This year I will be starting a business and entrepreneurship club at my school. Would you consider this impressive on my application?
– Jasmine
Let’s bring you a professional opinion. We asked Amanda, an admissions officer at the Colorado School of Mines, what impresses her about potential students.
Amanda from Colorado School of Mines:
Something that you see rarely that I would say is what impresses me the most is students who come in with relevant work experience or are innovators. So, a student who has done research at a local university in their area. Working with a professor is quite impressive in my mind. I think my colleagues would say the same. That and then work experience like an internship the student obtained during the summer between their junior and senior year of high school or sophomore junior, whenever it was. An internship in some field is a rare thing that we see on applications so I think it really does make students stand out. And then students who are innovators. We had students apply who started their own company designing drones and taking photos of various different things but they are making the drones themselves and then they’re marketing their company and saying “This is what my drone can do. Hire me on and I’ll get pictures of your house or your farmland or your business or what have you.” That’s really impressive. We had students design their own T-shirt making company. If they’re larger scale, that kind of thing is quite impressive. Or just a student who has longevity in a job and is showing that they’re able to have a job and manage school at the same time.
Based on what Amanda said, yes, students who are innovators can be impressive. Whether you’re starting a t-shirt business like the student she mentioned or building drones, you can impress an admissions officer.
But Amanda says, the key is to do it on a “larger scale.” Get people outside of your initial circle to join and care about your club, not just you and your two best friends. Actually earn customers for your business and grow its impact. Admissions officers who read thousands of applications want to see large-scale impact.
