I wish that I had known that I am more than my numbers. I focused too much on having the "right" grades, the "right" test scores, the "right" class rank, and not enough on explaining my leadership roles in my extracurricular activities and the impact I made while holding those positions or on writing an essay that accurately projects my unique voice to admissions staff. I know that the whole "holistic admissions" notion can seem like a load of crap, but colleges really do consider you as a whole (especially USC). Instead of participating in a ton of extracurriculars that...

Of course you should give your best effort in all of your classes to give yourself the best possible chance of getting into the college of your choice, but in classes that pertain to the course of study you think you might want to pursue, perform just a little bit better than your best. You should also be on your best behavior in these pertinent classes—be an active listener and participant, help your classmates with their work, have a positive attitude, and be open to criticism. Performing well academically and showing good character help groom potential recommenders to write...

If, like me, your top choice school is way out of your affordability range, you need to start researching and applying for scholarships for which you think might meet the criteria. I started doing this my senior year, but I cannot stress how much I wish that I had done so my sophomore or junior years—who knows how much more money I would have earned in scholarships? Most likely, the largest scholarship that you will receive will come from the school you attend. These can be merit-based, need-based, or a combination of both. I was lucky enough to have...