How an Average Student Can Get Into Their Dream School

I strongly believe that everyone can get into their dream school if they invest the right amount of effort in the right direction.

In this article, I’ll walk you through, step by step, how an average student can significantly increase their chances of getting admitted to their dream school.

Before We Begin, Let’s Clarify What “Average” Really Means

• GPA Benchmarks: If your GPA is around 2.5 to 3.5 on a 4.0 scale, you might consider yourself an average student.

• Test Scores: An SAT score of around 1100 or an ACT score of 22 typically places you in the average category.

• Extracurriculars: Average extracurricular activities typically involve participating in 1-3 school clubs or community activities, engaging in occasional volunteering, recreational hobbies, or a part-time job, but without significant leadership roles, long-term commitments, or notable achievements.

• Others: If you have a regional award or no significant awards, no strong interest in any particular major, and have a decent but not outstanding recommendation letter, you may be considered in the average category.

1. Demonstrate an Upward Trend in Your GPA

One of the most impactful ways to strengthen your college application is by showing an upward trend in your GPA. This signals to admissions officers that you’re improving academically and are committed to your studies, even if your earlier grades were lower.

How to Show an Upward Trend in Your GPA

1. Focus on Your Weakest Subjects: Improving your GPA isn’t about focusing on subjects you’re already good at. It’s about raising grades on subjects you’re not good at. So, to improve your GPA, you should be ready to spend more time on subjects you’re not good at and probably don’t like to study.

2. Stay Engaged in Class Every Day: The most effective way to study is by fully engaging with each class session. Teachers often share key information about the material and upcoming exams during class. By paying attention and absorbing the material as it's taught, you'll save time later—if you don’t focus in class, you'll need to spend extra time reviewing it at home.

3. Seek Extra Help: Connect with someone who’s been through what you’re going through and is doing better now. Attend tutoring sessions, study with classmates who are doing well, and pick up the best tips and advice they can share to help you improve.

4. Study More: It might sound straightforward, but the more time you put in, the better your results will likely be. Sometimes, the key to improving is just dedicating more hours to studying each day.

5. Develop Better Study Habits: If you're putting in the study hours but not seeing the desired results, it’s time to evaluate your study habits. Establish a consistent study schedule, stay focused during each session, and use active study techniques like summarizing the material and teaching it to someone else.

6. Stay Organized and Manage Your Time Effectively: If you often find yourself running out of time and feeling rushed, it’s a sign that your time management needs a review. Identify areas where you might be wasting time—like scrolling through Instagram, chatting with friends for too long, or watching YouTube—and redirect that time towards studying. You can also prioritize tasks that have the greatest impact on your grades, allowing you to focus on what’s most important and maximize your efforts effectively.

Why Admissions Committees Care So Much About the Upward Trend in Your GPA

Colleges are not just looking for students who can perform well academically when they enter—they’re also seeking those who have the potential to thrive and contribute meaningfully to both the campus community and society at large after they graduate.

That said, while your current academic profile is important, colleges are even more interested in your potential for development. They prefer students who will make the most of their four years, continually improving and evolving academically, personally, and socially. This growth mindset is what they believe will help you leave college better prepared to contribute positively to the world.

An upward trend in your GPA is a strong indicator of this potential. It signals to admissions officers that you’re capable of overcoming challenges and continuously improving—a quality that’s essential for success in college and beyond. By showing that you’ve worked hard to raise your grades, you’re demonstrating resilience, determination, and a commitment to growth—the traits colleges seek in their students.

2. Take Challenging Courses

Colleges were originally established in the 11th century as institutions of higher learning and advanced research in various fields. By nature, colleges prefer candidates who can tackle difficult and challenging materials, absorb complex concepts, and contribute to their fields through research.

If you take challenging courses and do well on them, you’ll become a more attractive candidate for admissions. Colleges will view you as someone capable of handling even more difficult material in college and contributing meaningfully to the academic community and your chosen field in the future.

Remember, college is, at its core, a research institution that values candidates with a strong academic background and research potential. Doing well in challenging courses is an excellent way to demonstrate that you’re the right person to contribute to their academic community.

3. Improve Standardized Test Scores

Showing an upward trend also applies to improving your standardized test scores.

Standardized tests are designed to measure your academic readiness for college, so if you demonstrate improvement in your scores, it signals to colleges that you’ve made progress and are becoming increasingly prepared for the challenges of college-level work.

For detailed tips on how to improve your SAT reading and writing scores, refer to this post.

4. You’ll Need to Build Your Personal Brand

Compared to other students who did extremely well throughout their high school years, you’ll need something to make you stand out and increase your chances of getting into your dream school.

One approach I recommend is building a strong personal brand that will make you memorable to the admissions committee.

To build your personal brand, you’ll first need to identify your passions and strengths and then write a few sentences that best describe who you are.

Here’s an example:

With this description in mind, you can create a portfolio website that showcases a clip of you playing hockey or an award you've received in the sport, an advanced research report on stocks you’re passionate about, and a paper on a particular aspect of world history that fascinates you.

In a college application, you can’t just claim that you’re interested in something—you need to demonstrate what you’ve done to pursue those interests, ideally showing long-term commitment and consistent effort over time.

If you succeed in showing that you’re a talented hockey player who knows how to pursue academic interests and work on them consistently, the admissions committee will remember you as, "Oh, I remember the guy who plays hockey and is interested in finance and history. He has really demonstrated his passion and commitment.”

On my first day at Harvard, I chatted with the director of admissions, and he remembered my name and profile, saying,

Build your personal brand, and the admissions committee will remember you.

Conclusion - Connecting the Dots

Getting into your dream school isn’t easy—after all, it’s called a “dream” school for a reason. However, with the right effort in the right direction, you have a solid chance of making that dream a reality. And even if you don’t end up at your dream school, the journey will have transformed you into a better student and a stronger individual, so why not give it a shot?

Now, imagine you’ve successfully completed all the steps outlined in this article—demonstrating an upward trend in your GPA, excelling in challenging courses, improving your test scores, and building a compelling personal brand.

If you were on the admissions committee, you’d undoubtedly choose yourself. Why? Because there would be no reason not to.