1. Many universities ask you for your intended major when applying. This is never binding, of course, but it does help the university get an idea of what kind of paths you’re considering. Even if you’re unsure of the major you chose, you should frame your application in a way that helps you look strong in that field- you can always change your major to anything you want once you are accepted into the school. Based on your extracurriculars, recommendation letters, coursework, and essay topic, you paint a picture of what kind of person you are. Your intended major helps tie it all together to portray what kind of student you’ll be. For example, if you were to say your intended major was Computer Science, you would want STEM coursework to fit that profile, extracurriculars along the lines of Robotics or coding programs, and recommendation letters from teachers or advisors in that field. 

2. Universities want to see you go above and beyond. This means doing the unexpected or exceeding expectations, and being able to display it on your application somehow. Every applicant to a prestigious university has an impressive transcript and holistic extracurriculars. But universities want to see you take initiative yourself in something, not just be part of groups. Perhaps this can be in the form of starting a club or program by yourself that has a positive impact in your community or school. Maybe it’s an invention you came up with or a personal impactful project that you led. This kind of resume feature stands out and helps you convince application reviewers that you are unique in their applicant pool. 

3. Showing interest in the schools you are applying to are important. A simple phone call to the admissions office can go a long way. As long as you make sure to mention your name when you call with application questions, they will note it, and when application reviewers go to search any affiliations you have with their school, they will see records of your past communication. This shows that you are interested and eager to apply; universities obviously want to accept students that will actually attend their school. Due to COVID, it is inaccessible to tour most universities, though in regular conditions, touring would also be a strong sign of interest. However, many schools offer virtual tour options, so make sure to check if you can register for those. 

4. If your transcript conveys that you struggled in any fields, try to take initiative to show that you’ve improved in those fields, if possible. The easiest route for this would be simply improving your grades in that subject over time, but if you are already in the process of applying to colleges, it is likely too late to make that kind of difference in time. Once again, universities want to see you take initiative, and you can do so in this case as well. If there is a program or activity outside of school that you can join related to the subject you struggled in, or perhaps a personal project along the lines of #3, then this will show universities not only that you value improvement, but also that you take initiative. 

5. If you are a social media user, make sure your profiles display the kind of character that universities would want to accept. This doesn’t necessarily mean having to be super strict and only post-professional things, but you don’t want to be profane. In fact, if application reviewers look at your social media, it can help show your personality outside of being a student or college applicant. This personality should appear to be friendly, of course, and can help show your non-academic interests, filling out a larger picture for the application reviewers as to who you really are.