Top 7 Ways to Make You Stand Out on Your College Application

The real key is to differentiate your college applications in order to stand out amongst the crowd. Here are 7 things you can do to show colleges how special you are:

  1. Leadership experience: Don’t just join an organization. Lead one! Whether it’s a sports team, an after school club, or the arts, take the lead. Being a team captain, club president, or lead role shows colleges that you’re not just there to only participate. You’re there to take charge and make a positive impact!
  2. Work & volunteer experience: During the school year, it might be hard to work at a job if you’re doing other extracurricular activities. However, volunteering is an easy and flexible way to demonstrate your willingness to go the extra mile and show that you’re passionate about a certain cause. Not to mention that it feels good! Over the summer, try and find a part-time job. Not only will you make some extra money, but you’ll be able to show colleges that you are reliable and capable of working in a professional environment.
  3. Awards, honors, & scholarships: Are you really good at a specific subject or skill? Have you done something unique or notable? Getting recognized for these types of talents is a great way to make yourself stand out. Plus, you might get an extra plaque to hang on your wall at home. Secondly, apply for scholarships! Scholarships are a great way to earn credibility and show that others recognize your actions and believe in your potential. Not to mention they often include monetary benefits.
  4. Additional resources: Supplemental materials such as letters of recommendation or art portfolios are great ways to show off your talent, passion, and what makes you unique.
  5. Skills: Do you speak another language? Can you code? Are you great at reading maps or charts while hiking? Can you ride a unicycle? Let universities know what you can do and what you can bring to their school. Feel free to brag a little bit and let them know why you’re so special.
  6. Pick high school classes accordingly: If you think you might already know what you want to do later in life, or if you want to try something out, take advantage! If you like engineering and think you might want to pursue that field in college, try out your high school’s engineering elective. After all, universities will be more likely to accept you if you’ve demonstrated interest and gained some experience in the field to which you’re applying. Similarly, if you think you know what you want to study in college, challenge yourself and take an AP class in a potential field of interest. Trust me, it helps to knock out some introductory courses in high school if given the opportunity.
  7. GPA: Lastly, do your best. Your GPA is one of the main components that goes into college admissions decisions. Take as many honors, AP, or IB classes as you can manage to show that you’re capable of taking on a challenge. Even if it means you’ll earn a slightly lower grade in the class, you’re showing that you can deal with higher levels of work and are not afraid to go beyond your comfort zone. Also, some high schools weight these types of courses differently so that earning a lower grade does not hurt your GPA as much. And earning a higher grade helps you even more!

 

Source: https://www.greatvaluecolleges.net/college-prep-tips/standout-applications/

ACT Essay

REDESIGNED SAT ESSAY

ACT Reading

New SAT Reading

Connor Barth

IT Team
Connor is a senior Electrical Computer Engineering student at the University of Rochester. He is currently employed as a IT Consultant at the Simon Business School. His main interests include computer technology and wireless communications. As the son of a college professor Connor not only enjoys the benefits of an engaged educational experience, but also understands the importance of learning and finding the correct educational environment. Connor looks forward to using his skills, passion and experience to help the ConnectPrep team succeed.

Yiyuan Wu

Data Analyst Team
I graduated from University of Kentucky with a bachelor’s degree in applied mathematics. I have tutored Algebra and Calculus I for undergraduate students throughout my undergraduate years. I am currently studying statistics at Rutgers University. I have a deep passion for education and believe that my mathematical and statistical skills can help improve the quality of education greatly.

Sam Callis

Social Media Team
Sam is a junior at the University of Rochester studying History with a minor in English literature. He has a deep passion for education and hopes to work in the field for the rest of his life.

Borja Rojo

Development Team
Borja Rojo is an Electrical and Computer Engineer at the University of Rochester, ’17, and also studies Computer Science and Audio Engineering. He has a passion for starting projects from the ground up and becomes inspired from reverse-engineering many kinds of systems. Now, he is helping design a portable ultrasound system to help with medical imaging on-the-go. Apart from his academics, you might see him designing a video game or recording his latest song. Here at ConnectPrep, he will be working on creating a web-based platform that automatically generates questions for students to study with and practice their skills.

