What Is the Most Important Factor in College Admissions?
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As you prepare for the college application process, you’re likely asking yourself and your mentors around you, “What looks good on college applications?” It turns out there are quite a few factors that college admissions teams will consider favorably as they review your application.
Follow along as we dive into what those elements are and, most importantly, how a CIEE study abroad program will boost your college application even more.
What Do Colleges Look for in Applicants?
A college application consists of several requirements you’re likely already familiar with. There’s your high school transcript, including your GPA, test scores (if required by your intended school), and all those other components, like the personal essay, supplemental writing prompts, and a list of your extracurriculars.
Read More: Everything You Need to Know About the College Admissions Process
While it may seem like those writing sections and “extras” are time-consuming and tedious at best, they’re actually very valuable.
College admissions teams review applications holistically, meaning they’re trying to get to know you as a whole person and evaluate how your role as a student at their school will impact the institution – beyond just academics. And what is the best way for a team reviewing your application to get to know you? Through those, yes, time-consuming, but essential “extras” on your college application.
Let’s take a closer look!
Academic Honors and Achievements
If you’re part of an honors society, have received any academic-specific awards during high school, developed a research paper, or worked on a similar comprehensive project, make sure to include this in your college application!
It’s important to provide additional information about yourself as a student; what subjects interest you the most and how you take specific academic achievements to the next level will help your application stand out. Don’t be shy about sharing your accomplishments–it’s something to take pride in!
The Personal Essay
When thinking about “What looks good on college applications?” the personal essay is your chance to shine! While this might be the most time-consuming section of your college application, it’s an incredible opportunity to detail more about yourself and the experiences that have helped shape you. And take it from us – a well-written personal essay can really help you stand out from the crowd.
Although you’ll receive a variety of different writing prompts to help you craft your essay, there’s no one specific prompt that you must follow. Remember to write about something impactful and that has meaning to you while also trying to be as concise as possible; most personal essays range from 400 to 600 words. That goes by quick!
Check out some of these Common App essay prompts to help inspire your own personal essay:
- Some students have a background, identity, interest, or talent that is so meaningful they believe their application would be incomplete without it. If this sounds like you, then please share your story.
- The lessons we take from obstacles we encounter can be fundamental to later success. Recount a time when you faced a challenge, setback, or failure. How did it affect you, and what did you learn from the experience?
- Discuss an accomplishment, event, or realization that sparked a period of personal growth and a new understanding of yourself or others.
- Describe a topic, idea, or concept you find so engaging that it makes you lose all track of time. Why does it captivate you? What or who do you turn to when you want to learn more?
And more! If you’re feeling stuck, a quick search on college essay topics will help you. And, as you might’ve guessed, you can always write about your CIEE study abroad experience.
Activities and Other Responsibilities
The opportunity to note your activities and other responsibilities is another excellent way to highlight things you do outside the classroom. Such activities may include sports, dance, theater, jobs, and volunteer opportunities.
Remember: College admissions teams want to get to know you, so include activities and other responsibilities that give realistic insight into your life and personality. For example, students who work throughout high school show a great level of dedication and multi-tasking skills. Include these details to help differentiate your college application from others!
Does Studying Abroad Look Good on College Applications?
Now that we’ve reviewed all those valuable “extras” on your college application, here comes the fun part: How does this all work with CIEE study abroad? And the answer is quite easily, actually!
And spoiler alert: yes, study abroad looks very good on college applications.
To put things in context, when you start preparing for the college application process, you’ll have two post-high school study abroad programs to choose from with CIEE: Gap Year or First Year Abroad.
Read More: Everything You Need to Know About Taking a Gap Year
Read More: What Is First Year Abroad?
Both are excellent ways to see the world. CIEE Gap Year allows for more independent exploration and language-learning while CIEE First Year Abroad includes more structured classroom time (on top of fantastic cultural excursions), and that’s because you’ll be starting college abroad well, first.
Learn more about how these two programs fit in with college: How to Apply for College: A Step-by-Step Guide
No matter where you are in your CIEE study abroad journey, like coming off the heels of a program, preparing for one, or adventuring in an exciting international city as we speak, you can use your CIEE experience to help college admissions teams get to know you on a much more personal level.
What are some other reasons why you should list your CIEE study abroad program experience on your college application? Check out some of our ideas below (and we’re sure you’ll think of even more after reflecting on your greatest adventure yet):
Reason #1: It demonstrates boldness.
It takes guts to go on an international adventure! You’re undertaking a brand-new experience and adapting to unfamiliar environments; college admissions teams will learn a lot about you just by knowing you can take on new challenges and embrace the unknown.
Reason #2: You’ll prove you’re a global thinker.
When you want to study abroad, you’re already thinking about the world. Still, once you partake in an actual international adventure, you’ll definitely think more globally and enhance your cross-cultural communication skills, meaning you’ll learn how to communicate with others from different cultures and backgrounds.
As a global thinker and communicator, you’ll bring value to the classroom, deepening perspectives and more!
Reason #3: You’ll gain many skills.
When you study abroad, you learn a lot about yourself and the world around you and develop some new skills along the way:
- You’ll problem-solve better: Even things that seem as simple as navigating new public transportation systems will hone your problem-solving capabilities.
- You’ll be resilient in new challenges: An adventure abroad won’t always be smooth sailing; you’ll learn to take new challenges in stride.
- You’ll gain a strong sense of independence: Traveling and studying abroad means figuring most things out on your own. Although you’ll always have support, this independence will be invaluable to your college career.
These are all incredible attributes that will make you a stand-out applicant, and really, this brief list is just scratching the surface! Embarking on a journey like CIEE Gap Year or First Year Abroad after high school will be a memorable experience that will help shape you as a person. So please: Don’t forget to include it in your college application! Reviewers will want to hear about it, too.
Read More: How an International Education Will Impress a College Admissions Team
How do you mention a CIEE study abroad experience in your college application? It can be highlighted in several ways, including:
- An academic achievement: Especially if you took some fascinating courses overseas.
- The topic of your personal essay: You’ll have tons to write about.
- Activity or responsibility outside your typical high school routine: Although the world technically becomes your classroom during a CIEE study abroad adventure, you’ll be able to emphasize your experience in a variety of ways including accounts of solo exploration, cultural learnings, and more.
When asking yourself, “What do colleges look for in applicants?” Well, they want to see you. So, make sure to include details about your interests, passions, hobbies, motivations, and even setbacks you’ve overcome to stand out to applicants.
And remember: CIEE Gap Year and First Year Abroad are the perfect ways to emphasize all of that and more.