College Admission Officers Are Sharing 29 Of The Worst Reasons Why They Didn't Accept A Student

Getting accepted to university—especially if it ranks among the top educational institutions in your country or worldwide—doesn’t happen by chance. Hard work really does pay off when we’re talking about applications. It’s a long-term project, too.

In essence, getting into college is similar to applying for a job that you desperately want. Your extracurricular activities, volunteering experience, ambitions, confidence, and charisma all play a vital role in helping you stand out from all the other candidates. The main difference, however, is that obviously grades still play a vital role when trying to get into college. They matter quite a bit, though I’d argue that who you are as a person and your drive hold far more weight when it’s time to make a decision.

Your journey toward the university quad doesn’t begin during your last year in high school. No! It starts further back, as soon as you enter through your high school’s gates. What you accomplish over the years can reflect very positively on you or actually harm your chances of getting into a good school.

If you spent the last four years lazing about, odds are, you won’t become a studious and energetic student the moment you start your undergraduate degree. (That’s not to say that people don’t change—they do; however, this takes longer than we’d like.) What you can do, however, is manage your online presence to present yourself in the best possible light.

Good grades and a portfolio of philanthropic and extracurricular activities don’t appear overnight out of nowhere. They take time, dedication, and—in my opinion, most importantly—passion. Volunteering at your local soup kitchen will look great on your college application and resume alike, however, don’t do it just because it’s ‘expected’ of you or because you believe that’s how you’ll end up getting into a prestigious higher learning institution. That’s simply lying to yourself about your priorities.

Instead, focus on the causes that you truly care about because you can only fake your interest in something for so long before everyone’s aware of the truth. Perhaps you’re interested in helping protect the environment or advancing a social cause in your local neighborhood. Or you might be into helping shelter animals or even supporting your town’s football team as a quarterback.

Once you find your true passion, you’ll be singing an entirely different tune about your activities beyond the classroom. And no college admission officer will be able to resist your desire to change the world for the better in your unique way. But it has to be genuine.