Universities are businesses (even public ones), and their business is to look for:
Students who will go on to have a successful career—not just stay a successful student.
Once you understand that universities are businesses (even public ones) and what metrics they care about in their business, you’ll understand which students they accept and reject.
Cornell University research found that the higher a school’s ranking, the higher the probability a high-achieving student chooses it. Universities HAVE to care because their future customers (you) care about it. It’s a feedback loop: Higher rank → more top students choose them → can admit fewer to fill class → selectivity looks better → rank sustains.
Stanford vs Berkeley? Your child chooses Stanford. Harvard vs Brown? Harvard. Universities know families generally choose the most prestigious option they get into. This affects yield rates (who says “yes” after admission), which affects rankings.
Running a university is one of the hardest business models—mostly fixed costs like buildings, maintenance, and professor salaries. Revenue levers are limited
Put yourself in their shoes: If YOU had to choose between:
Which is better for your university’s business?
Universities have a HUGE vested interest in your child being successful AFTER graduation because it’s good for business.
The business logic: Rational people work for money. If paid hourly, they work only paid hours. If salaried, they minimize effort for same pay. Sounds reasonable, right?
But students who become great doctors, make business impacts, or achieve scientific breakthroughs need something that drives them into the lab on Saturday, to do research on Sunday—with no guarantee of payoff. Passion is their replacement for financial compensation. It bridges them through the hard work that success requires.
Why is this important? When your child chooses to spend their summer at BU RISE doing lab research instead of lounging by the pool, that shows genuine passion. They’re voluntarily doing MORE work in their field when they could be relaxing.
It’s no different than what happens in the workplace. Who gets promoted to partner at a law firm—the associate who leaves at 5 PM sharp, or the one who stays late researching precedents because they genuinely care about winning the case? We all know passion drives excellence. Universities know that the kid who attends Wharton LBW and then spends their free time building a business is the same one who’ll start companies in college and become a successful entrepreneur after graduation.
Just saying you have passion means nothing. Universities look for students with a history of DOING something with that passion—projects, builds, leadership, measurable impact.
Why is this important? Your child isn’t just saying “I love medicine”—they have a published research poster from Georgetown Medical Academy proving they can DO medical research. They completed actual work that professionals in that field would recognize.
It’s exactly like hiring in the real world. If you’re hiring a software engineer, who do you choose—the one who says “I’m passionate about coding” or the one who shows you three apps they built and deployed? Obviously the one with proof. Universities think the same way. The student who produced a venture plan at Wharton LBW and pitched to real investors is infinitely more credible than one who just joined the school business club. The 6th grader who completes projects becomes the high schooler at BU RISE, who becomes the college student in advanced research, who becomes the professional making breakthroughs.
Getting accepted into highly selective programs or receiving endorsements from influential, successful people. This includes:
Why is this important? If other successful people say your child is exceptional, or if they made it into a program that accepts only 2% of applicants, that dramatically increases the chances your child will be successful.
It’s no different than what happens in our adult job searches. Who’s more likely to get hired at Google—the candidate who applies through the website, or the one whose resume comes with a recommendation from a current Google engineer? We all know the referred candidate has 10x better odds. Or think about it this way: if you’re hiring and see “McKinsey” or “Goldman Sachs” on someone’s resume, you automatically assume they’re capable—not because you know what they did there, but because those companies already vetted them.
That’s exactly what universities are doing. When they see your child was selected for NASA’s internship program or has a recommendation from a Stanford professor, they think: “If NASA chose this kid out of thousands, there must be something special here.” The validation from recognized institutions becomes a wealth-generating asset—it signals traits that are hard to quantify but predict future success.
HOW TO SOLVE THIS:
Students who will go on to have a successful career—not just stay a successful student.
They admit students who will make them look good after graduation, not just ace tests.
These three factors = future career outcomes → better rankings, prestige, tuition, and donations. That’s why they select for them.
The Formula That Works: Standout Signal + Subject-Specific Experience = Admit-worthy file
“Academic criteria are important to Yale’s selective admissions process, but we look at far more than test scores and grades… every applicant brings something unique to the admissions committee table.
Perhaps one application stands out because of sparkling recommendations, while another presents outstanding extracurricular talent; maybe your personality shines through a powerful written voice.”
