How can I stand out in the college admissions process?

Step one: stop trying to be what you think they want. Colleges don’t need another over-edited essay about “leadership” in ten clubs you barely remember joining. What do they want? You, in full color. Show depth, not just breadth. Choose a few activities that genuinely matter to you and tell stories about what you did and why it mattered. Your essays should sound like a conversation, not a press release. Vulnerability, humor, even a little weirdness (the good kind) can set you apart. Imagine the reader as a tired human who’s read 50 essays today. Make them sit up and think, “Huh. This kid’s cool.” Don’t aim to impress. Aim to connect. That’s the real secret sauce.