Ten Underrated Tips for College Applications

1. Be yourself! This tip is first for a reason. You are the one applying to colleges, so it’s crucial that they get to know you as a person!
2. Be marketable! More than anything else, you really want to sell yourself here. It’s vitally important that you come off as the ideal student to attend each college you apply to. Consider watching advertisement campaigns for inspiration! “Got Milk Me At Your College?”
3. Maximise your GPA starting freshman year! The trick here is to load up on as many AP classes as possible, but prioritize ones that you think you will succeed in. By taking easier APs you can reach the highest possible weighted grade point average. If you’re a senior already… Well, maybe you’ll invent time travel later on.
4. Take your hobbies to the highest level! It doesn’t really impress anyone that you enjoy playing the ukulele. Is there some sort of national ukulele competition you could enter instead? (and win, obviously)
5. Be vulnerable in your essays! Colleges want to hear about your most intense struggles. Maybe by exposing your deepest wounds you can justify that one B or that sub-1600 SAT score! (Probably just give up now if you have both.)
6. Don’t make yourself look bad! It’s okay to have some hard times, but make sure that every experience only made you better, because if everything makes you better, then you’ll be the best.
7. Be enthusiastic! You do actually want to go to college, right?
8. Don’t look desperate! You need them, and they don’t need you, but they already know that, so…  Let’s not remind them. You want to get in, but you’ll (hopefully) be fine without them.
9. Avoid cliches in your essays. Statistically, you’re probably just like everybody else. Don’t take it as an insult, it’s just the truth! Let’s not show that in your essays though. Admissions officers are reading thousands of applications, and you’ll just be another blip in their memory if you don’t write a stand out essay.
10. Don’t be pretentious! It’s good to be smart, but nobody likes a know-it-all. Try your hardest to stand out, but don’t walk around acting like you think you’re special. 

And that’s it! With these simple recommendations you should have no trouble at all getting into the Ivy Leagues!