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The Harvard Crimson Presents
Successful college application insights
College application season is tough. There's so much to navigate, from essays to activity lists, that it can seem overwhelming. In this listicle, The Harvard Crimson has partnered with notable application consultants to provide applicants with tips and tricks to get into their dream schools.
LAKHANI COACHING PRESENTS
FIVE COLLEGE ADMISSION TIPS
At Lakhani Coaching, we’ve helped students gain admission to Harvard, Stanford, Princeton, MIT, Yale and more. Here are 5 tips to maximize success:
1. Cultivate a Fulfilling High School Career
Fulfilling to whom? To the Harvard admissions officer? Or to you first? The answer is you first, then others will notice. Lakhani Coaching’s 3 Paradigms for a Fulfilling High School Career:
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Academics: Which classes, class discussions, papers, or projects stick with you for months? What have you explored over summers? Where have you challenged yourself—and excelled? Which teachers speak most uniquely about your contribution?
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Character: if we imagine that Harvard is a dinner table with a limited number of seats, and there’s one seat left at that table, what makes you the most interesting person to deserve that last spot? Focus on what makes you fit out more than fit in.
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Problem Solving Ability: if you’ll be entering Comparative Politics, or Organic Chemistry for the first time, are you going to be comfortable moving at 60 mph, 80 mph, or 100 mph? SAT and ACT, though imperfect, showcase your problem solving ability.
Embed the evidence of your fulfilling high school career across all parts of your application—Activities, Honors, Common App essay, Supplements—and your story will begin to come alive!
2. (S)he's the one who ...
Imagine that we are admissions officers going to committee. We must decide today on 100 applications, all of which we reviewed, in some haste, previously. A successful application—and especially a successful set of essays—will be one for which, someone at that table, even after hundreds of candidates, will say: “Oh, right. I remember her… She’s the one who…”
She’s the one who… is intellectually curious? You and everybody else. But how about: who broke down in tears at a wedding back in Kazakhstan because relatives wouldn’t stop approaching her, asking why she hadn’t won the Doodle for Google art competition, feeling like she let them down because they cared so much about Kazakh identity being seen widely through her art. Bingo.
3. Three tests for a strong college essay:
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Does it answer, “(s)he’s the one who…”
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Does it show "life in the student's shoes"—beyond a ChatGPT essay?
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Does it reflect the student’s most sincere ambition?
4. Know your bucket
Know against whom you’re going to be compared. What school are you applying from? Is it public or private? What region? Are you a candidate with access or a low-income/first generation candidate? Once you know your bucket, work to stand out from that bucket.
5. Depth > Breadth
Rather than reveal 30 pursuits, each with basic involvement, figure out your “He’s the one who…”—your one or two most compelling pursuits. Then construct an overall narrative revealing your intellectual world through those pursuits.
Contact us if you’d like support crafting your strategy!
Our students earn higher marks, more letters of acceptance, and more opportunities to achieve. But what’s more important is that they become better thinkers with bigger dreams. We believe success requires more than the right answers. It requires passion, inspiration and commitment. At Lakhani Coaching, our job is to fan that spark of passion and ignite the drive to achieve.
Lakhani Coaching is a white glove education consulting firm that has propelled students to Harvard, Stanford, Princeton, MIT, Yale and more. We teach students to turn desire into ambition, and ambition into success, focusing on four key areas: Selective Admissions, Standardized Testing, Academic Skills, and Character Growth.
Our Admissions services run the gamut, from preparing a robust list of reach schools to cultivating moving college essays, from planning for illuminating campus visits to preparing for interviews, from coaching SAT gains as large as 600 points to requesting memorable recommendations. Whatever a family’s ambitions in the admissions process, Lakhani Coaching is here to help.
Our Founder, Hafeez Lakhani, has been featured in The Wall Street Journal, New York Times, CNBC, Bloomberg TV, Fox News, Good Morning America, and Business Insider, among other outlets. Based in New York City, we are a fully remote company serving clients worldwide.
