In working with high school seniors, I have been shocked by how many of my incredibly talented clients are unable to highlight their accomplishments on college applications. The baseball team captain, the flute section leader, the president of several clubs and the cheer team captain all struggled to give themselves props. It may feel like showing off. In this age of social media, you may also feel guarded and may not want to brag. However, this is the time to shine!
Highlight all you have achieved in your activities list. You have 150 characters to detail what have accomplished.
- First, search your mind for anything you have done in your high school career. Did you have leadership roles? Did you win any awards? Did you volunteer, even if it was a cancer walk or church event? Think beyond your sports, theater academic, and music clubs.
- Make a list of all the things you have participated in. Often showing several activities around a theme shows your true interests and you may not realize all you have done.
- Begin to describe each activity use very strong words to describe the event. Rather than say what role you had show what you did in that role. For example, instead of just saying, “I was captain of the team” you could say “I held the position of team captain, I trained daily, led meetings, mentored new players, and collaborated with teammates to achieve a winning season”.
- List the activities in order of importance and group together like items such as created a make a wish club then next list a similar event such as organized a cancer walk.
Be sure to use all of the allotted characters to tell the many ways you have made an impact. This will allow the readers to see your amazingness