“Getting into college has become insanely competitive.”
You’ve probably heard this a hundred times.
Everyone’s talking about how much harder it is to stand out, how top schools reject even the “perfect” students, how you need to build a spike, show leadership, start a nonprofit, win a Nobel Prize (kidding… kind of).
So students like you start doing what they think they’re supposed to:
Join more clubs. Stack more APs. Say yes to every opportunity, even if they’re exhausted or not that into it.
Deep down they hear a voice saying:
“If I don’t do more… I won’t stand out, I won’t get into college, and I will fail the people I love.”
And the more students buy into that mindset, the more they overload their schedules, sacrifice sleep, and slowly lose touch with what they actually care about.
Until eventually, they don’t even remember why they joined half their activities in the first place.
So let’s pause.
If that’s where you’re at—or where you’re afraid you’re headed—you’re not alone.
But you do have a choice.
You can keep chasing every shiny thing that looks good on paper…
Or you can start focusing on what actually makes admissions officers stop and pay attention.
We’ll talk about this next.
What Colleges Actually Notice
Here’s something a lot of students don’t realize:
Admissions officers can tell when you’re faking it.
It doesn’t matter how impressive your résumé looks—if it’s filled with stuff you don’t actually care about, they’ll see right through it.
They’ve read thousands of applications. They know what passion looks like… and what box-checking looks like.
That’s why just “doing a lot” isn’t enough anymore.
Because now? Everyone is doing a lot.
The student who starts ten clubs, volunteers on weekends, and takes every AP under the sun isn’t rare. That’s just… normal.
Which means those things don’t make you stand out. Not on their own.
What does make you stand out?
- When your application feels like a story instead of a checklist.
- When everything ties together in a way that actually reflects who you are.
- When you’ve clearly thought about why you do what you do—and it shows.
Let me give you the example of two students:
There’s the student with the perfect GPA, twelve extracurriculars, and two internships—none of which really connect. It reads like someone following a blueprint they downloaded off Reddit.
Then there’s the student with a part-time job at a coffee shop who uses that experience to explore business, connect with people, and spark a legit interest in entrepreneurship. That student might have fewer “impressive” activities, but their story has depth.
And depth wins.
Because colleges aren’t looking for the busiest applicant.
They’re looking for the one who knows who they are—and why they’d thrive on campus.
That’s where we’re headed next.
Introducing: The Authentic Advantage
So if colleges care more about who you are than how many things you’ve done…
How do you actually show that?
That’s where the Authentic Advantage comes in.
It’s a simple idea, but it’s powerful:
Instead of chasing the most activities, the most awards, the most whatever—you build your application around three things:
1. Self-Awareness
Know what you’re interested in—and why.
Not in some deep “this is my life calling” kind of way. But enough to say,
“Hey, this topic matters to me. I want to explore it more.”
That’s the starting point.
2. Real-World Involvement
Once you know what matters to you, go do something with it.
Start small.
Try something out.
Take initiative.
Get involved in a way that actually helps you grow—not just check a box.
3. Storytelling
You can do cool things all day, but if you don’t know how to talk about them?
It doesn’t land.
The final piece is learning how to express your experiences clearly, honestly, and in a way that helps colleges see the full picture of you.
Think of it like picking a lock.
You work on each pin—self-awareness, real-world involvement, storytelling—one by one. And when they all line up, something clicks.
Your application starts to feel real.
And real is rare.
That’s your advantage.
Best of all, you don’t need to be one of those “I’ve had my whole life planned since middle school” kids to pull this off.
You just have to start paying attention to what actually matters to you—and build from there.
Let’s break down five ways to start doing that.
The 5 Real Strategies That Actually Work
Now that you know what matters, here’s how to actually show it.
These five strategies come straight from working with real students—students who didn’t try to fake perfection, but leaned into who they are and made it work.
You don’t have to use all five.
But even applying one or two can change the way colleges see you—and how you see yourself.
1. Go Deep, Not Wide
The fastest way to stand out is to stop spreading yourself thin.
A lot of students join five clubs, play two sports, volunteer every now and then—and barely show up in any of them.
Admissions officers see that and go, “Okay, but who is this person really?”
Instead: pick 1–3 things you actually care about, and go all in.
Take on responsibility. Start something. Stick with it.
💡 Depth shows commitment. Breadth just shows you were busy.
