I spent most of Monday doing my duties as an academic judge for a local Junior Miss pageant. Deciding who'd earned the highest academic achievement scores (which is based on qualities like strength of schedule, GPA and test scores) was a lot like being a college admissions officer.  For example…

1.  I'm impressed by the kid who takes hard classes, even if she doesn't get A's.  And if you take easy classes and gets A's, I have to wonder why you didn't challenge yourself more. 

2. If you take AP classes, you should take the AP tests.  Not taking them makes me wonder why you didn't. 

3. The PSAT is a practice test.  I'm more interested in how you did on the real thing (the SAT or the ACT).

4. When a school ranks its students, it makes my job easier because it's a nice shortcut.  But I don't need that numerical rank to figure out who the highest achievers in the class were.

5.  Transcripts, GPAs and test scores don't tell me anything about who you really are.

So let me just riff about #5 for a second.

I was only judging one thing–academic achievement.  I wasn't trying to decide if each candidate deserved to win the entire contest.  So in that way, my role was much different from that of an admissions officer.

Still, I couldn't help thinking how lifeless transcripts and test scores are.  That's why the essays in college applications are so important.  That's why you can't waste that opportunity by writing a safe, unrevealing essay about how your trip to France taught you to appreciate that foreign countries are different.  In fact, it would have been hard not to resent (a little) the kid who writes that essay. 

Your college application can't just be a lifeless stack of paper.  You should use your essays to inject your personality and maybe even a little soul into the process.  When you get that opportunity, don't waste it.  Use it.

We often see students at Collegewise who tell us that they want to be doctors someday.  If you're thinking about medicine as a career, here are few things to keep in mind as you pick your colleges (from our guide, Is there a Future Doctor in the House? The Collegewise Guide to Choosing a College and Preparing for Life as a Premed).

1. You probably won't be a "premed" major.

Not many colleges offer a major called "premed."  Premed just means that you intend on applying to medical school at the conclusion of your college career.  You can be an art major and still be "premed." 

2. You don't have to be a science major to go to medical school.

You have to take the sciences classes that are tested on the MCAT (Medical College Admissions Test), but you can major in anything.  A music major can go to medical school if she takes the required science classes.  So you should major in something you enjoy.

3. You don't have to go to a famous college to go to medical school.

Just because you go to a famous college doesn't mean your chances of getting in to medical school improve.  You'll simply need to be successful wherever you attend college.   

4. It's important to evaluate the premed advising on campus.

Some colleges' premed advising "departments" are just one biology professor who holds advising hours once a week. Other colleges have robust programs, with dedicated advisors, peer mentors, workshops, and even application assistance when you eventually apply.  Tiny Juniata College has one of the highest acceptance rates to medical school of any four-year college because their advising is so good.  Look at what they offer as an example how good premed advising can be.

5.  You need to interact with people.

You won't get into medical school if you spend four years dividing your time between the library and the laboratory.  Medicine is a profession built on communicating and interacting with other people.  Get involved in activities that involve working in teams, teaching, mentoring or leading other students.  Start now.  Don't wait until you get to college.   

6. Readers and writers tend to make good premeds.

The more you read and write, the better communicator you'll be.  That's why successful medical school applicants take courses that involve substantial reading and writing.  They don't hide out in science courses all the time. 

7.  Have other interests besides the sciences.

It's great if you love science (most future doctors should).  But medical schools like students who have other non-science related interests, like playing the drums in the marching band, being on the swim team, or writing for the campus paper.  Be a real person with hobbies and interests that don't necessarily tie to the sciences, and continue developing those interests once you get to college. 

8. Practice the art of initiative.

Do you regularly participate in classroom discussions?  Do you visit your teacher after class to ask questions?  If you want to get involved in something, are you comfortable sending an email, or picking up the phone, or knocking on a door to pursue that interest?  You'll need to do these things to be a successful premed.  Practice the art of initiative while you're in high school so you can use it to be more successful once you get to college.

9.  Don't become a premed just because your parents want you to.

"He is interested in medicine," or, "She really wants to be a doctor" are phrases we sometimes hear from parents.  It's never a good thing to be a passive observer in your own education, especially for a path as demanding as medicine.  If you want to be a doctor, think about your reasons why, proudly declare what they are, and start taking steps to pursue that goal.  But if your parents are more interested in you being a doctor than you are, it's better to be honest with them then to reluctantly immerse yourself in the life as a premed.    

10.  Don't just say that you "…really want to help people."  Do it. 

When asked why they want to be doctors, a lot of premeds answer, "I want to help people."  If you really have a passion for helping people, you won't wait until you're a doctor to do it.  In fact, you'll go out of your way to help those most in need.  You won't just volunteer at a hospital. You'll volunteer at a mobile health clinic that goes to the poorest part of your city to give free medical care, or find another way to serve others out of a sense of mission.  If you really want to help people, start now and show medical schools later how important that mission is to you.

And if you'd like more advice about how to choose a college and prepare for life as a premed, we wrote a guide called "Is there a Future Doctor in the House?" where we discuss:

• What can you do in high school right now to prepare for life as a premed? (It’s not just volunteering at a hospital—lots of people do that.)