Contact us to learn how we can support you!
Client Testimonial:
“Hafeez and his team clearly helped Levi lift his game. More importantly I believe it helped him grow beyond just what school he got into. He is a better writer, understands how to communicate better, and has developed a passion for research. It’s the head fake of Lakhani Coaching—it’s not just about getting into a great school, though certainly we are grateful for Levi's acceptances: Stanford, Harvard, Yale, Duke, Amherst, Georgetown, and more!”
- Parent, Ann Arbor, MI
AVALON ADMISSIONS PRESENTS
3 TIPS FOR APPLICATION SUCCESS
College Application Tips for AY 2025/2026
from Neil Chyten, Founder of Avalon Admission, Inc.
Successful admission at the country’s most prestigious and highly competitive colleges such as Harvard, MIT, Stanford, and Yale requires a highly orchestrated process that more resembles art than science. However, like any true art form, the artist’s technique must enhance the beauty of the final product, not overshadow it. Due to the commoditization of services that include pre-college programs, research, publishing, and internships, it has become far more challenging to create an authentic and compelling narrative. Suffice to say that the rules of admission are constantly changing, and to be successful you must employ keen observations, industry insights, and time-proven strategies adapted to address today’s admission standards. Here are three tips to consider throughout high school and as you complete your college applications.
Tip #1: Be Unique.
Create a positioning statement. At Avalon, we refer to the as the “Unique Selling Proposition” (USP). Our goal is to make our students stand out from the crowd—a crowd that consists of highly qualified students whose academic profiles may be similar to (or better than) your own. Imagine admission officers nodding their heads in approval as they read through your application. Make them see the potential value that you bring to their institution and feel a sense of loss if they were to “lose you” to anther prestigious institution. At Avalon, we do this over time by helping students and families make intelligent decisions throughout high school and then connecting the dots during the application process.
Tip #2: Be Compelling.
You are competing for the same seat as thousands of other highly qualified students. To prevail in the competition for elite college admission, you must create a more compelling case for admission. This can be done a number of different ways. For universities, decisions are often made on a departmental basis. So, one suggestion is to identify and promote a suitable niche that you can own, rather than presenting yourself as a well-rounded student or one following a tradition path. Even top liberal arts colleges see value in students who have identified a compelling passion and pursued it to the greatest possible extent.
Tip #3: Be Honest.
Nothing says “rejection” faster and louder than insincerity. Honesty must exude from every pore of your application. Not every narrative is an extended metaphor. Not every student has that “Aha!” moment. Not every student has wanted to be a computer scientist from the age of five or has an IQ of 160. And, not every student is a perfect angel. Be honest! Lean into your imperfections if they exist. Cite your limitations. Acknowledge your shortcomings. Above all, don’t exaggerate your life experiences to the point where they become unlikely or unrealistic.
A lot has changed in the 40 years since Avalon Admission founder Neil Chyten began helping students matriculate to the nation’s most competitive colleges and private schools. Since then, thousands of his students have gone on to enjoy rewarding and fulfilling careers and lives. Like most students, their journeys began with dreams of attending a top college. Once their dreams were fulfilled, these students took it upon themselves to change the world. Avalon’s focus is on helping high-aspiring students gain admission to the most prestigious colleges in the country. For those applying to the Ivy League, Avalon’s proprietary process has resulted in more than 70% of its students receiving at least one Ivy League offer of admission.
Contact Avalon Admissions for more Information:
800-469-1028
Click Here for the Avalon Admission Website
INAMERICA EDUCATION PRESENTS
"The importance of a spike over well-roundedness."
In today’s highly competitive admissions landscape, having a clear and compelling "spike" can make a student’s application stand out far more than presenting as generally well-rounded. A spike refers to a focused area of deep interest, achievement, or passion that defines a student's narrative. Rather than dabbling in a broad array of activities, a spiked applicant demonstrates depth, intentionality, and sustained commitment in a specific field—whether that’s research, art, public service, athletics, or another meaningful pursuit.
