Building Your Future: Why Personal Branding Matters for College-Bound Students
Want to get into your dream college? Well, you’ll have to show more than good grades these days. Even serving as editor and chief of your school paper on top of an AP-heavy schedule won’t cut it these days. One way to differentiate yourself from the rest of the pack is to develop an impressive personal brand. The importance of personal branding for high school students has grown as colleges look beyond the expectations of yesterday.
What’s a personal brand, you ask? In the most basic sense, your personal brand consists of the traits and the unique story that define who you are. Your personal brand is the essence of your being, which shows colleges why you’re unique and worth their consideration.
Colleges reviewing your application want to see more than your grades. They want to know who you are and what you’ll add to their campus. Your personal brand helps show them through your social media, activities, and online presence. Nearly one in three college admissions teams now check students’ social media profiles. Building a strong personal brand isn’t just nice to have – it’s a must to stand out from other applicants.
What is Personal Branding?
Think of your personal brand as the base of your reputation. It’s what people learn about you before they meet you. For students heading to college, your brand tells admissions teams why you’d be great on their campus.
Your personal brand shows:
- Your academic prowess
- How you lead and help others
- How you make your community better
- What you care about most
- What makes you unique
Why Your Brand Matters
Colleges review applicants’ social media presence and digital footprint before making admissions decisions. Your online presence is equally important to your grades since it gives colleges a more well-rounded picture of who you are.
Think of it this way–your grades show how well you do in class, but your brand shows who you are on a deeper level. While other students focus solely on test scores, your brand shows colleges much more about yourself. Your personal brand tells them what makes you unique and what you’ll bring to campus life. It helps you stand out from other applicants who might have similar grades. Colleges want students who will add something special to their community, and your brand helps them see precisely what that might be.
Making a Good First Impression
Before you ever visit a college, they’ll likely look you up online. What they find shapes what they think about you.
Your online presence matters more than ever in college admissions. It’s common sense to dress up for a college interview. The same applies to your online presence, such that you want it to be pristine. When admissions teams search for you, they often review your digital footprint to learn more about who you are. They want to see if you’ll fit well with their campus community.
Many companies also check social media when offering internships or jobs. This means the online image you build now can help you beyond your undergraduate applications. Students who create a strong online presence often find more opportunities.
Search results matter, too, especially when it comes to what shows up on the first page of Google. Most people only look at the first few results they find. That’s why ensuring positive content about you appears first is vital. You can create profiles on professional sites like LinkedIn and share positive content about your activities.
Harmful posts can hurt your chances more than you might think. A singular inappropriate photo or mean comment could make colleges wonder about your judgment. That’s why it’s crucial to clean up your profiles before applying. Ask yourself if you’d want your favorite teacher to see each post.
On the bright side, positive content helps shine a positive light on you. Share posts about your volunteer work, school projects, and leadership roles. When you post about helping others or working hard toward goals, you show colleges the kind of student you’ll be on their campus.
Building Your Brand
Creating a strong brand isn’t hard if you follow these steps:
Tell Your Story
- List the classes and subjects where you shine. Don’t just think about grades – include topics that excite you.
- Write down your hobbies and skills that set you apart from your peers.
- Choose three key values that guide your moral compass.
Pick Where to Share
- Create a LinkedIn profile to show your school wins and connect with people at colleges you like.
- Keep your Instagram feed clean and fill it with posts about your activities and achievements.
- Build a website to show off your projects and share what you’re passionate about.
Share Good Content
- Post photos and stories about your best schoolwork, contests in which you partake, and instances of recognition for excellence.
- Show times you helped at food banks, cleaned parks, or improved your community.
- Share moments when you led school clubs or helped your teams reach their goals.
Share the Real You
Your brand should illustrate the real you. Don’t try to be perfect – be genuine. Share:
How You Grow
Your journey matters just as much as your achievements. Talk about the tough math problem that took weeks to solve, or the new coding skill you taught yourself over summer break. Share the times you faced adversity and refused to give up. When you post about learning and growing, you show colleges that you’re ready to take on new challenges.
How You Help
Show how you make a difference in your community. Maybe you started a study group to help classmates with science, or you spend weekends mentoring kids at the library. Share about working with your sports team or school club to reach a big goal. These posts show colleges that you know how to work with others and care about improving things.
Taking Care of Your Online Image
Keep your brand strong with these tips:
Monthly Check-Up
- Search your name on Google
- Update your privacy settings
- Remove (or manage) any negative content
Share Good Things
- Post about your activities
- Share your thoughts on news
- Show new things you learn
Get Started Today
Don’t wait to build your brand. Start today. Each post and comment shapes how colleges see you. Remember to:
- Know what you want to show
- Keep your message the same everywhere
- Focus on quality posts
- Be yourself
- Check and update often
Your personal brand helps you stand out when applying to college. Start building it now; you’ll be ready when application time comes. Need help with your brand? Let us know, and we’d be more than happy to assist and help you show colleges your best self.