2. Make a Real Impact (Even in “Small” Stuff)
You don’t need some elite internship to have a standout story.
One student I worked with had a weekend job at a grocery store. Sounds basic, right?
But she trained new hires, created a faster system for checkout, and came up with a way to collect customer feedback that actually improved service.
None of that was assigned. She just saw a need and stepped up.
That’s called initiative and is a skill so rare that it can make you irresistible to most colleges.
💡 What matters isn’t the title. It’s what you did with it.
3. Let Your Real Voice Speak
Your essay isn’t a job interview. It’s a conversation.
Too many students try to sound “smart” or formal and end up writing something that could’ve been copied from ChatGPT. (Pro tip: don’t do that.)
Write like you’re talking to someone who gets you—a mentor, an older cousin, a teacher you actually respect.
Be honest. Be reflective. And don’t be afraid to brag a little when it’s real.
💡 You don’t need perfect words. You need your voice.
4. Show You Belong (Not Just That You’re Smart)
One thing to avoid is trying too hard to prove how great you are, or worse…
Trying too hard to tell them how great the college is.
Both miss the point.
What admissions officers want to know is:
“Why do you and our school make sense together?”
To answer this question you will have to do your research.
Find programs, values, or communities that align with your goals.
Then show how you’d plug into them. Not just academically, but socially, emotionally, personally.
💡 It’s not “Why me?” or “Why you?” It’s “Why us?”
5. Own Your Challenges Without Making Excuses
Being vulnerable doesn’t mean oversharing.
It means showing self-awareness—and growth.
If you’ve faced something hard (personal, academic, social), and it shaped how you think or act, you can talk about it.
Not to ask for pity, but to show how you’ve changed.
One student I worked with struggled sophomore year because of stuff going on at home. When he finally wrote about it, not to explain it away, but to reflect on what he learned, his whole application shifted. He came across as real. Resilient. Grounded.
💡 Colleges aren’t looking for perfect. They’re looking for self-aware.
What Happens When You Stop Chasing and Start Showing Up as You
Something shifts when you stop trying to keep up with what everyone else is doing.
You stop comparing your résumé to some random Reddit post.
You stop wondering if joining that one extra club will finally make you “enough.”
And you start asking better questions:
- What do I actually care about?
- Where do I want to grow?
- What kind of college experience will help me do that?
The minute you do that, everything gets clearer.
You start making decisions that reflect you—not what looks impressive, not what everyone else is doing, but what makes sense for your path.
And the irony of it all?
That’s what actually makes you stand out.
Because most students are too scared to do that.
Too scared to get real, to slow down, to reflect.
But you’re not trying to be like most students.
You’re trying to get in for the right reasons—and to the right school for you.
You Don’t Need to Be Perfect. Just Real.
If you’re still reading this, you’re probably doing more than you give yourself credit for.
And yeah—I know it’s overwhelming.
Everywhere you turn, someone’s telling you to “get ahead” or “start building your résumé” like you’re already behind.
So if you take only one thing out of this whole article let it be this:
The students who actually get into top colleges are not the ones who burn out trying to do everything.
They’re the ones who figure out what actually matters—and focus on that.
And if you need a quick way to start the process I put together a free guide just for students like you.
It’s called:
Chill Out: How to Get Into College Without Doing Everything (or Hating Everything)
It’s a free guide for students in 8th–10th grade who want to get into great schools… without losing their mind (or their social life).
Here’s some of what you’ll find inside:
- Why doing fewer activities (the right way) impresses colleges more than joining every club
- The "permission slip" top admissions officers secretly wish they could give you
- How most successful applicants were doing nothing impressive in 9th grade—and still crushed it later
- Why your B+ in Algebra isn’t the end of the world (seriously, breathe)
- The 3-2-1 system to help you stop overthinking and start focusing on what matters
- How to know if you’re doing too much, too little, or just enough—without comparing yourself to that one overachiever in your grade
- The truth about whether freshman grades actually matter (hint: not the way people say)
👉 [Click here to download the guide]
Whether you’ve been working on this for months or just realized you should probably start, this will give you the exact next step to take right now.
Not for your parents.
Not for your school.
For you.
Because the real secret to standing out?
Is learning how to show up as yourself—before you start pretending to be someone you think colleges want.
Thank you for reading!
Written by
Founder
Felipe Corredor
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