What Is the Best Way to Prepare for College Applications?
The short answer: learn from students who already got in. Read their essays, see their stats, understand their strategy, then talk to them directly. Here's how Scholarly makes that possible.
Every college has a personality. They admit students who fit that personality: people whose strengths, interests, and stories align with what the school values most. The hard part isn't being good enough. It's figuring out which parts of yourself to put front and center for each school.
The most effective way to figure that out is to study the applications of students who already got in. When you read their essays, review their extracurriculars, and understand the thinking behind their application, you stop guessing. You start seeing a pattern: what this specific school actually responds to.
That's exactly what Scholarly's case studies are built for. Each one is a complete, real application from a student admitted to a top university. Their essays, their test scores, their extracurriculars, and an in-depth interview about what they did to stand out, what was going through their head, and what they'd do differently.
And when you need more than examples, when you want to ask someone what a campus is really like or get feedback on your own essay draft, you can message our Scholars directly. Real students, at real schools, who have been through the exact process you're navigating.
Read Real College Application Case Studies
Each case study is a full application profile: the essays that got them in, the numbers behind their application, and an honest interview about their strategy. These are real students who got real acceptance letters, sharing everything so you can learn from their experience.
From Cadet to Cornellian: How Olivia Engineered Her Application Journey
Olivia Jung’s path to Cornell shows how uncertainty, doubt, and even feeling like an outsider can become strengths in the college process. She didn’t know her exact major when she...
Read by 24 students
5.0 rating
acceptances
Honesty, Hard Work, and Heart Paved Mario's Road to UPenn
Not every college applicant has a perfect SAT score, a niche research project, or the money for private counseling—and that’s exactly why Mario’s story is essential reading. He...
Read by 69 students
0.0 rating
acceptances
Run the Numbers, Change the Rules: Tanav's Journey to Yale
Tanav Prabhu’s case study is a must-read for students who want to turn quiet curiosity into bold, visible impact. His story spans everything from running a 50-person movement to...
Read by 52 students
0.0 rating
acceptances
What Top Colleges Actually Look For
Understanding what admissions officers value is the first step to building a strong application. Here's what stands out, and why reading real case studies helps you see these patterns in action.
They want to see who you are, not just what you've done
Strong grades and test scores get your application read. But what gets you admitted is showing the person behind the numbers. Admissions officers are building a class of interesting, driven people. Your essay, your activities, and your recommendations need to tell a cohesive story about who you are and what you bring. In our case studies, you'll see exactly how admitted students told their story, and you'll notice it's never about being perfect. It's about being real.
Depth beats breadth, every time
Colleges aren't looking for a list of 15 clubs. They want genuine commitment: a student who started a community initiative, spent years on a research project, or turned a personal passion into something that impacted others. When you read case studies from students at your target school, you'll see this pattern clearly. The students who got in went deep, not wide.
Your essay is your best shot at being memorable
The personal essay is the one part of your application that's entirely in your voice. The best essays are specific, honest, and reveal something about you that nothing else in the application does. Reading real essays from admitted students is one of the most effective ways to understand what strong writing actually looks like in this context. Not what a textbook tells you, but what actually worked.
Every school is different, and that's the whole point
What works at one university may not work at another. A school that values entrepreneurial thinking looks for different qualities than one that prioritizes community service or academic research. Generic advice can't account for this. But when you read case studies from your specific target schools, you see the patterns that generic advice misses. That's where you find your edge.
Explore Students at Your Dream School
Pick a school and see the case studies, essays, and students connected to it. Every school attracts a certain kind of applicant. Browsing by school helps you understand what that looks like in practice.
Sometimes You Need More Than a Case Study
Case studies show you what a successful application looks like. But sometimes you need a conversation. What was the campus visit really like? How did they decide between schools? What would they tell a younger version of themselves? What's the culture like beyond the brochure?
Scholarly lets you message students directly. Our Scholars are real college students at top universities who have been through the admissions process and are ready to help. They can answer questions about their school, give you feedback on your essays, help you prepare for interviews, or just tell you what they wish they had known. It's like having an older sibling at every school on your list.
Talk to Students Who Got In
Get advice straight from students at top universities. Ask about their application process, their school, or anything you can't find in a brochure. Find a Scholar at your dream school and start a conversation.
Talk to a Scholar Today
Find a student at your dream school and start a conversation. Real advice from real students. No expensive consultants, no generic tips.
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