Philip Fenimore

Development Team
Philip is an undergraduate at the University of Rochester studying Computer and Electrical Engineering. He enjoys realizing ideas through coding, like creating a 3d interactive environment with C# and modeling complex mathematical systems with Matlab. Philip is excited to work for ConnectPrep, using his set of skills to maximum effect on the data analytics team.

David Giannella

Development Team
David is attending the University of Rochester, pursuing a BS in Physics and Astronomy as well as a minor in Computer Science. He has gained knowledge of a number of programming topics including application development, data structures, and rendering. David is eager to use his programming skills to help ConnectPrep vault onto the web.

Matt Dombroski

Development Team
Matthew currently attends the University of Rochester studying for a degree in Computer and Electrical Engineering. He loves to design and build anything that catches his interest, from using only digital logic chips to construct a calculator or verilog code to design and test a CPU. He has also lead one week long science camps for the past two years, teaching young kids the basics of chemistry, physics, and electricity. Matthew is excited to put his talents and interests to use in helping implement the data analytics and graphics engines for ConnectPrep.

Jon Aho

Development Team
Jon is a Electrical and Computer Engineering student at the University of Rochester. He’s been coding for nearly 7 years, and has a number of comprehensive software and hardware projects under his belt. Currently employed as a Research Fellow at his university, he also works at implementing the ConnectPrep Analytics website.

Jon Aho

Development Team
Jon is a Electrical and Computer Engineering student at the University of Rochester. He’s been coding for nearly 7 years, and has a number of comprehensive software and hardware projects under his belt. Currently employed as a Research Fellow at his university, he also works at implementing the ConnectPrep Analytics website.

Deanna Thompson

Data Analyst Team

Deanna recently graduated from the University of Rochester with a BS in chemical engineering and legal studies minor. During her time as an undergraduate, she served as a writing tutor, speaking tutor, trained prospective tutors, and eventually served as the tutoring group’s president. Deanna is excited to work for ConnectPrep, continue to assist the tutoring process, and use her engineering background to help develop ConnectPrep’s analytic programs.

Jason Altabet

Analytics and Social Media Team

Jason has always had a thirst for education, whether it be for himself or for others. He is currently training to be a public speaking tutor for his university colleagues and, in addition, plays a central role on the Committee for Political Engagement, where he works to educate the student body on all matters political. At ConnectPrep he serves as the point man for social media, but when he gets the chance likes to try his hand at everything from analytics programming to web development. In his spare time you can expect to find him practicing fake law as a member of his school’s mock trial team, promoting class council initiatives, or working on his soccer “skills.” Jason currently attends the University of Rochester, majoring in Economics and Political Science.

Scott Luntz

IT Team
Scott is a senior at Purdue University studying Cybersecurity.He works with the IT team and has a passion for Internet security and threat detection. His goal is to use his knowledge in information technology to improve vulnerability analysis and fix any potential cyber issue before it becomes a problem.

Michelle Fine

Director of Operations
Michelle spent several years of her career in the fashion industry, learning about emerging trends in marketing and various aspects of planning a wholesale business. Michelle has had several opportunities to work directly with students, and her most recent transition into the field of education was inspired by her devotion to investing in the future of our youth and the fulfillment she experiences in this pursuit. She is eager to bring her experience and skill set to ConnectPrep to help all students reach new heights. Michelle graduated from the University of Florida with honors.

Kevin Bretthauer

COO
Kevin is the co-founder of Connect Prep, specializing in technology and online services. Kevin is an Oregon native and Stanford University graduate. He has years of experience working in sales and marketing in the petroleum industry and has managed projects involving the promotion of bio-fuels and emissions reducing products. When he’s not working, Kevin enjoys playing golf, traveling, and watching college football. He has a passion for education as well as creating interactive educational software that will be able help more students reach their educational goals.

Jeremy Fine

CEO

Jeremy is our education guru. He has years of experience working as an educator with students of all ages, using cutting-edge academic and test-prep curricula to take learning to a new level. He has helped students score in the top percentiles on SAT’s, ACT’s, and receive top marks in many academic subjects. He brings a wealth of knowledge to our company, with a dynamic vision for innovation and market growth. Jeremy earned a BA from Washington University in St. Louis and an MPA from the University of Pittsburgh.

Overview of New SAT changes: