Most students do average activities inconsistently for a short amount of time. Then they wonder why they didn’t get into their dream school. The students who 6x, 8x, even 10x their college admissions chances understand three multipliers: (1) completing high-leverage activities instead of what everyone else does, (2) consistency measured by the calendar month test, and (3) time, because four years of effort beats four months every time. When you multiply these three factors together, you get a hockey stick curve that separates accepted students from the 90-95% who get rejected.
It’s been a while since I’ve been able to make YouTube videos. Why? I was growing, building a team. As of spring 2025, I’ve got an awesome team. They are stellar, total A players. And what it’s allowed me to do is free up my time to get back to doing my favorite thing in the world: teaching high school students and their parents how to have a world-class, stress-free, successful college planning and application journey.
Today I want to discuss the three multipliers when it comes to increasing your college admissions chances. What I want to show is how each of these factors can truly be deemed as a multiplier. Not an addition. A multiplier. That distinction matters because when you multiply these three levers together, you get exponential results.
Contents
The problem: average activities done poorly
Before I get into the three levers, let me describe what I see constantly.
The amount of times I have seen students who decide, “You know what, I’m going to do DECA. Everyone seems to do DECA.” The amount of students I see who say, “National Honor Society. I’m going to spend hours and hours a week for National Honor Society.” The amount of students I see who say, “Well, my parents told me to do this community service project or that community service project.”
Now, if you are completing those activities because you actually want to, if you want to complete DECA, if you want to complete National Honor Society, if you want to do community service, fantastic. Go for it. I am all about helping students be the true authentic version of themselves. And if a student loves DECA, go for it.
But if you’re completing them strictly for the reason of getting into the college of your dreams, I have to tell you: there are better uses of your time.
What actually moves the needle
Completing high-leverage activities, completing standout activities, understanding what actually moves the needle when it comes to college admissions at sub-10% acceptance rate schools, which the vast majority of our students are applying to year after year, you have to understand what activities matter and which simply do not move the needle for the amount of effort they take.
The National Honor Societies of the world, the DECAs of the world, these are things that are common. A lot of students do them. Again, if you want to complete them because you enjoy those activities, you should. But if a student is strictly doing DECA because they think it’s going to help them get into the college of their dreams, they are mistaken.
Lever one: complete high-leverage activities
The first lever, the most important one hands down, is completing the right activities. Knowing what to do to stand out in college admissions.
This is the foundation. If you get this wrong, nothing else matters. If you’re spending your time on activities that don’t move the needle, consistency and time won’t save you.
Different > Difficult
I actually made an entire video on this concept called “Different is Greater than Difficult.” I walk through a step-by-step exercise to actually come up with a high-leverage activity or two that is authentic and unique to yourself.
The key insight is this: difficult activities that everyone does don’t stand out. Different activities that only you do absolutely stand out.
Taking 10 AP classes is difficult. But thousands of students do it. Building a Udemy course on a topic you’re passionate about? Different. And far more memorable to an admissions officer reading their 500th application of the day.
The authentic requirement
Here’s what matters: high-leverage activities have to be authentic. They can’t be things you’re doing just for college. Admissions officers can sniff out inauthenticity from a mile away.
The good news is that authentic interests, when channeled into high-leverage activities, are actually more impressive than manufactured resume-stuffing. You get to do something you enjoy AND stand out. That’s the goal.
If you’re not sure what your student’s authentic interests are, start with my free Saturday Morning Test. It’s the same exercise I use with every new family to uncover what a student is genuinely passionate about.
Lever two: consistency (the calendar month test)
Now that you’ve identified your high-leverage activities in lever one, we add our first multiplier: consistency.
I use this a lot with my students. Here’s how I like to describe consistency.
The calendar month test
In a given calendar month, now that you have identified what these high-leverage standout activities are to improve your college-admissions-ready profile, how consistent are you? How often are you allocating time towards this?
I actually don’t measure it by day for a particular reason. Some activities seem to happen at a cadence that’s outside a given day or even a given week. But in a given month, you absolutely should, if you’ve identified these high-leverage activities, be doing them.
There is no calendar month that goes by after you’ve identified these high-leverage activities that you can ignore them.
The questions to ask
In a given calendar month, how consistent are you? Are you applying one hour a month? Are you applying 10 hours a month?
Yes, the needed consistency will vary based on the activity. But in general, the theme is: you’ve now identified the high-leverage activities in lever one. Multiplier: how consistent are you with them?
Use the calendar month test.
Why this matters mathematically
Think about a student who doesn’t know the high-leverage activities. They just do a bunch of community service projects. They decide to do National Honor Society. They decide to do DECA. They decide to be pretty good students.
And then you multiply this by: they only do them inconsistently.
You can see how that student pales in comparison to a student who’s done high-leverage activities consistently. It is exponential.
Lever three: time
Now you have the third multiplier. You can see how this becomes a hockey stick curve in terms of your admissions chances.
