CoAs the school year comes to an end, many students have to think about the next stage in their lives. There are a couple of options open to you at this point: start your career earlier, go or vocational training or, apply to colleges for higher education. Those of you who are more academically driven and decide to get a higher education will have to worry about admissions into the college of your choice.

Every year there is a multitude of students applying to colleges in hopes of pursuing your dream college. However, you may fear that because there are so many people applying, there may be some who have more of an edge than others, thus increasing their chances of acceptance.

At the MBA Center, we will give you 6 effective tips to stand out during college admissions.

Hone your academic skills

The foremost thing that will affect your college application is your academic transcript. Schools not only look for students who have done well but have challenged themselves in high school; these are the ones who are likely to succeed in college-level courses. The key here is to think way ahead of time. We’re talking 9^thor 10^th grade. Being part of the honors society, taking Advanced Placement (AP) or International Baccalaureate (IB) classes will show college reviewers that you are someone who will face the academic challenges college throws at you.

Make your essays vivid

According to experts, while choosing a topic to write their college essay, the student should focus on capturing a specific moment in their lives. This will help the reviewer get a sense of who the student is as a person and then decide whether they are a good addition to the institution.

Thus, we suggest that you should take an instance in your life that you feel defines your essence as a person. Try to build on that instance and tie it in with different arguments as you try to convince the admissions officer of your ability.

Take up extra-curricular outside of school

While its good to take part in non-academic school activities such as playing football, being on the cheer squad or being in the theater club, you need to realize that most students do this. Chances are that most of your peers are in those clubs with you. This doesn’t mean that you have an edge over them. Perhaps what would be better is to explore avenues that aren’t being chosen by other kids. These could be going for internship opportunities, doing activism or a part-time job.

When a reviewer sees that you have internship experience, they realize that you are someone who takes themselves seriously and wants to succeed in their life—it sends a message that you will take your college-level courses seriously as well. Similarly, if you have experience in activism, they will see you as someone with good people skills since you were able to organize and work with a large group of people. Since college students are typically interested in activism and giving back to their society, someone with your passion is invaluable to them.

Manage your online presence

Admission officers are thorough in conducting background checks. They are likely to check you out on social media platforms to get a better sense of who you are as a person. This is the time to delete any inappropriate content off your profiles. You should instead take this opportunity to boost the strength of your applications.

Consider recommendations carefully

Most colleges ask you to submit teacher recommendations or recommendations from your employers. Make sure you give due consideration to who you ask for a recommendation. Try asking a professor who has taught you more than once since they will be able to mention your growth as a student— talking about how you overcame any issues you faced during your enrollment.

Show your work

It’s always helpful to know your prospective college’s mission statement and goals for the student. You can mention these in your personal statement or college essay. Furthermore, it is good to make relationships with people on campus before you apply. That way you can engage in namedropping in your application and interview. This will make the reviewer feel like you are really interested in joining their institute for higher studies.