Things to Check Before Submitting ED or EA Applications

Today, I will share a post about something you absolutely must think about before submitting your college application.

If there’s one thing I could advise 12th-grade students applying Early to fix, it’s this.

To explain, I will share an example from a student at our academy.

Most students use the Common App when applying to colleges. I won’t go into the detailed mechanics of filling out the Common App today. Instead, I will show a real-life example from one of our students and highlight the critical thing you must check before submission.

Student's Academic Profile and Activities

• Gender: Female

• High School Ranking: Below 5000th

• Unweighted GPA: 4.0

• Weighted GPA: 4.69

• SAT Score: 1560

This student attended a high school ranked below 5000th, meaning it wasn’t particularly challenging to earn good grades. For students from such schools applying to top-tier universities, maintaining this level of GPA is essential.

AP Courses and Scores:

• AP Calculus BC: 5

• AP Human Geography: 5

• AP Computer Science Principles: 5

• AP English Language and Composition: 4

• AP Chemistry: 4

• AP US History: 3

• AP Music Theory: (Score not reported)

Senior Year Classes:

• Advanced Multivariable Calculus

• AP Physics C

• AP English Literature and Composition

• Advanced String Orchestra

• AP Spanish

The student also took community college courses.

Activities (Listed in No Particular Order):

Please note that the order here differs from the Common App and resume.

Conducted chemistry research and participated in regional science fairs:

"Carbon Nanotube-Based Thin-Film Sensors for CO2 Detection"

"Nanoparticle-Based Drug Delivery Systems for Cardiovascular Disease Treatment"

Participated in regional science fairs for two consecutive years but did not win any awards.

Interned at the National Science Foundation (NSF), contributing to research projects.

It is uncommon for high school students to secure an internship at the NSF.

Played violin in both school and regional orchestras.

Received awards at two regional competitions.

Engaged in community service through music performances in collaboration with community centers.

Served as President of the high school Chemistry Club.

Led the team to participate in the Science Bowl and Chemistry Olympiad.

The student received a small award at the Science Bowl but did not achieve significant results in the Olympiad.

Taught math and science to students in Korean and Filipino communities.

Received two Presidential Volunteer Service Awards (Bronze).

Actively participated in NHS activities, including efforts to donate scientific equipment to local organizations.

Contributed as a science writer for the school magazine, publishing articles on various scientific topics.

Participated in the Congressional App Challenge twice, focusing on developing educational apps for math and science.

Earned recognition in a science writing competition hosted by a local university, leading to a research opportunity with a professor.

The student received three recommendation letters:

• One from a counselor

• One from an AP Chemistry teacher

• One from an AP World History teacher

Many students believe that recommendation letters must come from one STEM and one non-STEM teacher. However, this isn’t necessary. The key is to choose recommenders who can highlight critical aspects of your personality and story, regardless of their subject area.

Initially, the student planned to write their main essay about the process of being selected as an editor for the school magazine. The essay focused on how the student, who expected to be chosen as the editor, gave up the position to a peer, which led to reflections on leadership.

While the essay wasn’t bad, I suggested a change to align with the theme of Psychological Coherence.

Psychological Coherence refers to how consistently your personality is portrayed throughout your application.

• Do your activities support your character?

• Do your recommendation letters reflect who you are?

• Does your essay align with both of these?

In this student’s case, while they participated in numerous activities and competitions, they didn’t achieve many outstanding results. However, they showed persistence and resilience, as seen in their leadership roles, tutoring efforts, and community service initiatives.

When discussing the main essay, we decided to focus on the student’s passion for origami as a metaphor for their personality. The student described how they didn’t view failures in origami as obstacles but as a natural part of the process.

Instead of framing their persistence as overcoming failures, the student portrayed it as simply being their nature to keep trying until they succeeded. This subtle shift highlighted a unique personality trait that goes beyond resilience.

Final Result

This student, without any standout awards or significant hooks, was admitted to the University of Pennsylvania (UPenn).

Conclusion

Before submitting your application, ensure your activities, essays, and recommendation letters consistently portray your personality. This alignment—Psychological Coherence—is key to creating a compelling application.

I hope this advice helps you achieve great results!