Every admissions cycle, I meet students who begin the process with the same question: What do top universities want to see in me?
It is an understandable question. Competition for a spot at leading global universities has never been more intense. Students today have access to far more information, opportunities and support than previous generations. As a result, universities receive applications from thousands of academically accomplished candidates with impressive achievements both inside and outside the classroom.
Yet, having navigated the admissions process myself and having worked with students applying to universities across the US, UK, Europe and beyond, I have come to realise that this question often leads students in the wrong direction.
When students focus exclusively on what universities want, they can end up building a profile that may look impressive on paper but says very little about who they really are.
The strongest applications rarely begin with strategy. So, the question to start with is probably a different one: “What genuinely interests me?” The answer is often the foundation of a compelling application.
Beyond the achievement checklist
For many families, admissions success is still closely associated with grades, test scores and a growing list of accomplishments. Grades do matter. They show a student's ability to thrive in a rigorous academic environment. But exceptional grades alone are not enough to set an applicant apart. As I said in my earlier conversation, grades may get you into the room. Story is what gets you the offer.
{{/usCountry}}For many families, admissions success is still closely associated with grades, test scores and a growing list of accomplishments. Grades do matter. They show a student's ability to thrive in a rigorous academic environment. But exceptional grades alone are not enough to set an applicant apart. As I said in my earlier conversation, grades may get you into the room. Story is what gets you the offer.
{{/usCountry}}Admissions officers routinely review applications from students with strong academic credentials. At that stage, however, they are not simply comparing marksheets; they are trying to gauge the individual behind them.
Many students fall into the trap of building what I often describe as an ‘achievement checklist’. An internship here, a competition there, a certification, some volunteering experience, a leadership title, perhaps even a research project. All with the hope that more achievements will automatically create a stronger application and unlock a guaranteed seat.
The result is often an activity-heavy profile that lacks coherence. Admissions officers can easily tell the difference between meaningful engagement and mere lip service. A long list of unrelated accomplishments can show that a student was busy, but it may not necessarily help their case or let a university understand who they really are.
This is also where many families misunderstand holistic admissions. Universities want to see how a student's life experiences connect with their interests, values and aspirations. They are looking for strong
evidence of curiosity, initiative, and purpose.
The story behind the application
This is where personal narrative becomes important – the thread that connects a student's interests, choices, experiences and ambitions. Those who stand out are often not those with the longest resumes, but whose applications tell a clear and authentic story.
I have worked with several students who did not possess international medals or headline-worthy laurels. Yet they got into outstanding universities because they demonstrated something equally valuable: depth. Their interests and experiences were complementary, and their applications revealed more self-awareness and genuine engagement with what they cared about.
One student from Bengaluru came to us wanting to study economics. His school grades were excellent, but his SAT score was not, and on paper he looked much like many other applicants. What set him apart was something he had not thought of as part of his application: more than a thousand hours working on a coffee estate in Karnataka, where he helped install drip irrigation and saw how uncertain incomes were for the farmers around him. That interest led him to build a website giving farmers simple access to government support prices, to publish research on the environmental effects of those prices, and to help draft a state composting policy. Once he applied for environmental studies, the pieces read as one story. He did not submit his SAT score, and he is now at Cornell.
Another student, from Gujarat, began the process hoping to be recruited to play football in the US. When that path narrowed, the sport still sat at the centre of who she was. She had given a TEDx talk on why more girls should play, and she went on to launch a podcast interviewing athletes about mindset and their personal journeys. That thread, rather than a longer list of titles, carried her application in journalism and sports communication, and she is now at NYU
What made compelling was the clarity with which they understood themselves. That takes reflection. Students spend years ticking off activities with very little consideration for what those experiences mean or why they did them.
The questions worth mulling over are often simple: “Which milestones have changed the way I think?” “What challenges am I naturally drawn towards solving?” “What do I want a university to understand about me beyond my grades?”
Often the answers reveal a narrative that already exists, one that is already taking shape through lived choices and experiences.
Why authenticity matters
My own admissions journey reinforced this lesson. I was a top-25 ranked amateur golfer in Asia, on an athletic scholarship as a Division I athlete at the University of California, Berkeley. Golf was never simply another extracurricular activity added to strengthen my application – it was the reason the application made sense at all. It represented years of discipline, resilience and commitment: all reflecting a significant, tangible part of who I was.
That experience taught me that universities value many forms of excellence: whether academic, athletic, artistic, intellectual or other specialised strengths. What matters is what those reveal about a student’s character and potential, and that matters even more now.
Students now have access to powerful AI tools that can research schools, compare programmes and brainstorm application ideas. However, technology cannot replace self-awareness. In fact, as applications become more polished, universities can readily recognise essays that sound generic, or that are tailored to what a student thinks an admissions officer wants to hear.
The students who will make the cut in the years ahead will be the ones who took time to understand themselves, pursue their interests with purpose and reflect honestly on what shaped them. Because ultimately, the strongest application is not a mere collection of accomplishments, it is a coherent account of who a student is becoming.
The article is written by Akshay Maliwal, Founder & CEO, AddedEducation.
The views and opinions expressed by the author are solely their own and do not reflect the official position or views of Hindustan Times.
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