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Avoid These 5 Common College Application Mistakes

22/09/2023•7 minute read

So you've set your sights on the Harvard, Stanford, and MITs of the world. You’re ambitious, accomplished, and you want to make an impact. But with more qualified candidates than ever applying to college, getting into these academic powerhouses is extremely tough. One mistake could get your application rejected in favor of another.

In this blog post, we're diving deep into the real mistakes that even the brightest students make when crafting their Ivy League and top college applications. Don’t worry, we won't leave you hanging. We'll make sure you know how to avoid these college application mistakes — and what to do instead.

Mistake #1: Addressing the Personal Statement to a specific school

Let’s clear this up: On the Common App, the Personal Statement is a reflection of you personal qualities and broader priorities. It’s the essay that goes to every school. The Supplemental Essays are a college’s way of assessing whether you’ll be a good fit at their particular school.

While you could theoretically change your Personal Statement after submitting it to each university, we strongly recommend NOT doing that. Instead, use the Personal Statement as an opportunity to help admissions officers understand who you are and the impact you wish you make on the world.

Do this instead: Use your Personal Statement to focus on insight or takeaways from a personal experience. Show humility and reflect your capacity to struggle with — and ultimately conquer — difficult concepts.

*For more tips and examples on writing your personal essay, grab our free eBook *How to Write the Perfect Personal Statement.

Mistake #2: Trying to sound intellectual

Admissions officers want to get to know the real you — not a fancy character you think you need to play. They know you’re a senior in high school, and they aren’t expecting you to have the vocabulary of a doctoral thesis on quantum field theory.

If you really do use a rich, elaborate vocabulary in your everyday speech, then sure, use it in your application essays. But randomly substituting simple words for smarter-sounding ones you found in a thesaurus isn’t impressive — it’s off putting.

Do this instead: Say things the way you would normally say them, and your authenticity will shine through. When it comes to telling a compelling story, conversational words are best.

Mistake #3: Not ordering activities by importance or category

Imagine handing someone a jigsaw puzzle with no picture on the box to guide them. Chaotic, right? Admissions officers are sifting through thousands of applications, seeking the right pieces to fit into their college community. They’re also pressed for time, with most spending less than 5 minutes on each application. Your job is to make it easy for them to find the most important pieces of your puzzle.

Your activities section is an opportunity to tell a story about yourself. Careful ordering and categorization can guide the admissions committee through a narrative that showcases your growth, passions, and what you can bring to their university community. This can all get lost if you don’t properly order these experiences.

Do this instead: First, identify your most significant and impactful experiences. Ideally, these are activities that show initiative, leadership, and impact. List these activities in order of importance, starting with the most important at the top. If you’ve won any impressive awards, particularly at the national or international level, those should absolutely be at the top as well!

Alternatively, you could group similar activities into categories. For example, you might have categories like "Leadership," "Community Service," "Sports," and "Arts." This structure helps admissions officers see your versatility and dedication.

Mistake #4: Not demonstrating interest in that PARTICULAR school

You may be worried about whether a school is going to choose you, but they’re also wondering whether you’re going to choose them back. Colleges factor their yield rate into admissions decisions. That is, the percentage of accepted students who decide to enroll at a university. Yield rates affect college rankings, so admissions officers prioritize students who seem ready to commit to their school.

Luckily, there’s a section on your college application designed to help you demonstrate your interest in a particular school: the Supplemental Essays section. Common supplemental essay prompts include questions like “Why this college?” Take the opportunity to include specific details about the academic programs and student activities that attract you to that school. Admissions officers will know right away if this is a stock answer that you’re sending around to all of your target schools.

Do this instead: In your answers to the supplemental essay prompts, look for ways to show that you have done your research about this particular school. Show that your values align with those of the university. Help the admissions officer imagine you as a valuable addition to their campus community.

*For more tips and examples on writing your supplemental essays, read our blog post *Everything You Need To Know About The Supplemental Essays.

Mistake #5: Not using the maximum number of characters to describe activities.

Characters on your college application are a precious commodity, and every one counts. Admissions officers need to know as much information as possible — especially when it comes to the impact you’ve made in your community or the world. The thought of not using every last character available to you makes our college admissions counselors cringe!

Do this instead: When writing your activity descriptions, summarize your responsibilities and the outcomes from your activities using direct and specific language. You can use abbreviations if they’re widely used and easy to understand. If possible, use numbers or other clear points of reference to directly measure your impact. If you find yourself stopping with characters to spare, you may not be demonstrating impact effectively.

Here’s an example of three activities list items from a successful admit to Dartmouth:

President, Best Buddies International (WY Chapter)

Spearheaded music therapy initiative; raised $3000 for therapy for students w/ disabilities; facilitated and developed 100+ mentor-buddy relationships.

Violinist, Chicago Youth Symphony Orchestra

Selected through rigorous audition process; prestigious Chicagoland youth orchestra; 14+ free community concerts for public schools; weekly rehearsals.

President, WY Freshmen Mentors

Organized annual freshman orientation (500+ new students) and BBQ; coordinated team-building activities; paired new students to peer advisers.

Notice that this applicant went way beyond stating the title and responsibilities involved in each activity. They included numbers that demonstrated the impact of their efforts. Details like “rigorous audition process” and “weekly rehearsals” demonstrate the time and effort that went into these activities.