How Building an Influencer Status Is Just Like Getting Into College

If you’ve ever tried to build a following on TikTok, run a niche Instagram account, or just get people to actually care about something you post, you already get a lot about the college admissions process. Both are about making yourself stand out in a sea of other people trying to do the exact same thing.

The secret? It’s not about being perfect—it’s about knowing what makes you interesting and putting that front and center.

Know What Makes You Interesting

People don’t follow influencers because they’re good at everything. They follow because they’re good at something—whether that’s thrifting, explaining sci-fi theories, or roasting bad movie adaptations. Trying to appeal to everyone means appealing to no one.

College apps work the same way. The students who get noticed aren’t the ones with a mile-long activity list—they’re the ones who clearly have something they care about. If you spent years writing short stories, running an underground zine, or figuring out how to code video game mods, that says way more about you than “participated in Model UN.”

People Can Tell When You’re Faking It

Nobody wants to follow someone who’s just hopping on trends with no personality. If you’re suddenly posting about skincare but it’s clear you know nothing about it, people scroll right past.

Same thing with college applications. Admissions officers read thousands of essays. They know when someone is forcing an answer because they think it “sounds good.” Writing about how passionate you are about volunteering when you’ve only done it twice? They’ll see right through that. A random essay about leadership because you think that’s what they want to hear? Also obvious. Just be real.

Being Active in the Right Places Matters

Influencers don’t just post into the void. They engage. They comment, collaborate, and interact with people who are into the same things.

College works the same way. It’s not enough to just “join clubs.” Are you actually contributing? Did you start a project, organize an event, or leave a mark in some way? If you just signed up and sat in meetings, that’s like trying to be an influencer without ever engaging with your audience.

Numbers Matter, But They’re Not Everything

A huge follower count doesn’t mean much if no one cares about what you’re posting. Some of the best creators have smaller, engaged audiences because they put out good content.

Test scores and GPAs? Same deal. Sure, they help, but they don’t guarantee anything. A 4.0 student with no personality in their application isn’t nearly as compelling as someone with solid grades and an interesting story.

It’s a Long Game

No one builds an audience overnight. The influencers you see blowing up today probably spent years figuring out what works, refining their content, and testing different approaches.

The same is true for college admissions. The students who stand out didn’t just wake up senior year and throw something together. They spent time developing their interests, getting involved in meaningful ways, and putting in the work long before applications opened.

It’s all the same game—just a different audience. You’re either making an admissions officer care about you in 10 minutes or making a new follower hit the “follow” button in five seconds. Either way, it’s about knowing what makes you stand out and leaning into it.