What is the biggest turn-off on a college application?
"I was speaking with an admissions officer from Harvard University.
Well – it was more like I was standing next to her while a student complained:
“I know somebody who did 7 AP classes, a sport, and had perfect test scores. Why didn’t he get in?”
And you know what – why DIDN’T they get in?
As a current student at Harvard – here’s what I think:
They talked too much about their 7 AP classes, their sport, and how they had perfect test scores.
Students think that to get into a top school, you need to impress the colleges with accolades.
I hate to break it to you, but at top schools especially, the campuses will almost never be that impressed with your accolades.
At least, not to the point where they accept you on merit alone.
Mention your research papers, shout about your published books, and brag about your new non-profit. But, if this is all you talk about, it will get you straight into a rejected pile.
Don’t impress with your accomplishments – impress with your personality. Tell the college who you are, what you love, why you’d add to their school and not just take away from it.
At the end of the day, if they rejected you, at least you submitted who you really are – not what your resume says about you."
(Source: https://qr.ae/pNV9t4) Brandon Boies
Harvard Student and College Mentor