It’s hard to be memorable in an application pool when you’ve been reduced to a few
pieces of paper sitting in a stack with thousands of other
applicants. So one of the best things
you can do for yourself is to develop a tag line.
I don't mean that you need a slogan (it's never a good idea to write something like "Got Kevin?" anywhere on your application). I mean that when an admissions officer wants to read your file again and is trying to locate it amongst all the other paper, will she be
able to say something like,
“Where’s that tuba-playing surfer from
“Where’s that journalist who works at her parents’ dry
cleaners?”
“Where’s that female ice skater who also plays on the boys’
hockey team?”
“Where’s the dancer who teaches a limbo class for senior
citizens?”
“Where’s that black belt in karate who can break concrete
with her forehead?”
See what I mean?
The way you make yourself memorable, the way you
separate yourself from the pack, is to distinguish yourself not necessarily as a better or smarter applicant, but as
an interesting one. You are more than your grades and test scores. You
are not the same as the rest of the applicants. You are unique.
But your unique qualities will be more evident if you’re
passionate about what you do, if you love to learn, if you have initiative, and if you're comfortable just being yourself. Don't try to mold yourself into what you think the colleges want you to be. Just be who you already are.
Try it. You’ll probably end up with both a tag line and an admission to college.