Application Weighting Building a Strong,

Authentic Personal Brand

The generally acknowledged
weighting breakdown is as follows: In su ary, your acade ics show
what you can do, but your
extracurriculars help de onstrate
30% who you are. Your acade ics and
extracurricular activities ust co e
together in your application, essay,
and interview in the for of your
40%
personal brand.
Here are so e questions for you to
30% consider when thinking about
whether you’ve cultivated a clear and
powerful personal brand for a
successful college application.
Acade ics 40% 01. What story do you want to tell about
SAT or ACT scores who you are as a person, and how do
AP / IB / GPA your extracurriculars tell that story?
High school transcripts
02. Do your acade ics, achieve ents,
Extracurricular and extracurriculars co e together
30% cohesively in a powerful, co pelling
Activities anner?
Leadership
Clubs, sports, hobbies 03. Does your personal brand clearly
Projects/initiatives de onstrate a co it ent to
excellence and strong oral character?
Essays, Interviews, 30% 04. Can you distil your activities and
Reco endations achieve ents into 3-4 adjectives that
Personal essay accurately describe who you are?
Supple ental essays
Teacher reco endations 05. Can you distil each activity and
Ad issions interviews achieve ent into a 150 character
su ary that contributes to your
personal brand?
When ad issions officers read your
university application, acade ics are
the first thing they look at. However, Want to learn ore
while top grades and test scores can about axi ising your
help your application get past extracurricular
ad issions officers’ first glance, your i pact? Check out this
personal brand (including your Cri son Master Class
extracurriculars, leadership positions, by Senior Strategist
and personal experiences) is what Brice O’Connell!
truly sets you apart fro the crowd!