The Intangibles that Move Admissions Officers
The Intangibles that Move Admissions Officers
Success is as much built on character as it is on intellect. We see this in the stories of the world’s most successful people. Bill Gates, principal founder of Microsoft, started The Giving Fund with Melinda Gates and Warren Buffet to inspire fellow billionaires to donate at least 50% of their wealth to charity; so far, they’ve gathered 190 pledges.Indra Nooyi, CEO of Pepsico, wrote personalized letters to the parents of her executive team to thank them for the value their children bring to the company. When a Telsa factory saw a higher number of injuries among workers, Elon Musk committed himself to personally speaking to each person who was hurt to learn how things could be made better. Gates, Nooyi, and Musk adeptly rally people around their vision. In addition to having the intellect to create and execute novel business ideas, they inspire the same innovative, motivated, and thoughtful spirit in others. The secret sauce to their success is in many ways comprised of the same ingredients that move admissions officers as they evaluate students’ applications: gratitude, positivity, servant leadership, humility, collaboration, teamwork, social engagement, and compassion. Though admissions officers aim to be as objective as possible, they want to connect with applicants as fellow human beings and invest in students that demonstrate potential to positively contribute to those around them. And this potential is found in a person’s character as much as their test scores and grades. The good news is that you do not have to be a perfect saint to get into college—we are all works in progress! However, you can find opportunities to exercise these qualities. Let’s take a closer look at important characteristics that move admissions committees.
Gratitude & Positivity
Whether students come from the most privileged backgrounds or from the most impoverished situations, showing gratitude for the good things of life demonstrates maturity. No one in the world is completely free from disappointment and heartbreak. Each person faces her own set of challenges. If you are in the middle of a trying situation, it is much easier to talk about the difficult things you encounter rather than to count your blessings. Yet, being able to do so exemplifies a strength of character that is very attractive to admissions officers. College can be stressful with its many demands. If you are someone who remains thankful and upbeat even in less-than-ideal situations, then you will be a bright light to your peers when they feel pessimistic. As you sit down to write your personal essays, especially if it the prompt is about overcoming challenges, be sure to frame your story with a tone of gratitude rather than complaint. Practice ways to be thankful in your daily life—such as giving your teachers thank you cards at the end of the semester or even keeping a running list of daily things you appreciate. In the end, these habits you build will shift your mindset in a positive direction and set you up to tell engaging stories for your college applications.
Servant Leadership & Humility
It’s not hard to find college applicants who have held some type of leadership position—especially hopeful candidates for elite universities. Most serious students have run a club, founded a project, and had an influential voice in some way in their school or community. Rarer are the types of student leaders who pour themselves into serving and uplifting others. Their goal revolves not so much around dictating what happens but around meeting the needs of people. They invite classmates to join projects they start, delegate tasks so each person can grow in important ways, and allow teammates to take the reins when appropriate. As a student leader, think about how you can exercise these qualities. Find opportunities to empower others—including any constituents you serve and classmates you work with. Consider how you could contribute to their benefit and then act on it. In college applications, you will have plenty of space to toot your own horn via the activities list or resume. Feel free to list all your awards and accomplishments there, but approach your essays with humility, focusing on the impact you made on others as well as people’s influence on your development.
Collaborative & Team-oriented
Along the same lines, admissions officers seek students who can work well in a team. In college, there will be many opportunities to collaborate with classmates—whether it is planning a campus event for a club or studying for an upcoming math final. Being able to overcome differences in opinions, listen to others, and contribute your strengths and ideas to a group both fosters your learning and the learning of your peers.If you do not have many opportunities to work alongside people, start study groups with your classmates for difficult classes. Your peers will appreciate someone spearheading them, and you will give material for your teachers to work with when they write your recommendation letter. Don’t shy away from the messiness of teamwork. See club or class projects as moments to sharpen your collaboration skills. It’ll help prepare you for the many team-oriented projects you will take on during college, summer internships, and throughout your career.
Socially Engaged & Compassionate
Admissions officers seek students who demonstrate community engagement and compassion because it is evidence that they will contribute positively to the student body experience. And in a world where there is much injustice, turmoil, and inequality, admissions officers may see students who are passionate about uplifting their community as good soil to invest in. It has become popular to do volunteer work for the sake of college applications or to meet community service requirements, but admissions readers can tell from a mile away if a student had genuine, committed interest in an issue. Be truly socially engaged. Identify something that you care deeply about, and then find ways to address it. It does not have to be volunteer work per say, but you should be committed to using your passions to benefit others. Bake sales, supply drives, and other fundraisers can be a great way start but remember to take it a step further by learning about the stories of the people you serve, forging connections that leave a lasting change on you.These small steps will build in you the character traits that move admissions officers, setting you up to succeed not only through the application process but also through college and life.
The expert admissions consultants at Wise World Prep have helped hundreds of students maximize their potential of being admitted to their top choice colleges and universities. Over 20 years, we have successfully guided students through each stage of the application process – from choosing competitive high school courses to building an appropriate college list to drafting winning essays to writing persuasive update and appeals letters. We would be happy to answer your questions and partner with you to create a successful admissions roadmap.
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