Colleges receive thousands of applications each year from students with strong grades, test scores, and involvement in multiple clubs and extracurriculars. While these well-rounded students are certainly qualified, they can sometimes blur together, lacking a defining trait that grabs the reader’s attention. A spike, on the other hand, signals individuality and clarity of purpose. It tells admissions officers, “This is who I am, and this is what I care about.” That kind of focus is not only easier to remember, but it also adds authenticity and voice to an application.
Moreover, a spike helps position the student as someone who takes initiative and ownership of their interests. Rather than simply participating in a list of popular activities, a spiked applicant charts their own path and goes deeper than expected. This makes them appear action-oriented, driven, and capable of shaping their environment rather than passively following it. Colleges value these qualities because they suggest a student who will actively contribute to campus life and continue growing in a purposeful way.
Ultimately, being direct in an application is more powerful than being general. A spike gives an application shape and coherence. It helps admissions readers understand what truly matters to the student and where they are likely headed. In a world where uniqueness and impact carry weight, a spike doesn’t limit a student—it defines them. And in doing so, it makes their application not just stronger, but unforgettable.
At InAmerica, students are guided in developing a personal spike that highlights their genuine strengths and passions. For InAmerica consultants, it’s not about creating an artificial narrative to impress admissions committees—it’s about authenticity. They focus on helping students uncover and convey the true depth of their interests in a way that feels honest, meaningful, and compelling. By identifying what makes each student unique, InAmerica ensures that their application tells a cohesive story—one that reflects who they are, what drives them, and how they’ll contribute to a college community.
Unlock your potential. Elevate your future. Start your journey with InAmerica today.
ADVANTAGE TESTING PRESENTS
HOW TO TAKE ADVANTAGE OF THE ADDITIONAL INFORMATION SECTION
Tucked away at the bottom of the Common App's Writing section, beneath the Personal Essay tab, is a section called Additional Information, which now includes two distinct prompts: “Challenges and Circumstances” and “Additional Information.”
Beginning in 2025, both prompts have been updated. With a 250-word limit, the Challenges and Circumstances question replaces the old "Community Disruption" prompt and invites students to share how personal issues (health, family responsibilities, instability, discrimination, etc.) may have affected their high school experience.
The Additional Info question has a new word limit—reduced from 650 to 300 words. That may seem like a minor change, but it represents a significant strategic shift that makes an already overlooked part of the application even more valuable.
With the new Challenges and Circumstances section available for discussion of adversity and disruption, the “Additional Info” space is now presented as what it was always meant to be—a genuine opportunity to share anything relevant that enhances your application.
Yet students often skip it entirely or feel uncertain whether using it will help or hurt. At Advantage Testing, we advise our students to use both prompts strategically and thoughtfully.
The Additional Info prompt is refreshingly open-ended: "You may use the space below to provide any additional information you wish to share." That truly means anything that will help you get admitted.
Use this space when you have helpful information that doesn't appear elsewhere.
• A meaningful extracurricular that needs more than the Activity List’s 150 characters. If you've demonstrated years of commitment—organizing service projects, competing across states, launching an initiative—elaborate with specific accomplishments.
• Independent research, creative work, or distinctive projects. Original research, passion projects, or innovative community solutions that don't fit standard application categories deserve recognition here.
• Significant academic achievements requiring context. Dual enrollment coursework, academic competition results, published writing, or independent studies with meaningful outcomes that need fuller explanation.
Keep your tone direct and informative—this isn't a literary essay. For lists of achievements, an introductory sentence or two followed by bullet points works well. For detailed explanations, background, and context, straightforward prose is more effective. Save the figurative language and rhetorical flourish for your main essay.
Another benefit: many students feel obliged to write about their most meaningful extracurricular or significant accomplishment in their Personal Essay, but the Additional Info section can showcase that key activity while freeing your main essay to reveal other, more personal dimensions of who you are.
The Additional Info section is an opportunity, not an obligation. But when you have something relevant to say—and present it with clarity and enthusiasm—it's another way to give your application an edge.
