The Common App is a limited document. You only have so much space to provide your answers and input. Of course, you can provide some supplemental materials, but in truth, your only opportunity for self-expression will be in the essays. There are two of them: one generic, and one that is specific to school.

By following these Five Essential Tips, you will be able to produce an essay that will greatly enhance your chance of admittance in a top school.

1. Paint a clear picture of yourself. Tell about your personality and accomplishments. This is much more effective than telling a good story.

An applicant may submit a very wonderful essay recounting childhood experiences and family tales; however, this sort of essay does not tell the examiner the two things that are necessary in determining whether or not to admit an applicant.

-It did not tell me about anything the applicant had accomplished. -It only gave me an idea of one aspect of the applicant’s personality.

The essay, while quite good, contributed to this applicant being waitlisted.

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2. Talk yourself up!

It is typical of overachievers to be modest. They tend to make the least of their spectacular accomplishments with statements like:

“Naturally, there are many others who are just as worthy as I am of attending Harvard, if not more so.”

Or the equally self-deprecating,

“I know it will be pure luck if I am accepted to Stanford.”

You know very well these things aren’t true, so don’t say them.

Naturally, you don’t want to be full of yourself and lord your accomplishments over others, but be equally careful not to be too modest. You have accomplished a great deal, or you wouldn’t be applying to a prestigious school. Make the most of your accomplishments. Be proud of the prizes you have won and the goals you have achieved. Put your best foot forward.

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3. Share your life stories.

Sharing appropriate anecdotes about your life is very effective and memorable. The essay about the family that adopted dogs is a case in point. Even though it didn’t help that applicant, I still remember it. If you share stories of your life in a way that showcases your personality and your accomplishments, it will go a long way toward getting your application accepted.

4. Don’t bother to tell about shortcomings and failures. These things are not pertinent to the process. Tell about your successes.

This is not the place to share the fact that you only got third place in the first track meet you ever participated in. The only exception to this would be if that event acted as the springboard to your winning the state championship.

Your childhood accomplishments, while charming, are not pertinent to your essay unless they led to further accomplishments in your high school career. If winning a prize for the best science project in 6th grade led you to enter and win a national competition later on, be sure to point it out. If not, omit it.

5. Name-dropping is not impressive.

Avoid saying things like:

“I know Fred Smith, who is a freshman here at Harvard. He is a very dedicated student, whom I deeply admire. That is why I am most interested in attending Harvard.”

If you happen to know the name of one of a professor or well-known alumnus, it is not helpful to insert it in your essay.

If you need to mention a person’s name because it is necessary to the sense of the story you are telling, do so. Otherwise, it is best to avoid it.

Letters of rec are probably the most underlerveraged (and consequently underutilized) tools in the Ivy League admissions process.

There’s a simple reason why – most students are afraid of their teachers/coaches/bosses. They’re afraid of requesting what they really want – an incredible, memorable letter of rec that highlights strengths and re-affirms the student’s spike.

Part of the solution is to get over yourself. Be courageous. That’s something personal that this article won’t be able to help you achieve.

But I can help you with the actual steps. And following these steps will markedly increase your chance of getting the exact letter of recommendation you’d hoped for – one that Stanford, Harvard, and the best schools around the world will enjoy reading.

Here are the steps:

1. Identify the teachers/coaches who a) know you well and b) you were the strongest performer in their classes. These recommenders will always write the best letters. Hopefully they’re the same people that sponsor afterschool activities in which you participate. If not, approach some of them to sponsor new clubs that you’d be starting.

2. Have your parents meet with that teacher/coach. I didn’t do this, but in retrospect I should have. Teacher-parent conferences are a helpful way to strengthen the student-teacher connection, and a great way for parents to indirectly express their concerns/wishes (and their kid’s wishes) to the teacher. Just make sure this type of meeting isn’t too aggressive. I actually remember reading teacher recommendations which casually referenced controlling parents…these don’t go over too well with your plans to get into Harvard

3. Prepare a packet addressed individually to that teacher. In a letter, talk about the following things:

-What universities and why – in more than just a few words

-Why you’d like that teacher to write the recommendation

-A few achievements that you’re most proud of, and any successes that were either in that teacher’s classes or sponsored clubs

-What your overall story is for the Ivy Leagues

4. Prepare a brag-sheet. This should be the exact same one for Common Applications. Attach this for additional context

5. Schedule an in-person meeting with your teacher when asking them to write the recommendation. In this talk, make sure you cover items similar to Step #3 – why you’re applying to Ivy League universities, why you think you should get in, what your story is that you’re telling admissions readers, and why you thought they’d be a great recommender. Don’t simply ask them to write a letter, smile politely, and leave it at that. This in-person meeting is crucial to providing your teacher more info about your particular interests

6. GIVE YOUR TEACHER PLENTY OF TIME TO WRITE THE LETTER. A week is too fast. A month should be fine. This is yet another example of how early planning is necessary for Ivy League colleges

7. Followup politely. If you haven’t heard a response from Mrs. Davidson or Mr. Gonzalez and there’s 4 weeks before application deadlines, politely inquire about the status of your rec

8. Thank them profusely! Give them a little card and/or gift to express your appreciation. After all, this may not be the last time you’ll ask for their help and they’ve just done something for which they receive nothing in return

Step 5 is particularly critical. Do everything else wrong, but as long as you execute Step 5 well, your recommender will have the info and context they require to write something thats personal and shows they care. After reading thousands of these letters, you can quickly spot the genuine, heartfelt ones versus the form ones.