Getting Ready For Your
College Admissions

What Really Sets a High Student Apart?

It’s not the numbers, that’s for sure. Stanford rejects around 69% of perfect SAT scorers every year, and we’ve seen the same trend apply to all the top universities in the United States. So, what gives? Why is it that so many high students spend so much time and money on numbers, yet don’t always see the results?

99% of Universities

But the top 1% seek the following –

Intellectual Depth Outside of Class
Innovative Leadership
Impactful Community Service

Download the College Admissions Checklist to see if your High School Path is College Ready.

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Sarah Gooch

Essay Editor

Q:How many total years of experience do you have in your current role, including but not limited to ReadyEdgeGo?

A: I have five years' experience in coaching student writing, but this is my first year with ReadyEdgeGo.

Q: What about working with students do you most enjoy?

A: I love helping students find depth and meaning in their own stories—but I also just love it when they make me laugh!

Q: What do you like to do in your free time?

A: In theory, I enjoy painting and writing poetry, but these days I actually spend most of my free time socializing or watching movies with my husband.

Q: What is your one piece of advice for high schoolers?

A: Don't just focus on achieving top grades and credentials because they look good on applications, or your education will be meaningless. The numbers and awards have their place, but stay connected to your sense of curiosity, discovery, excitement, and wonder so that the content you're learning is constantly transforming you—it's something you care about, something you remember after the final exam. Work on the aspects of yourself no one can measure, like integrity, wisdom, kindness, and compassion, so that you're not only developing your academic and career potential but also investing in the type of adult you're going to be, the person you'll have to live with after you clock out every day for the rest of your life.

Doing the hard inner work of building your character and learning deeply instead of just earning grades will set you up for a satisfying, well-rounded life. Strange as it sounds, it will also put you ahead in your academic and career goals, because colleges and hiring managers aren't looking for an empty set of data on a spreadsheet; they want a fully fleshed-out person marked by passion, creativity, and a story no one else has lived.

So go on studying hard for tests, but also spend some time asking yourself what matters in life and who your role models are. Read up on topics that amaze you, and build something incredible just for fun. Cultivate that spark of joy you feel when you're immersed in a subject that fascinates you. If you can hit that balancing act of doing your homework and meeting deadlines but also investing in the kind of person you want to be, then trust that all the rest will follow: schools will recognize you as a dynamic, all-star person, and you will also build a life of happiness, close relationships, and peace.

Getting Ready For Your College Admissions

Introducing GoPath

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Ariana Lee

Q:How many total years of experience do you have in your current role, including but not limited to ReadyEdgeGo?

Q: What about working with students do you most enjoy?

Q: What do you like to do in your free time?

Q: What is your one piece of advice for high schoolers?

Julian Hoffman

Q:How many total years of experience do you have in your current role, including but not limited to ReadyEdgeGo?

Q: What about working with students do you most enjoy?

Q: What do you like to do in your free time?

Q: What is your one piece of advice for high schoolers?

Sarah Gooch

Q:How many total years of experience do you have in your current role, including but not limited to ReadyEdgeGo?

Q: What about working with students do you most enjoy?

Q: What do you like to do in your free time?

Q: What is your one piece of advice for high schoolers?

Bernie Nguyen

Q:How many total years of experience do you have in your current role, including but not limited to ReadyEdgeGo?

Q: What about working with students do you most enjoy?

Q: What do you like to do in your free time?

Q: What is your one piece of advice for high schoolers?

Joanna Yang Yowler

Q:How many total years of experience do you have in your current role, including but not limited to ReadyEdgeGo?

Q: What about working with students do you most enjoy?

Q: What do you like to do in your free time?

Q: What is your one piece of advice for high schoolers?

Graham Traylor

Q:How many total years of experience do you have in your current role, including but not limited to ReadyEdgeGo?

Q: What about working with students do you most enjoy?

Q: What do you like to do in your free time?

Q: What is your one piece of advice for high schoolers?

Tylar Pendgraft

Q: How many total years of experience do you have in your current role, including but not limited to ReadyEdgeGo?

Q: What about working with students do you most enjoy?

Q: What do you like to do in your free time?

Q: What is your one piece of advice for high schoolers?

Anika Sharma

Q: How many total years of experience do you have in your current role, including but not limited to ReadyEdgeGo?

Q: What about working with students do you most enjoy?

Q: What do you like to do in your free time?

Q: What is your one piece of advice for high schoolers?

Tushar Singla

Q: How many total years of experience do you have in your current role, including but not limited to ReadyEdgeGo?

Q: What about working with students do you most enjoy?

Q: What do you like to do in your free time?

Q: What is your one piece of advice for high schoolers?

Dan Zhou

Q: How many total years of experience do you have in your current role, including but not limited to ReadyEdgeGo?

Q: What about working with students do you most enjoy?

Q: What do you like to do in your free time?

Q: What is your one piece of advice for high schoolers?

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Getting Ready For Your
College Admissions