Distinctive

By Victoria Tillson Evans, Ph.D.

Everyone should do something that makes them happy at least once a day. As The Atlantic’s happiness expert, Arthur Brooks, notes, “[T]here is plenty of evidence that time spent daydreaming and enjoying non-work pursuits can lead to not just happiness but also better work performance and higher creativity.” Yet, not every activity is for pleasure, and many of us enjoy what we’d call “productive pastimes,” or “extracurricular activities.” For those types of activities, namely those that you are doing not just for self-fulfillment, but to build your résumé in a meaningful way for college, you’re going to need to prove their value. 

Provide Proof

Sure, you get to describe your involvement in the Common App’s Activities section in 150 characters or less, but simply saying that you’re a great programmer or enjoy writing poetry is not enough for college admissions representatives. They have to compare thousands of applicants and sift out the stars in a very short amount of time. For this reason, the best way they can do this is through external awards and recognition. If you wish for your talents to be taken into consideration, you need to substantiate your abilities with acknowledgements from others, and those others must come from outside of your immediate social circle (sorry wonderfully supportive family and friends). The larger the number or people who recognize your talent, the higher the level of the competition, or the greater the number of people you are competing against, the more college reps will recognize your talent as an asset to their community.

These forms of validation, or measures of success, can take many shapes. Some options include competitions, publications, festivals, exhibitions, conference presentations, or substantial purchases of your product or services. Sometimes, a letter of recommendation from someone credible who can substantiate your achievements can help. Media coverage is another great way to show that you’ve done something great! But you will need to submit something more than a certificate or your own words to support your claims, otherwise you won’t stand out.

Consider Your Circles of Influence

If you still can’t picture what this means, let’s take the circles of influence as they apply to competitions as an example.

When you compete, the level of the competition matters. Is it within your school, in your local community, at the county level, the state level, the regional level, the national level, or the international level? Winning any competition is wonderful, but if you’re aiming for highly selective colleges, local competitions are really only the start. The more you can push outwards away from your smaller inner circle and out towards a global scale, the more people you reach and the more impressive your achievement is. 

Many parents I speak to are surprised by the large number of students who achieve at the national and international level every year. The reality is that there are hundreds, if not thousands, of arenas where students can compete, from music, art, or athletics, to social initiatives, business, or math. Those who reach these heights and also have strong academic credentials are the ones who find their way into the Ivies and other highly selective schools. It’s the reality of our times and it’s important that you mentally prepare yourself for it.

There are of course gradations within each circle of influence, and you should be mindful of competitions calling themselves “national” or “international,” just because one single participant came from another part of the country or world, or they thought it would make them sound more impressive. You should also be mindful of the qualifications required to earn that achievement. If they aren’t terribly stringent and a lot of people can meet them, the competition or award is probably not that valuable. Let me give you four examples, all of which have the word “national” in their name, but which vary greatly in terms of their value, from “not very” to “incredibly.” They are the National Student Leadership Conference, the National Honor Society, National Merit Finalist, and the National Basketball Association (NBA).

• National Student Leadership Conference (NSLC) – I’m sure that many of you have come across this organization. It is relentless with its marketing and it sends invitations to students to join it for “prestigious” one-week summer programs that cost thousands of dollars. While I wouldn’t call it a scam, since you get something in return for your money, this is not to be considered an honor and it is certainly not exclusive. Whether or not you get one of NSLC’s invitations, almost anyone who applies will be admitted into one of its programs. Plus, you can always find a similar opportunity through a college that may be less expensive and grant you credit, which, in my mind, makes the college-based option better! 
• National Honor Society – Many high schools in the United States have a branch of the National Honor Society. The name implies prestige. The ubiquity suggests otherwise. When you think about who determines your eligibility for this award, you’ll see that this is actually a school-level award, not a national one. While it is always better to join the National Honor Society than not if your school has a branch, it’s not an achievement that will help you stand out at highly selective schools.
• National Merit Finalist – While I have very mixed feelings about the merits of standardized testing given the number of brilliant students I’ve met who are bad testers, becoming a National Merit Finalist does distinguish you as an elite tester. Roughly 0.5% of PSAT takers in a given year receive this award. The College Board identifies semi-finalists in September of their senior year based on that cohort’s junior year test score indexes by state. The College Board then invites those students to submit an application for finalist consideration. Winners can earn scholarship money, too! Just don’t be fooled into thinking that this is a national-level achievement that will seal the deal at an ultra-selective college. While it looks good, it’s not unique enough to differentiate you from all of the other applicants who also have National Merit Finalist status. You can also rest assured that plenty of students without National Merit status make it to the Ivies.  
• National Basketball Association (NBA) – While you may not play basketball, I’m sure you’ve heard of the NBA. Maybe you’ve even been to see a game (or ten) in person! The athletes who find their way into this elite sports league are unquestionably the best basketball players in the United States, if not the world. Only 3 in 10,000 high school basketball players ever make it to the NBA, and only 41 students have ever been drafted to the NBA straight out of high school. If you are one of those 41 students to achieve this kind of offer, you are truly special. This happens less than once a year, but it is one of those exceptional achievements that would make you stand out in the college admissions process (although most people would defer a college education to join the NBA, let’s be honest). This kind of achievement is possible, however, in so many other areas of life: math, biology, gymnastics, rock climbing, chemistry, and the list goes on and on. If you can become the nation’s best, or one of the very best students in your area of interest, then you, too, will stand out in this process.

Adjust Your Efforts or Your Expectations. 

It is not my intention to intimidate anyone or tell you that you must achieve at insanely high levels in order to get into college, but to help you put everything in perspective. I’ve seen students get into college without a single award. That student’s college choices, however, were not the same as those who aimed for highly selective schools. I’m also sharing this information with you in case you’re someone who enjoys playing piano or painting, but you didn’t realize just how high the bar has been set. At least now you can set goals that make sense for you. You may have thought that you would simply send in a portfolio or a link to a website, and let the admissions office see your talent. Now that you know that that’s not how it really works and that admissions reps can’t really make most assessments on special talents on their own, but need others to tell them that you are phenomenal, you can start shooting for opportunities that will allow you to stand out and get the recognition you deserve.