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Junior Year College Admission Strategy

Develop a student theme for next year’s college applications. A student theme is a clear, consistent and compelling picture of your personality and character. It is a portrait of who you are and what interests you. Your theme should show how your interests, strengths and character relate to your goals and achievements; it should clearly link your interests, activities, and college/career goals.

Your student theme should be a common thread used in every part of next year’s college applications. Incorporating your student theme into all application materials will help college admissions officers focus on your key strengths, what makes you unique, and what assets you will bring to their college community.

For example, a college-bound student may be planning to major in biology with a pre-med emphasis. Ideally, this student’s theme should paint a picture of an enthusiastic student with high achievements/honors in biology and other sciences, involvement with science organizations, volunteer service at a local hospital, and personal gratification from working and helping others. This student’s theme should be included (to the extent possible) in every part of the application including:

• Essays
• Recommendations from adults
• Student Résumé
• Application itself (work the most important aspects of your student theme into the list of extracurricular activities, short answer questions, and leadership questions on each college application).

College admissions officers try to create campus communities diverse in talents and interests. Your student theme should show officers how you will fit in and how their college community will benefit from you being part of the incoming freshman class. Your student theme should demonstrate your individuality, best qualities, and spirit to college admission officers reading your application.

Work with your parents to select and develop a student theme you would like to convey to admission officers next year. Think about your best academic subjects and academic accomplishments, your favorite or most accomplished extracurricular activities, and future college and career plans. To create a student theme, begin brainstorming key words that identify your strengths. Jot down words such as scientist, leader, athlete, writer, responsibility, politics, communication, community service, etc. that indicate your interests and strengths.

This year (and next) work to complete activities and earn achievements to support a long track record of success that supports your student theme.