What Are Universities Really Looking For in Students?
The published admissions statistics of top US universities can paint a pessimistic picture for students and their parents. Harvard and Stanford have hovered around 5% acceptance for years — down from over 10% at the turn of the century. Application volume has far outpaced the growth in admission offers, and the trend is the same across most selective universities.
But this competition can be reframed positively. It pushes students to think more carefully about their futures and to begin degree and career exploration earlier. Too often we meet final-year high schoolers with no clear sense of which degrees, let alone careers, they would consider. Making informed decisions earlier in life is almost always more ideal.
Top universities now expect students to be excellent both academically and personally. Strong grades and test scores are a hygiene factor — necessary but no longer differentiating. The well-meaning quest to be "well-rounded" by collecting a bit of every sport, club and service hour also misses the point. Universities want passionate students who will positively impact the world. They look for well-rounded student bodies, not well-rounded individual students.
Finding your "hook"
How do you stand out from every one of your high school peers? What is unique about you that universities will find interesting and engaging? This usually forms the basis of your core US application essay, which needs a strong personal narrative.
Finding the hook can be hard, because it often requires a sense of where you want your career to go. Exploring different industries from early in high school is critical — through summer programmes, internships and work-shadowing opportunities, with parental support.
One of our recent students who gained admission to Stanford was a semi-professional pianist who also explored her academic passion for biology and medicine through several university summer programmes — alongside stellar grades and SAT scores. Her deeper focus on a more limited number of things made her stand out and demonstrated genuine passion. She had been planning ahead and executing for years before her final school year.
The lesson: funnel down your degree and career options as early as possible, then plan and execute on how you will discover and develop your passions. That is what maximises success in today's environment.
We wish you all the best in your exciting quest.