What Colleges Are Looking For

Today colleges and universities are looking for more then students with high GPA’s and high test scores. They are looking for students that will not only succeed with their studies but who will also be a asset to their school and the community they are in. They are looking for students who will be active in clubs, sports, extracurricular activities, community service, or any activity that is good for the school or community. Therefore all students that are thinking about college should start planning as early as they can in high school. You should take every opportunity to be involved in whatever you, but do not think that just showing up is good enough. If possible you should work towards a leadership role. This will show a admissions officer that you are willing to be involved in your school and community.

What Colleges Are Interested In

Grades and Course Selection:

When you apply for college you will be asked to have a official copy of your transcript sent directly from your high school to the college. Your official transcript will show the admissions officer what courses you have taken and what your grades were. Many colleges often will take your grades and compute your grade using their standards, while other colleges take your GPA sent to them. Colleges are looking for what courses you took and if you took classes that were challenging such as AP classes or other advanced classes.

Some students seem to think that if they just get great grades that are all a college wants, so they may just take courses that are not hard so they can maintain a high GPA. Well this kind of thinking is wrong and they will discount your high GPA if they see classes that are not challenging.

What they are looking for:

• English courses: 4 years
• Social Studies: 3 to 4 years including U.S History
• Mathematics: 3 to 4 years plus some schools require advanced mathematics courses.
• Science: 2 to 4 years including lab science, biology, chemistry or physics
• Foreign Language: 2 to 4 years of the same foreign language.


You’re Class Rank:

Admissions officers will look at your class rank while in high school as well as your grades. Admissions officers gain a lot of knowledge about you when they can see more then just one aspect of you grades and how you did compared to other students in your high school. If you want to be one of the students that admissions officers really take notice of then you should take courses that will show an admissions what kind of student you are.

Test Scores;

Colleges have different testing requirements, so colleges will require that you take a number of different tests but generally you will have to submit a SAT or ACT score. If you are a foreign student you may be required to submit your TOEFL score. Your test scores are very important to your acceptance to college; many colleges will look at your test scores to see if you even qualify to attend their college. Many colleges receive hundreds if not thousands of student applications who have perfect test scores, so they have become use to students with perfect scores. So you as a student have to provide more then perfect test scores to stand out among the crowd of applicants.

You’re Essay:

Your essay is one area where you can really stand out and show an admissions officer who you are. Make sure that you write the best essay you possibly can and get help from friends, relatives and your counselor or consultant to read and proof your essay, remember this is where you can shine in a admissions officers eyes. Take the time to learn exactly how to write an essay and make sure the subject matter is exactly what the application states. See writing essays

Campus and off Campus Activities

Colleges are now looking for more then just grades and high test scores they are looking for students who are well rounded and involved in school and the community. The students who join clubs, who are involved in student government, who play sports, who are involved in plays, musicals or other entertainment, and students who are involved with the community by volunteering for worth while causes. Students should also work to show a true commitment to what you are doing within your school or community. You should work toward a leadership position which will show an admissions officer you are more then just committed.


These are just a few of the things that colleges are looking for in a applicant to their college.