Top 10 Mistakes Students Make on Their College Applications (and How to Avoid Them)

College apps are a bloodsport with better lighting. Think less “earn your spot” and more “out-narrate 90,000 kids who also got straight As and cured something in 11th grade.”

And yet, most students self-sabotage before they even submit. Here’s what not to do — and how to turn your application into a strategic, soul-bearing mic drop.

1. Writing the Essay You Think They Want

Spoiler: They don’t want “perseverance.” They want you. The real one. The weird one. The one your friends laugh at because you eat cereal with a fork or talk to squirrels.

Why it fails: Essays that chase perfection reek of fear. You’re not here to impress. You’re here to reveal.

Do this instead: Write the story that makes you squirm a little — the one that only you could write. A moment where something cracked open. That time you lied. Or failed. Or realized you were more than what people saw. Vulnerability wins. Cliché doesn't.

2. Thinking the Supplements Don’t Matter

A lazy “Why Us” essay is academic suicide. If your answer works for five other schools, delete it.

Why it fails: It signals you don’t actually want to go there — just that you like the ranking.

Do this instead: Use evidence. Mention the neuroscience lab where they’re testing dopamine levels in teen girls. Talk about how you stalked the student-run prison abolition group. Show obsession-level detail. Schools want fans, not flirts.

3. Flexing Too Many Activities

You did 12 clubs, 3 sports, 2 instruments, and ran a charity? Congrats. You sound unfocused.

Why it fails: Admissions isn’t impressed by breadth. They’re impressed by direction.

Do this instead: Curate your story. Make your activities build something. Are you the future doc who runs a health podcast and tutors kids in bio and works in a lab? Boom. That’s a brand. Be the main character, not the montage.

4. Repeating Your Resume in Your Essay

If your essay includes bullet points in paragraph form, start over.

Why it fails: Your resume already exists. Nobody wants a dramatic reading.

Do this instead: Show internal shifts. You had an internship? Great. Now tell me how it made you question capitalism. Or cry in the bathroom. Or finally understand your mom. Emotional movement > professional milestones.

5. Forgetting You're Competing Against Perfection

A typo isn’t quirky. It’s sloppy. So is calling Columbia “Cornell.” Yes, it’s happened. Yes, they notice.

Why it fails: It tells them you're not detail-oriented. In a pool of perfectionists, sloppiness is a death sentence.

Do this instead: Triple-check everything. Read it backward. Bribe your smartest friend to proofread. If your app has a single error, it better be on purpose and funny.

6. Choosing the Wrong Recommenders

The English teacher who “loves everyone” isn’t going to war for you.

Why it fails: Generic letters scream forgettable.

Do this instead: Pick people who saw you struggle and grow. Prime them. Give them talking points. Your job is to make their job easy. Don’t just hope for a good letter. Orchestrate it.

7. Applying to Prestige, Not Fit

Harvard isn’t Hogwarts. Prestige isn’t a personality trait. If you can’t explain why you belong there without sounding like a Wikipedia entry, don’t apply.

Why it fails: You’re giving “brand chaser,” not “community builder.”

Do this instead: Dig into each school like it’s your soulmate. What about this place cracks your brain open? Show you belong not because you’re perfect, but because you get them.

8. Applying to 20+ Schools

This isn’t Tinder. Swiping right on every school doesn’t increase your odds. It just leads to burnout and mid-December existential dread.

Why it fails: You spread yourself too thin. Your essays suffer. Your strategy dies.

Do this instead: Apply to 8–12 schools on purpose. Balance risk and fit. Make every app feel handcrafted. Mass production doesn’t get into elite schools. Artisans do.

9. Over-Editing Until You're Unrecognizable

Your mom, your tutor, and your tennis coach have now all “tweaked” your essay. Congrats. It sounds like a politician.

Why it fails: You edited the heartbeat out of it.

Do this instead: Trust your voice. Keep it messy until it’s not. Then edit for clarity, not conformity. Ask someone: Does this sound like me? Would you want to meet this person?

10. Hiding What Actually Makes You Interesting

You know that weird hobby, that family quirk, that chaotic childhood story you think you should hide? That’s the gold.

Why it fails: Playing it safe makes you invisible.

Do this instead: Lean in. If you’re obsessed with horror makeup or wrote fanfic in 6th grade that made 12 people cry, own it. Authenticity is magnetic. Let your freak flag fly strategically.

Final Thought:

College admissions isn’t about being perfect. It’s about being clear. Clear about who you are, what matters to you, and how you’ve made meaning out of chaos.

And if you want help turning that chaos into a killer application?
That’s literally what Top Dog is built for. 🐶

We don't do bland. We do bold. Let’s make you unforgettable.