An academic passion, initiative and a proven interest in a college are key to getting your foot in the door – and they’re only some of the attributes admissions officers are looking for in their ever more competitive applicant pools.
Sixty-four percent of colleges and universities surveyed by the National Association for College Admission Counseling saw a jump in the number of applications for entry in the fall of 2012, the most recent stats available, as students continued to apply to a greater number of schools and interest increased from abroad.
The same forces are persisting this year, particularly at the top of the heap. Stanford University accepted just over 5 percent of the 42,167 applications it received for the class of 2018; Yale's acceptance rate was 6.3 percent.
Scary as those statistics may be, it's important to remember that, on average, colleges are still accepting almost two-thirds of their applicants, according to NACAC.
"For most kids, it's not that hard to get into college as long as you're doing the right thing," says Mark Montgomery, an educational consultant in Denver. U.S. News talked with admissions officers, independent college counselors and high school guidance counselors to find out what the right thing is.
[Find more tips and advice on getting into the right college for you.]
1. Develop a smart short list: Picking colleges requires a long look inward as well as study of all those school websites. "Pause and assess who you are, what you're good at," advises Judy Muir, an independent college counselor in Houston. Then consider how your learning style and other preferences fit with each college's strengths.
Ted Spencer, director of undergraduate admissions at the University of Michigan—Ann Arbor, says you should be able to come up with five reasons for applying to every school on your list.
Then run the list by your guidance counselor to be sure you're being realistic about the chances for admission. Some high schools have software that can tell you where you'd stack up against past applicants to a college.
2. Consider early options: Some 47 percent of colleges reported an increase in the number of applicants accepted through binding early decision for the fall of 2012 – meaning the students promised to attend if accepted – and 68 percent saw a jump in nonbinding early-action acceptances, where students get word early, without an obligation, according to NACAC.
Montgomery always advises students to apply early decision if they absolutely know where they want to go and won't need to weigh financial aid offers, since colleges like to admit students who are a sure thing, and the odds of clearing the bar are often better.
"We have kids whose applications we're reading in the regular decision round who go on the waitlist, when they would have been admitted early," says Mike Sexton, vice president for enrollment management at Santa Clara University in California.
3. Show sincere interest: As it becomes easier for students to apply to multiple schools electronically and by using the Common Application, admissions officers are alert for "stealth candidates" who do nothing but fill out the forms. If you want to be taken seriously, "you've got to show them some love," says Caroline Brokaw Tucker, an independent college consultant at Connecticut-based Dunbar Educational Consultants.
Visiting, the best way to get a feel for schools, is also the best way to show you're interested. Take the tour, but also meet with admissions officers. Ask questions. If you can't visit, take advantage of local college fairs and every other option for contact.
"Write to the admissions office, sign up on their Facebook page – anything to let them know you think they're the bee's knees," says Montgomery.
"I made sure I stood out," says Abigail Fleming of Evansville, Indiana, who applied to 10 small liberal arts colleges and, after visiting a few, zeroed in on Beloit College in Wisconsin. She stayed in touch with the admissions office when she had questions, and even drove three hours to a college fair to connect with the school again. She's now a freshman at Beloit.
4. Pay attention to details: Optional essays? Write them. A chance to elaborate on your extracurricular activities? Take it. For students on the bubble, that bit of extra effort can make the difference in whether or not you're admitted. 
Thyra Briggs, vice president for admission and financial aid at Harvey Mudd College in California, advises putting serious thought into the teachers you ask for recommendations. "Don't always choose teachers who gave you a straight A," she says. A recommendation from a teacher who watched you struggle can "show how you respond to challenge."
Finally, keep careful track of deadlines. And meet them.
5. Take the lead: Throughout the process, it's really crucial to remember that you, not your parents, are running the show. Take charge of creating your list, of arranging visits and interviews (and then do the talking), and of reaching out to the admissions office with questions on your own, rather than having your mom do it on her lunch hour.
"It's refreshing when a student does that," says Rick Clark, director of admission at Georgia Institute of Technology, "because it's so rare."
This story is excerpted from the U.S. News "Best Colleges 2015" guidebook, which features in-depth articles, rankings and data.