As the number of college applications continues to rise, high school seniors face tougher competition in the college admissions pool.

According to U.S. News, every year the number of applications continues to rise and admission rates continue to fall at a broad range of schools, from the most selective to traditional “safety” schools.

Applicants are becoming more accomplished. According to US News Best Colleges rankings, 10,225 of the 26,664 students who applied to Princeton University for fall 2012 had a 4.0 grade point average (GPA). Thirteen thousand nine hundred forty-five applicants to the university scored at least a 2100 on the Scholastic Assessment Test (SAT). A perfect score is 2400.

In the competitive world of college admissions, high school students need to take the right steps that will help their college applications stand out.

Students should make the most of their high school years by joining activities and committing to them. Too many students believe that joining a bunch of clubs will make them appear well-rounded. However, colleges are interested in students who commit to a club wholeheartedly rather than students who join multiple clubs and participate superficially.  It is key for students to demonstrate their passion and personality through activities, leadership positions and extracurricular pursuits.

Alumna Charisse Pudiquet said, “I took an interest in the Soroptimist club during my freshman year. I stuck with it and I ended up being the president of the club during my senior year. This helped to boost my college application because it displayed my commitment to the club and my initiative to take leadership roles.”

Colleges also look for students who make progress and those who challenge themselves responsibly. In the National Association for College Admission Counseling’s most recent “State of College Admission” survey, 66 percent of staffers said they assign considerable weight to the degree of challenge.

Although a student might not receive an “A” in the advanced class, colleges take into consideration the level of difficulty.

Senior Katie Lee said, “I constantly challenge myself by taking difficult classes; however, I have accepted the fact that not receiving straight A’s is not a disadvantage for me.”

College counselor, Randall Fong, said, “Colleges are also interested in progression. Although a student may not have the top grades, if there is some sign of progress over the student’s four years in high school, colleges will take that into consideration.”

In order to be a competitive college applicant, students must make a four-year action plan. It is simply not enough to have only one solid well-rounded year. It is never a bad thing to start thinking about college early on.