The third multiplier is time. Different than consistency. Time is about how long you’ve been doing these activities.
Everything becomes greater with time
When it comes to college admissions chances, everything becomes greater in terms of your chances of admission when you have been doing it longer.
Here’s an example. You can complete the high-leverage activities. Let’s say you did the “Different is Greater than Difficult” exercise. And then you decide, “You know what, I’ve now identified my one or two high-leverage activities. I’m going to do it consistently.”
Sadly, if this thought is only applied two or three or four months before graduation, it’s just not going to have enough time to take effect in terms of proving to admissions that this is authentic and standing out.
The freshman advantage
Now, take a freshman in high school who identifies their high-leverage activity as a freshman. They then apply consistency to it month after month. They’re putting in the proper amount of work.
And then guess what? We get to multiply that by not two months or three months or six months. We get to multiply that by four years.
Which profile do you think is going to stand out to college admissions?
The formula visualized
High-leverage activities × Consistency × Time = Your admissions chances
A student who does high-leverage activities consistently for four years versus a student who does average activities inconsistently for four months? It’s not even close.
The math that creates 10x results
This is how we see students who go from “I have no chance of admission at my dream school” to “I am into my dream school.”
Let me show you the contrast.
Student A (the typical approach)
- Activities: Average (DECA, National Honor Society, generic community service)
- Consistency: Inconsistent (when they remember, when parents remind them)
- Time: Short (started thinking about it junior year)
Result: Blends in with 90-95% of applicants. Gets rejected. Says, “I had the grades and test scores. Why didn’t I get in?”
Student B (the multiplier approach)
- Activities: High-leverage (authentic, different, standout)
- Consistency: Monthly at minimum (calendar month test)
- Time: Four years (started freshman year)
Result: Stands out. Gets accepted. Understands why.
The multiplier effect
When you multiply high-leverage activities times consistency times time, all of a sudden you can see how a student could have a 6x, an 8x, a 10x, even a 12x greater chance of admission than the student that completes average activities inconsistently for a small amount of time.
This is not exaggeration. This is the math of how admissions actually works at competitive schools.
The grades and test scores caveat
To be clear, I’ll have other videos where I go over how these days, when you are talking about the top 25 schools in the country, you need to have the grades and the test scores to even get a seat at the table.
But that’s not what this post is about.
This post is about the students who are going to have the grades and test scores to be considered at the top schools in the country. And I’m trying to help those students say, “Hm, how do I not fall into the bucket that 90 to 95% of students fall into who apply to those schools?”
That’s the bucket where they say, “I had the grades and test scores. Why didn’t I get in? Why didn’t I even get a look?”
And this is why. The three levers.
If you want to see where your student currently stands on all three levers, take my free College Story Audit. It shows you exactly where the gaps are and what needs to be developed.
Multiply, don’t add
Most students approach college admissions by adding activities to their resume. More clubs. More volunteer hours. More AP classes.
The students who get into their dream schools approach it differently. They multiply.
High-leverage activities × Consistency × Time.
Get even one of these wrong, and you’re competing with the 90-95% who get rejected. Get all three right, and you’re in a completely different category.
The math is simple. The execution takes four years. Start now.
Ready to take the next step?
If you want our team to look at your entire profile step by step, see exactly where your gaps are, and you have a freshman or sophomore in high school giving us enough time to help, book a free 45-minute college planning strategy session with our team.
We’ll walk through exactly where your student stands on all three levers and what needs to happen to maximize their chances. It’s entirely free, and it might be the most valuable 45 minutes you spend on your student’s college journey.
Frequently asked questions about the three levers
What counts as a “high-leverage” activity? Activities that are different, not just difficult. Activities that only you do, not that thousands of students do. Activities that tell a compelling, authentic story about who you are and what you care about. The “Different > Difficult” framework is the key.
How many hours per month should my student spend on high-leverage activities? It varies by activity, but the calendar month test is simple: no month should go by where zero time is allocated. For most students, 5-15 hours per month on their primary high-leverage activity is a reasonable range, depending on the activity and the student’s other commitments.
Is it too late if we’re already in junior year? It’s not too late, but the time multiplier will be smaller. A junior has maybe 18 months instead of 48. That means the high-leverage activities and consistency need to be even stronger to compensate. It’s harder, but not impossible.
Can my student still do DECA or National Honor Society? Yes, if they genuinely want to. The point isn’t that these activities are bad. The point is that they shouldn’t be the centerpiece of a college application because they don’t differentiate. Do them for enjoyment, not for admissions strategy.
How do I know if an activity is “different enough”? Ask yourself: how many other students applying to the same schools are doing this exact thing? If the answer is “thousands,” it’s not different enough. If the answer is “maybe a handful, maybe none,” you’re on the right track.
What if my student doesn’t know what they’re passionate about? That’s actually common, especially for freshmen and sophomores. The Saturday Morning Test helps uncover authentic interests. The earlier you start exploring, the more time you have to find something that genuinely resonates.