“Even perfect test scores don’t guarantee admission. Far from it: 69% of Stanford’s applicants over the past five years who scored a perfect score on the SAT were rejected… we’re also looking for evidence that this young person has a passion, that he or she will bring something to our community that is unique.“
Required Reading
Tier 1 typically involves:
Tier 2 typically involves:
Tier 3 typically involves:
Tier 4 typically involves:
Required Reading
https://admissionsight.com/tier-1-extracurriculars/
Programs
Competitions
Regeneron Science Talent Search (STS) Semifinalist — extremely strong, but below finalist/winner.
ISEF (International Science & Engineering Fair) Category Winners — 1st/2nd place in category is very good, but not Best of Fair.
Science Olympiad Nationals – Event Medals — strong, but not overall team champion.
USABO (Biology Olympiad) Semifinalist — proof of national-level STEM strength, below finals.
USAPhO (Physics Olympiad) Semifinalist / Silver Medalist — strong, but not international team.
USACO (USA Computing Olympiad) Gold Level — very strong, below Platinum/IOI selection.
Chemistry Olympiad (USNCO) National Finalist — selective, but not IChO team.
AIME Qualification (with high score) — credible, but below USAMO/MOP.
USAMO Honorable Mention / Non-Top 12 Finalist — strong signal, but not medal-level.
Harvard-MIT Math Tournament (HMMT) Top Team / Top 50 Individual — competitive, but not as exclusive as Olympiad.
MIT Math Prize for Girls – Qualifier / Finalist — strong, but below top medalist.
Scholastic Art & Writing – National Gold Medal — excellent, but not Portfolio Gold.
John Locke Essay Competition – Commendation / Shortlist — respected, but below Winner/High Commendation.
National History Day – National Finalist — strong validation of research/writing, but not champion.
NSDA Nationals (Speech & Debate) – Octafinalist/Quarterfinalist — strong, but not champion/TOC winner.
DECA ICDC – Top 10 Finish — strong, but not overall champion.
Diamond Challenge – Finalist — competitive, but below global winner.
Fed Challenge (HS Division) – Regional Winner — strong econ signal, below national champion.
Boys/Girls State – Delegate / Leadership Position (non-Governor) — selective civic program, but not top Governor role.
https://admissionsight.com/tier-1-extracurriculars/
https://admissionsight.com/tier-1-extracurriculars/
Alex’s daughter was in the 7th grade when she began her college prep guidance with Zenith Prep Academy. Although Alex attended a Top 30 university in the US himself, he realized how challenging the admissions process had become, and was unsure of what classes, activities, and competitions would help his daughter best explore her passions and find her area of interest. He was looking for a highly customized strategy for his daughter to build the right extracurricular profile so she’d be able to stand out from the tens of thousands of other students with similar academics. Alex has been so happy with his relationship with Zenith that he’s looking forward to signing up his younger kids when they’re old enough.
Lana had quickly realized her son’s school wasn’t challenging or engaging enough for him. He was a very bright, driven, and articulate student who had specific fields that he was interested in. He and Lana wanted to know how he could further his interests in these fields through more advanced classes and different competitions, projects, activities,
and more.
Although Robert attended high school and college in the US, given that his son went to a hyper–competitive high school (ranked top 100 in the United States), he wanted a highly customized strategy and plan for their son to further his academic interests and build the right extracurricular profile to stand out from his peers in their high school and in the college applications.
Given that his son was doing well academically, Rajesh wanted guidance on resources, programs, and classes that could provide his son with exposure to different fields and majors – in turn helping him identify his interests and turn his passions into activities, helping him attract the attention of his choice universities.
Manisha’s daughter was an 11th grader when they started working with our college counseling team. A first–generation parent, she turned to Zenith to guide her daughter toward how to best use the one year they had left before college applications, highlighting her daughter’s strengths and interests to ultimately help her shine on college applications. With Zenith’s help, Manisha’s daughter gained acceptance into her dream university.
Victoria's daughter was a 9th grader who, apart from her involvement in sports, hadn't engaged in any academic or extracurricular activities. Although Victoria went to a top 15 university herself, she realized how much college admissions had changed over the years and turned to us for guidance and our expertise in helping her daughter discover her true passions, nurture her interests, and develop a competitive profile for the top universities she was looking to attend.
