

• The Sports Scholarships Insider’s Guide: Getting Money for College at Any Division

• How To Win A Sports Scholarship

• Getting Financial Aid 2012 (College Board Guide to Getting Financial Aid)

• Maximize Your Mileage on High School Activities

• Getting Accepted: What Colleges Really Care About

The idea of having to be number one in the class or even in the top ten may be important in terms of high school accolades, but it really is not that important to the universities. Statistics, even on the university websites, may suggest otherwise, but one needs to look between the numbers. Many high schools are small and may have only one person intelligent enough to apply to the best schools. So putting that piece of information behind you, it is important to figure what really is most important to the universities in terms of quantifiable statistics.

Number one by far is entrance exams — SATs and ACTs. There is merit to the argument that it often does not reflect true intelligence, especially with test prepping and time limits. Regardless, there is no other real standardizing tool that universities have to use. School grades matter and colleges want to see that you are getting As and Bs, but with so many schools and different ways to measure grades, schools have little trust in the validity of school grades aside from the schools that they have long standing relationships with.

That being said, the test scores are not overly important to universities because they know about the reasons stated above. What they want to see is that you are smart enough to handle the course load that university throws at you. If they see that in your scores, then you past the first step.  Next, there are AP scores and SAT Subject Tests.  If they know that you are smart from your SAT score, then they want to see how you utilized your intelligence with college level material.  Success on these exams is a larger predictor of university success to them than just about anything else.

From there, they look at essays, recommendations and the interview. They want to know more about the applicant as a person. This is just about their only insight into the applicant’s character, and it is a vital part of the process. Finally they look at activities, awards, leadership and such. For the few great athletes or students with other tremendous accomplishments, this final step will trump other shortcomings; but by and large, this is the least important aspect of the process. It is still important to have both quantity and quality in these fields, but a little perspective into their probative never hurts.

Applicants often imagine that they need a checklist of sorts to fill out in order to sound good to the universities. I need: one sport, one leadership activity, a community service project, after school clubs and so on. Although this system has merit, is very practical and is often recommended, it lacks a differentiating concept. More than being well rounded, or great at a few things, what makes the difference is having a story.

The story does not need to be about tragedy or overcoming tremendous adversity. In fact, you probably have the makings of a great story without even realizing it. It can be a philosophy on how you view yourself and your life, it can be an interest that may or may not have developed into a passion. The truth of the matter is that even if you are less impressive than some of the other candidates in terms of any or all quantifiable categories, there is a human element to the process. The admissions committee wants people who they feel like they know; candidates that have provided insights into who they really are. This kind of openness and candor can go a long way to overcome other shortcomings.

Wrapping your interests and activities into an interwoven story about you is the best sort of college essay. Tons of people are on student council and varsity teams, but that doesn’t always translate into a story on paper about a candidate who is going to thrive and contribute in a university setting. A story is what sells, and you are selling yourself to the reader.

* Author was accepted by several “most selective” colleges and universities.

Applicants often imagine that they need a checklist of sorts to fill out in order to sound good to the universities. I need: one sport, one leadership activity, a community service project, after school clubs and so on. Although this system has merit and is a very practical and often advised method, it lacks a differentiating concept. More than being well rounded, or great at a few things, what makes the difference is having a story.

The story does not need to be about tragedy or overcoming tremendous adversity. In fact, you probably have the makings of a great story without even realizing it. It can be a philosophy on how you view yourself and your life, it can be an interest that may or may not have developed into a passion. The truth of the matter is that even if you are less impressive than some of the other candidates in terms of any or all quantifiable categories, there is a human element to the process. The admissions committee wants people who they feel like they know; candidates that have Provided insights into who they are. This kind of openness and candor can go a long way to overcome other shortcomings.

Wrapping your interests and activities into an interwoven story about you is the best sort of college essay. Tons of people are on student council and varsity teams, but that doesn’t always translate into a story on paper about a candidate who is going to thrive and contribute in a university setting. A story is what sells, and you are selling yourself to the reader.

* Author was admitted to several “most competitive” colleges and universities.

An approach generally unused but very practical for students aiming at particular universities, is to actually look at the applications that need to be completed and what categories and criteria are required and to what depth.

Very often people get involved in all sorts of high school activities intended primarily to boost the resume. This action all though well intentioned and with potential life benefits, may or may not help at all. More specifically, some schools want to know your top 6 activities and less than 50 words on your role; some schools, want exclusively your activities, your position and your awards and no other details; some schools give you room to elaborate as much as little as you wish. Point being, no matter what variation, the individual university applications rarely change and often you as a future candidate can adjust your direction or goals to have a story to tell and throw yourself into something that may be very time consuming and contribute nothing to the application.

Reading the applications in advance has other benefits as well. Some applications have essays that want to hear about you specifically. It may want to know about a leadership role or something that you have created, or they may ask a crazy hypothetical question that demands you to draw nothing from past experience. So applicants who wish to not do much more than they need to, you need no more and no less than what is required. Someone may have 10 examples of leadership and be much more impressive about those roles in person, but when an application asks for one example in less than 100 words, as long as you have good story, you look the same or potentially even better.

Different applications demand different depths and may ask for more or less things, so it is fooling try and fit oneself to exclusively one application and not have examples for different scenarios. That said, many students realize when filling out the applications, just how many things they did that could not be expressed to the college. As a general rule, a student striving for the top universities should have a two or three things that they were heavily involved in and then a few others that they were in. Also, it is important to write down a list over time of ones accomplishments because often in the middle of senior year, it is difficult to recall all things done two years ago.

Read the applications in advance so you can have a plan as to how and paint a picture of you to these readers. Nobody sees you in person, all they can do is read what you wrote. It is flawed system in many ways, but if you understand that coming in and are able to use it to your advantage than you have a leg up on everyone else.

* Author was accepted to several  “most selective” colleges and universities.