Although the admissions process varies from school to school, the primary criteria colleges consider are:

• Academic Grades
• Test Scores (SAT, ACT, SAT 2, AP)
• Extracurriculars
• Personal Statements

For many schools, especially state universities, unless an applicant has an extraordinary extracurricular activity they are involved in, the admissions criteria can often boil down to a roughly 50-50 breakdown between grades and test scores. In some cases, they may also look at some other extraordinary extracurricular activities, like leadership or sports.

That extracurricular category can include an array of activities. More selective colleges want to see to what degree your teen has deep and focused interests in leadership, sports, theater, music, arts, or something else–and that your teen can articulate in writing why this activity is meaningful to them.

Teens can also dramatically impact their college application with personal statements Careful attention should be given to the essays since they can carry a lot of weight. A few very selective schools will integrate interviews in the admissions process as well, though these often act as a confirming source of information for the rest of the application.