Does “Perfect” Student Profile Exist for Applying Top U.S. Colleges?

Recently, a lot of parents and students asked me what a “perfect” student profile should look like for applying top U.S. colleges, including Ivy League. My answer to them was that it depends on individual cases and there is no single answer or solution to this question. Some of the parents and students might consider this as an indirect answer. However, this is not the case. Let us reveal this “perfect” student profile myth together.

First of all, there are 3 main pillars to build the whole U.S. college application, i.e. academic index, extra-curricular activities and student’s personality. A “perfect” student profile should consist of all 3 elements. Academic index includes the in-school GPA and class rank, as well as all admissions test scores (including SAT/ACT score and SAT subject tests score). Also, it will take the student’s curriculum and course rigor into account. Let’s imagine there are two students, Student A took 5 AP subjects with a GPA of 3.8 out of 4.0, while Student B took 8 AP subjects with a GPA of 3.6 out of 4.0. Who do you think is having a better academic index? This is just a small example on why it is hard to answer such question in a few minutes.

Another important element in a student’s profile is the extra-curricular activities. Parents and students usually attend a lot of top schools’ information session and they have been told that top schools like “well-rounded” students. However, “well-rounded” students are usually the ones who cannot get the offer from top schools. Why is that? Just have a thought, if you are trying to play everything and develop all skills during your high school life, which unique skills you can develop in order to showcase to the admissions committee?

In conclusion, “perfect” student profile does exist. However, there is no single formula to craft this out. The best way to own a “perfect” student profile for yourself is through continuous hard work and early prep with the guidance from professionals. Wish you all the success in your upcoming U.S. College Admissions journey!! “Rossit!!”

Mr. Hubert Ho
Head of Admissions Consulting Services, Kaplan Test Prep and Admissions
Associate Member of IECA, Member of NACAC and AEE
MCom (Finance), UNSW
BCom (Management & Marketing), University of Wollongong

• 10 years+ of experience in education industry
• Proven track record helping students gain admission to US prestigious colleges including Yale University, Stanford University, Cornell University, UCLA, UC-Berkeley, New York University, Boston University