At Advantage Testing, we help students recognize and communicate their strengths at every stage of the application process. Sometimes, the most overlooked spaces are the ones that can make the difference.
For 40 years, Advantage Testing has guided students through highly competitive college and graduate admissions. Our expert counselors offer personalized instruction to help you craft a compelling personal narrative, highlight your accomplishments, and confidently pursue your goals. In addition, we offer world-class test preparation for the SAT, ACT, and every major graduate admissions exam, including the GRE, GMAT, LSAT, and MCAT.
Our approach combines rigorous academic preparation with genuine mentorship, helping students identify their unique strengths and communicate them effectively. Whether you’re navigating Common App essays, supplemental prompts, or strategic decisions about what to emphasize in often-overlooked sections such as the Additional Information essay, our instructors will guide you every step of the way. We also support graduate school applicants at every stage, from selecting programs to refining application materials.
There are no shortcuts or gimmicks, just proven, individualized instruction rooted in core academic skills and genuine mentorship. No matter your goals, Advantage Testing gives you the strategy and support to reach your full potential.
VERITAS EDUCATION PRESENTS
STEPS TO CONQUERING THE COLLEGE ESSAY BEAST WITHOUT LOSING YOUR MIND
College application season is a thrilling milestone on your educational journey, yet it’s perfectly natural to feel a bit intimidated by the essay component. Each school presents unique questions and requirements, which can quickly transform the process into an overwhelming task. But here’s the silver lining: by taking a step back and adopting a strategic mindset, you’ll find it becomes much more manageable. Many prompts share common themes or intents, allowing you to repurpose and refine your core ideas instead of starting anew each time. Approach it not as an exhaustive checklist but as a meaningful opportunity to introspect about who you are and what truly matters to you. With thoughtful guidance and careful planning, this part of your application journey can become a rewarding and enriching experience.
Step 1: Getting the Lay of the Land (Your Essay Inventory)
Let's sort your essays into groups. You'll likely see some familiar faces:
✅ The Common App Personal Statement: This is the big one, the essay that goes to many schools (think of it as your main "hello," with a 650-word limit).
✅ Those "Why Us?" and Unique Story Essays (Supplements): These are the school-specific ones, often asking why you're drawn to their amazing campus or wanting to hear about a specific experience (usually somewhere between 250 and 650 words).
✅ Quick Hitters (Short Responses): These are shorter prompts, typically 50 to 300 words, that ask about aspects such as your leadership style, a time you faced a challenge, or your favorite book.
✅ The UC Personal Insight Questions: If you're applying to University of California schools, you'll have four of these, each around 350 words.
Step 2: Find Your Story Threads (a.k.a. Reusable Themes)
Here’s the secret most students don’t realize at first: while colleges may phrase their questions differently, they’re often asking about the same core things. What they really want to know is who you are, what drives you, and how you think.
That’s where reusable themes come in.
Step 3: Getting a Fresh Pair of Eyes (Expert Feedback)
Even the best writers need someone to bounce ideas off of. Think of it like getting a second opinion – it can make a huge difference! Reach out to teachers, counselors, or even a college essay expert. They can offer valuable insights to ensure your essays are clear, authentic, and truly capture the reader's attention.
Step 4: Remembering the "Why" (Keeping the Big Picture in Mind)
At the end of the day, college essays aren't just about showing off your vocabulary or writing skills. They're your chance to let colleges see the real you – your personality, your passions, and what you're hoping to bring to their community.
So, take a deep breath. Start early, plan your approach, and make sure each essay reflects your genuine voice. This is your story, and it's worth telling!
Reminder:
Life experiences outside the classroom are often the foundation of a memorable essay.
Veritas Education, established in 2010, offers personalized services to empower students, including admissions consultations, academic planning, test preparation, subject tutoring, extracurricular guidance, and interview coaching. The co-founders, alumni of Harvard, MIT, and Stanford, with backgrounds in both the humanities and STEM fields, are thought leaders who prioritize both academic excellence and the well-being of their students.