• What are the right colleges for you to have a successful premed career? (Just because a college is prestigious doesn’t mean it’s the right school for a premed.)

• Once you get to college, how can you make sure you’re not one of the 60% of premeds who are rejected every year from medical school?

It's 44 pages, sold as a downloadable PDF.  You can get your copy here.

When something or someone is too polished, it's hard to trust them. 

When I hear a politician on the news evade the real question and give a polished, rehearsed answer, it doesn't encourage me to change my vote.   

I'm much more likely to buy a product that has open reviews online from customers, both positive and negative, than I am to buy one that has a glowing testimonial from one hand-picked fan. 

When I interview someone for a job at Collegewise, I like it when they give real answers, when they're confident enough to tell the truth even if they make a little fun of themselves.  When our former college softball pitcher who struck out all the batters admitted that she also went 0-16 at the plate during her freshman year (way to own it, Katie!), I knew I wanted her to work here. 

Colleges are the same way when they evaluate applicants.

When you apply to college, it's much more important to be genuine than it is to be polished.  Be proud of your accomplishments, sure.  But more importantly, just be proud of who you are.  Make your application and essay sound like you.  Admit what you like along with what you aren't good at.  Let your personality come out.  Your application is not a marketing piece–it's a reflection of you.  It needs to have some soul. 

That's why we don't over-edit essays–they sound like the 17 year-old who wrote them.  It's why we'll encourage a student to be honest rather than to try to guess what colleges want to hear.  We want students to be who they really are, not some manufactured-to-perfection version of themselves. 

It's easier for colleges to trust you when you're genuine than it is when you're just too polished.

With all the talk about what colleges look for in applicants, it helps to remember that college is school first. 

Yes, colleges care about your extra-curricular activities.  They care about how you're going to make contributions to the campus.  They like it when your interviewer finds you personable, and when you show interest in the campus, and when you tell engaging stories in your college essays. 

But none of that is as important as how you demonstrate your likelihood of being an engaged and successful student in college.  And you do that with a rigorous high school curriculum, good grades, and a demonstrated interest in learning. 

An admissions officer is far less likely to be impressed by reports of your pitching arm if your academic work is substandard.  They'll find another applicant who can throw a good fastball but also has rigorous classes and good grades.

"My grades dropped because I was so committed to my extracurricular activities" is not a phrase that's going to move most admissions officers. 

A good audition, a letter from an influential alumni, a hundred hours of community service–those things are fine, but they won't make up for academic shortcomings.  

I'm not suggesting that you bury your head in the books and refuse to come up for air for four years.  Enjoy your activities.  See your friends.  Have fun.  Get enough sleep.  Commit yourself to things you enjoy.  Occasionally do things that have nothing to do with college admissions or improving yourself.  Goof off every now and then.  Be a nice person to teachers and to other students.  Fill your high school years with emotional growth and good memories.

But while you're doing those things, challenge yourself academically and work hard to meet those challenges.  And feed your intellect by learning more about the subjects that interest you most.

Your academics are the first place an admissions officer will look to assess your academic readiness for what college is first–school.

 

I worked with a student once who had all the characteristics you need to get into the most selective colleges.  Perfect grades, perfect test scores, a voracious appetite for learning, an excitement about all the opportunities waiting for him in college, likeable, self-effacing, and most importantly, he had a little–just a little–swagger.

I say "a little" swagger because outright arrogance is never a good trait.  But a student who's actually smart enough, motivated enough and hungry enough for the challenges of attending a highly selective college has a sense of confidence about him or herself.

Getting into college is a lot like dating.  Nobody likes the meek person who pines away for someone from afar.  Confidence is contagious.  People want to be around it.

The kid who applies to all the Ivy League schools because they're "good schools" doesn't have any swagger.  He's pretending he does by applying to only reach schools, but he's really just hoping one of them says yes. That's like asking 10 beautiful women to the prom and acting confident while you do it.  Everybody knows you're just hoping for one to agree to go with you.  It's really more desperate than confident. 

The kid who worries that his life will be over if Princeton says "No"?  Guess what–no swagger there.

The kid who makes all his decisions in high school based on what he thinks Stanford wants?  Nope–no swagger there, either.

The kid who works like crazy because he wants to be successful at whatever he tries, the kid who gets A's but really just wants to be challenged and intellectually stimulated as much as possible, the kid who can't wait to go to college and knows that wherever he ends up, both he and the college will be equally lucky–Now, that kid's got some swagger.

My former student showed his swagger during one of our meetings when he said,

"I figure if I can leave college with a degree in electrical engineering and four years playing division I water polo, I'll be unstoppable."  It wasn't arrogant–he was right. 

He didn't say, "If I get into Stanford..."  He knew his future success wasn't predicated on him attending a highly selective college.  He knew he was going to do it.  That's swagger.

And like all of our students who've attended highly selective colleges, there was no doubt in my mind that this kid was going all the way.

He went to Stanford and today is thriving at a capital management firm.  I don't understand a single word of his job description, but I'm sure he does.  

If you want to get in and succeed at one of those 40 famous colleges that reject most of their applicants, you'll need a little swagger.