serThe process of college applications can be a daunting process for most students, especially if they are doing it for the first time. Students can commit grave college application mistakes, leading to instant rejections and the end of study abroad dreams. Most of these mistakes are caused by misconceptions about the admissions process. Onwardo’s trusted […]
serThe process of college applications can be a daunting process for most students, especially if they are doing it for the first time. Students can commit grave college application mistakes, leading to instant rejections and the end of study abroad dreams. Most of these mistakes are caused by misconceptions about the admissions process. Onwardo’s trusted consultant Ankit Saraf, who has overseen thousands of admissions processes, walks us through the top 3 college application mistakes by students.
Thanks to his insider knowledge, Ankit has a full picture of what goes on behind the admissions process of top universities. He has guided scores of students to top universities. As a student and an applicant, he received full-ride scholarships from not one, not two, but three prestigious universities. He got an MBA from Boston University on a full scholarship of Rs 1.2 crore. He also had full scholarships from 3 FT 100 B Schools!
Along with the scholarship, he also received a GA or Graduate Assistantship. As part of the process, he worked 20 hours per week at various university initiatives with the admissions committee, reading the incoming application packets and analysing giving them the ratings.
“I have an insider understanding of how your application. I used to be one of the guys who were judging you. He worked as a researcher, having various papers to his name.
Now, he’s associated with Emory University, researching on sustainability strategy.
Through a webinar, Ankit illuminates the 3 top college application mistakes committed by students and how to avoid them.
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Painting yourself as disadvantaged will not win sympathy scholarships, according to Ankit. Sometimes, students can project an incorrect picture of their socioeconomic status in hopes of winning scholarships.
This is where they go wrong. AdComs of prominent colleges are experts in picking out candidates who deserve scholarships. They can see through deception and reject a candidature if they feel it’s not authentic.
“Three out of four applications or 75% of Indian applicants, play the ‘underprivileged card,” noted Ankit. Admissions committees know Indian applicants are wealthier than average Americans. That’s because a sizable portion of the AdComs committee comprises Indians.
Ankit advises students to project an authentic picture of their finances and socioeconomic situation. Being genuine and truthful can go a long way in securing that coveted seat in the university of your choice.
Chatgpt, Perplexity, Gemini, and Claude may be great AI tools for students; however, depending on them to write important SOPs or essays is a colossal blunder, according to Ankit. Your SOP is your best chance to convince the admissions committee by offering them a glimpse into who you are as a candidate. In other words, it’s a make-or-break factor.
Top schools use AI-detection and plagiarism filters on the essays to weed out machine-generated submissions. These filters are so sophisticated that
Even without the filters, it’s easy to spot AI-written material since tools like Chatgpt, Perplexity, Gemini and Claude lack the nuance of human writing. In the end, all AI-written essays start sounding alike.
Even tweaking and “humanising” the content won’t work because these filters can identify AI, even through the predictable points they generate. So in the end, all these essays start looking mechanical, lacking the necessary human touch.
“After my 10th essay, it becomes very easy to detect which one was written using AI,” notes Ankit.
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He advises students to work hard on their essays without resorting to AI to write them. The more authentic your SOP, the higher your chances of cracking the admissions exam.
Students often feel that their GMAT or GRE scores and belonging to a strong pedigree college can boost their chances of getting into a top university. But, according to Ankit, nothing can be further from the truth. Top universities are inundated with applications that look and sound similar, all having the same grades and scores. How do you differentiate yourself?
Ankit notes that AdCom is unfamiliar with the top colleges in India, except maybe the IITs, and it goes by the NAAC grade. If your college is NAAC+ accredited, your chances are heightened.
It’s all about the fit, says Ankit. As a student, you must engage with the college of your choice and correspond with its professors to show your intent and purpose. It goes beyond just your scores and the pedigree of your college.
Leadership experience, clarity in your goals and the uniqueness of your applications trumps everything else when it comes to just plain stats.
College applications can get rejected for various reasons, ranging from low test scores to weak SOPs. Top universities that receive thousands of applications with high test scores and impressive essays are more choosy about selection and may reject candidates who have low GPAs and test scores, plagiarised their essays, or submitted weak or AI-generated applications, shown a lack of interest in their stream of study, missed deadlines, or lacked leadership skills.
Students often make a couple of mistakes when applying for college. These mistakes are grave and can cost you a coveted seat at a top university. Some of these mistakes include:
Your essay is your personal pitch to the college of your choice. It represents you and your candidature: the why behind your candidature. Hence, a typo in the essay can reflect poorly on you. While it doesn’t necessarily mean instant rejection–because sometimes students can be admitted if the mistake isn’t glaring–it does create a bad impression in the minds of the AdCom people. So to avoid such pitfalls, review your essays with tools like Grammarly before submitting.
Yes, colleges can tell if your essay is AI-generated. Students should refrain from depending too much on ChatGPT, Gemini, and the like to write their essays from scratch. These colleges have sophisticated AI-detection tools–some of them custom-made–that can finely detect syntactic structures, typical AI-like vocabulary, and other clues that can show machine-generated content.
AI-generated essays tell the AdComs that the candidate is unwilling to do the work required to convince the committee. Fudging an essay means that the student looks for shortcuts and is less likely to work hard during the academic program. This is among the more serious college application mistakes.
Admissions Committees don’t fret over minor errors and often understand that small slipups are possible. They won’t reject a strong application over small mistakes. In fact, they are trained to overlook these small mistakes in favour of the bigger picture.
However, if the errors are grave, such as dishonesty, using AI, lack of coherence, etc., the AdCom might be far more unforgiving.
If you detected the mistake after you sent out the application, try to resubmit after the correction if it’s allowed. If not, contact the college admissions office and explain the situation. Request a resubmission.
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