At Veritas, we promote a growth mindset through innovative frameworks like GRIT and Deep Thinking, inspiring students to think critically, communicate effectively, and unleash creativity. Recognizing that every student has unique aspirations, we customize our college planning process to align with individual goals. Whether selecting a major or choosing the right university, our personalized approach sets the stage for success. With over 15 years of experience in the college admissions landscape, we've guided countless students into prestigious institutions, including Harvard, Princeton, MIT, Stanford, Columbia, and many more.
Our visionary founders also created BranchOut!, a cross-cultural youth community outreach program that empowers high school students to become leaders in supporting youth in STEAM fields within underserved communities. BranchOut! recently celebrated its 10th anniversary and is proud of its ability to make a lasting impact across regions, including Washington D.C., Virginia, Maryland, New Jersey, New York, Massachusetts, and beyond.
🚀 Looking for more personalized support?
Our one-on-one college advising service is designed to guide students through every step of the essay and application process—from identifying your story threads to refining each draft. If you're ready to take the stress out of college essays and receive expert help tailored to you, fill out our inquiry form and get started today!
COLLEGEREADY PRESENTS
HOW TO MAXIMIZE YOUR CHILD'S CHANCES OF GETTING INTO HARVARD
When my son set his sights on Harvard for premed in 8th grade, I knew he would need more support than his High School Counselor. So I enrolled at UCSD to receive my IEC Certification, I went on 25 college visits a quarter and approached the process like building a new business. First, we created my sons custom Standout Strategy, defining who he was and the unique value he would bring to campus.
A Standout Strategy isn’t just about having a high GPA or perfect test scores. It’s about crafting an authentic narrative that connects your child’s passions, leadership, academics, and service into a clear, compelling story. For example, identify your child’s core values and talents, then align them with extracurriculars, summer programs, and volunteer work. Show consistent growth and impact over time rather than scattered activities with no theme.
Next, we mapped out his timeline, including GPA goals, test preparation, extracurricular leadership, and the overarching theme of his essays. Finally, we built a roadmap with Plans A, B, and C to keep him focused yet flexible.
We visited Harvard early to confirm it was the right social fit. During the campus tour, he smiled ear to ear seeing the freshman dining facility, quoting Harry Potter and saying, “This is it.” That visit fueled his determination.
Though his GPA and test scores were strong, they weren’t perfect. What set him apart was how he maximized his standout qualities while enjoying the journey. Leadership was a big part of his success, and student government played a key role.
He took AP, dual enrollment, and college classes, strategically choosing courses that highlighted his strengths in math and science while minimizing weaker areas like Spanish. His main essay was a powerful testament to what he had learned, which was later published in an essay book. His main essay earned him the Coca Cola Scholarship, seven college acceptances, and the opportunity to attend his dream school with his intended major – all while graduating debt-free.
At College Ready, our mission is to help families build similar success stories. Founded 17 years ago, we have guided students from 3.0 to 5.0+ GPAs into their best-fit schools. Every family receives a personalized plan because we know each student is unique.
If you want to build your child’s Standout Strategy and maximize their potential, visit www.collegereadyplan.com for a complimentary success call to see if your family is College Ready.
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I. FOSTER LEARNING PRESENTS
PERSONAL STATEMENT ADVICE
When you’re working on your college essays, think about the weight of each portion of your writing. Personal statements have an important job to do, in a relatively short amount of space. Successful essays leave the reader with a clear sense of what the student is saying: these essays avoid meandering or getting lost in less important parts. The weight of the essay is dominated by the most important thing the writer wants to convey.
One strategy to make sure an essay stays clear and focused is to assign percentages to each section of your writing. For example, how much of a percentage should the intro/hook have? No more than 10%! What about the story that lays the foundation for any epiphanies /takeaways? This is often where students misallocate the most: these stories frequently use 50-75% of their essay, but it should actually be no more than 25-30%. The subsequent epiphany/shift/change needs a good 20-30%. This leaves you with somewhere around 40% of the space to describe the impact of that shift and takeaways from the entire experience. Once you have the percentages assigned, you can translate that into specific word count guidelines.
