Debunking the Myth of the Perfect College Applicant

Now, amid “college app season,” several teens are staying up nights trying to piece together their accomplishments and essentially become the “perfect” college applicant. As a high school sophomore, I am already attempting to gather as many extracurriculars and awards as possible to make my college application foolproof. But the more I search and search for these things that will make me “perfect,” the more I start to realize that there are none. In this article, I will share my findings on what the “perfect applicant” stereotype is and how it is affecting us as people.

What Makes You Perfect?

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I'd like to begin by explaining what a “perfect applicant” is seen as. Essentially it is someone who excels in everything. The idea is that what you do must be done with excellent precision and care.

I see so many high schoolers falling for this supposed “un-said” rule of what you must do to get into college. It's always the same steps: student council, straight A's, service hours, etc. But the truth of it is, if this is what everyone is doing - being “perfect” - what makes you different?

Over the years of watching siblings, cousins, and even friends apply to college, I have noticed that this “picture-perfect person" does not exist. The ones who get into college are the ones who choose to pursue their passions, not the ones who follow the supposed rules of student council, service hours, etc. It's the kids who put all they have into their dreams and do something with their passions.

Just recently my own brother went through the college application process. To his surprise, he was able to get into a top college. I say surprise because he assumed he wouldn't just because he was not a “perfect applicant”.

He didn't have straight A's or long service hours. But what he did have was a passion: soccer. He dedicated his high school years to soccer. He went to state, played for two teams, and would even spend all his free time watching highlights of professional games. Instead of trying to hit these imaginary checkpoints he chose to pursue what he liked. Of course, he did aim to be somewhat well-rounded. But he never sought to conform with those other kids who were checking off lists of what they “should” be doing because that's what a “perfect applicant” would do.

Unlike my brother, those kids not only deal with the stress of getting into college, but they also suffer the heavy pressure of being perfect in something they may not even be passionate about. This pressure has been proven to weigh heavily on the mental health of students.

Cracking Under Pressure

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Our teenage years are undoubtedly some of the toughest years of our lives; they're when we figure out our identity - who we are. Because of this, it is crucial to let ourselves explore our interests and limits.

This is why the mold of a “perfect applicant ” can be dangerous to our mental health and emotional growth. All these different tasks we have convinced ourselves are important leave little time for us to do what kids our age were meant to do: learn, grow and explore. In addition to this, by adding the word “perfect”, we subconsciously begin to think that nothing is enough.

We fall into this cycle of never being enough - never doing enough. There is always gonna be someone else who did something better - something more “perfect”. According to Forbes.com, Lloyd Thacker, the founder of the Educational Conservatory, has characterized college applications as “fear, anxiety, myth, secrecy, false precision, hype, and educational irrationality.” It's this constant pressure to be “perfect” that ultimately causes severe anxiety and stress in teens. And oftentimes we can never satisfy this fear. Over time this begins to deteriorate our mental health and eat away at our identities - something that is very important to enter college with a sense of.

False Hope

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We, as human beings, are naturally wired to want to succeed. Rejection hurts, failure hurts, and we want to be perfect. We have a desire to be loved and be appreciated for what we do.

However, this process is set up in a way that we are bound to fail. The likelihood of you getting into every single college you apply for is slim. But we have been taught to believe that if we are “perfect” we can. It is ultimately false hope.

Society has set up this structure that tricks kids into believing they can be “perfect” and the danger of it is that ultimately, we are never going to be “perfect”. There is always going to be someone out there who does not deem you to be perfect while someone else will. It’s almost as if you are trying to fit a giant square into another shape.

Some may also be squares but others are triangles - it just doesn’t fit. It is always about perspective.

Again, this can eat away at your mental health rendering you to develop anxiety and severe stress right before you make one of the biggest decisions of your life.

True to Yourself

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Amelia Tan, a current high school senior, is all too familiar with the stress of applying to college. Now around three months into the application process, she says the thing that has helped her most is her willingness to stay true to herself. Many people try to pursue what seems to be the things to make them “perfect”, and wind up ignoring their passions. Neglecting your passions can have a large toll on your mental health.

According to Medium.com, when you pursue work you dislike, “the same energetic creative happy person that you were, can become dull, cynical, and hateful towards the world.” By focusing on things that you dislike just because they seem to be “the thing to do”, you are actually losing yourself. Your identity is the most valuable part of yourself, and when applying to college it is important to stay true to it.

What’s more is that staying true to yourself may also improve your chances of getting into college. Most of the students I see that get into their top college choices did not attempt to be “perfect”. Instead of presenting themselves as a student applying to college, they presented themselves as a person.

Someone with hobbies, interests, and even weak points. By offering up their authentic selves, they were able to stand out to colleges more than others. When colleges get to know you as a person, it is easier for them to sympathize with you and your story, rather than seeing you as “just another student”.

And best of all, you will be entering university as yourself.

In Conclusion

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In conclusion, there is no such thing as the “perfect” college applicant. Years and years of watching kids apply to college has taught me that rather than attempting to force yourself into this imaginary mold of “what is perfect”, chase your dreams. Follow your passions.

Stay true to yourself. In the end, you will be able to enter this new age of your life as your best self.