Try developing your interests in something more unusual. Recommendations A so-so recommendation can hurt. Encourage the person who writes your recommendation to recount anecdotes. You may want to type up a list of points you want your recommenders to mention in their letters. Try asking about student advising or if star faculty members are accessible to undergraduates.
Application essays Be honest.
Here's where race, religion, socioeconomic background and geography may play a role. A student from the Midwest often has a better chance of getting into private schools on the East and West coasts because there are so few applicants. For example, unless you have super high grades and test scores, you may not want to say you are pre-med because those applicants tend to have better grades and scores than the average applicant. This may be the only opportunity you have to tell admissions officers what's special about you. Detroit Free Press and may not be republished without permission.