The maximum word count for the Common App personal statement is 650, so 10% for the intro/hook is somewhere around 65 words. It can be very revealing to attach an actual number of words to each essay portion: if you discover that you’ve taken 130 words to present the hook, you now have the opportunity to prune. Take the best portions of what you’ve written and get rid of the rest!
Keep in mind that these are guidelines, and students should look at these percentages as suggestions. Another way to do this is to think in terms of a number of sentences (at an average of 15 to 20 words per sentence) - this can be easier than confronting an intimidating word count. Following that logic, the entire essay will probably be around 35-40 sentences, and the story portion of the essay can be told in about 10 sentences.
Personal statements and supplemental essays are a college’s window into who the applicant really is. Keep an eye on what you are really trying to say, and say more of it.
We are a team of educators who deeply believe in a smart, compassionate approach to tutoring and open lines of communication with families. Fundamental to our work is that students feel empowered throughout their time with us. We help them develop knowledge and skills so that their confidence grows and they become stronger students. We offer ACT and SAT prep, robust writing guidance - helping your student find their topic and tell their story - assistance with school search and help managing timelines and milestones.
SELECTIVE ADMISSONS PRESENTS
TIPS FOR TACKLING THE ACTIVITY SECTION
As a Former Admissions Officer, the Activity Section was always my favorite part of the application to review. It’s where colleges get to see who you are beyond your classes — what you care about, how you spend your time, and what makes you unique.
This part of the application can feel overwhelming for a lot of students because there are so many ways to tell your story. Which activities should go at the top? How do you explain everything in just a few words? If you’re in the middle of figuring this out, here are some tips to help you out:
1. Put Your Most Important Activities First
The Common App lets you rank your activities by how important they are to you. Take advantage of that. Admissions officers tend to pay extra attention to the first few things on your list, so make sure those activities reflect the parts of your story you really want to highlight. Be sure to highlight the activities that connect to your narrative and support your unique story. If you are unsure what I mean by narrative, check out this blog post!
2. Use All 10 Spots
You can list up to 10 activities on the Common App. If you leave spots empty, it can sometimes look like you didn’t stay as involved as other students. Even if you don’t think you have 10 “official” activities, think outside the box — things like taking care of a younger sibling, a summer job, personal projects, or community responsibilities absolutely count.
3. Be Smart About Your Descriptions
You only get 150 characters to describe each activity, so every word matters. Focus on what you actually did and why it mattered. Avoid wasting space explaining the activity itself — admissions officers can infer what the “debate team” is, but they won’t know you led a city-wide tournament or trained new members unless you tell them.
4. Don’t Repeat Information
There’s a separate space for the activity type, position, and the organization’s name. No need to restate that stuff in your description. Use those precious characters to add new information that shows off your role and accomplishments. Same rule applies to awards — if you’ve already listed it in the Honors section, skip it here.
5. Only Use the Additional Info Section If You Really Need To
The Common App gives you an “Additional Information” section where you can elaborate on things that didn’t fit elsewhere. But it’s best to keep most of your highlights in the Activity Section itself. Admissions officers are reading thousands of applications, and you want to make it easy for them to see what makes you awesome without having to dig around.
If you’re feeling stuck on how to tell your story through your activities — or if you haven’t quite figured out what your narrative is yet — we’d be happy to help. Get in touch!
Selective Admissions is a leading college admissions counseling firm. We help students embrace what makes them different. We believe it’s those out-of-the-box stories and authentic narratives that set applicants apart — and often make the difference between a rejection and an acceptance.
Our Founder, Justin Neiman, is a former Harvard Admissions Officer and Stanford Dean. With over a decade of experience inside two of the country’s most selective institutions, he brings expert insight into what it takes to stand out in highly competitive applicant pools.
If you're looking for expert guidance to help you craft a compelling application, get in touch with us here.