One of the most important parts of your college application isn’t something you write yourself – it’s the letters of recommendation written by your guidance counselor and teachers. These letters give admissions officers a glimpse of who you are beyond the grades and activities listed on your application.

While it certainly would be impressive if you won a Nobel Peace Prize while leading a national debate team since the beginning of high school, standing out through your extracurriculars doesn't have to be as difficult as it sounds.

Once I began to recognize that the SAT is written according to specific patterns, the test became much more predictable, and I was able to consistently achieve a perfect 800 on the English section.