The number of Indian students heading to the U.S. for their college education has increased by 52% in the last two years. For many, the real prize is a place at one of the country’s top schools. But with just a 3% international acceptance rate at MIT, and an estimated 3 to 4% at Ivy League institutions such as Harvard and Columbia, they know they will face stiff competition and require stellar applications planning to secure their place.

The international reaction to Donald Trump's presidency could actually improve their chances this year. Building walls, ordering travel bans, shunning trade partners, hiring American, and an underlying message of immigrant hostility has many U.S. college admissions officials worried about the impact on overseas applications. Canadian colleges are already seeing applications rise since the Trump victory. But the lure of an education at one of the top U.S. universities remains, and the reality of graduating four or five years from now when U.S. science and technology firms are likely to be crying out for an international talent pool may ease fears about job prospects and visa options.

Of course Indian students are no strangers to competition. Whether for entry to the prestigious IITs and IIMs, or schools such as the University of Delhi, the two years of specialized coaching and near-perfect cutoff scores for entrance mean that acceptance rates are below 2%, and in the case of IIM Ahmedabad not even 1%. Does that make Harvard a safety school?

Not quite, and Indian families are aware of the preparation needed for a U.S. college application that goes beyond academic performance and SAT test scores to determine who to admit each year. My Fortuna Admissions co-Director Dipika Chopra, a graduate of Columbia University and former admissions interviewer, has years of experience advising clients in India, Singapore and the UAE about the more rounded approach to U.S. college admissions.

“Indian college applicants and their parents have been so focused on stellar academic grades to secure a place a the top U.S. universities, but the admissions office is increasingly looking beyond exam performance to also assess community-based engagement, and contributions to a club or activity. That could even mean sharing details of the roles and responsibilities you have within your family.”

Dipika points to the growing number of Indian high school students who have tried their hand at building a phone app or starting a fledgling business. “Such entrepreneurial spirit is a great way to reinforce your STEM credentials, but even a part-time job at McDonald's shows the sort of application and team membership that can be worth 100 points on the SAT.”

To really improve your chances of acceptance, fellow Fortuna Admissions Director Judith Silverman Hodara, former Associate Director in the Office of Undergraduate Admissions at UPenn emphasizes the importance of starting your research early. “You will want to begin during your penultimate year of secondary school to learn about the universities in the U.S. and what they may be able to offer you. Many American universities visit schools internationally in the spring and early fall, It is a good time to meet with representatives in person, and also in many cases, meet with local alumni as well.

You can familiarize yourself with the school, ask if there are current students there that you may reach out to, and generally understand more about the community that you are seeking to join.”

For Dipika Chopra, early planning also enables students and their parents to get a sense of the realistic expectations they should have, and how they can use the final years of high school to strengthen their profile. “The families I meet with find it very helpful to set out a schedule well in advance, and talk through the various ways that U.S. colleges assess applicants. That may mean planning coursework in the last year to have a stronger academic profile, or identifying volunteer work and pastimes that demonstrate engagement and passions beyond the classroom.

You will also want to connect with other students from your home country or area who are going through the application process. Sharing ideas and concerns with a community of individuals who have the same goals can be really helpful and insightful, as well as offering you support as you go through this rigorous process.”

To get you started, I’ve interviewed three Indian students who are currently studying at top U.S. universities to share their experience and advice for the admissions process.

Matt Symonds: How was your experience applying to U.S. schools?

Arjun Soin, Stanford University: I would say the overall experience was definitely enriching and quite unlike anything I had undertaken before. From the common-app essay, right to the individual supplements of varying nature – the process, though seemingly tedious was pretty much a journey of comprehensive self-discovery. The schools I applied to had highly stimulating essay prompts that made me learn more about myself than I could have possibly imagined. Besides, the fact that a lot of these schools arranged informal interviews with alumni not only eased out the angst but also made the entire process more holistic.

Symonds: What do you wish you had known when you were applying?

Soin: Looking back, the one aspect that I had not fully grasped until I actually got immersed is that the essays can get extremely personalized. The value of being able to draw a comparison between previous experiences and subsequent impact/change in outlook in your life cannot be understated. Naturally enough, this only comes from concerted reflection and brainstorming – something best started at the earliest. If only I had skimmed through all my essay prompts and at least thought out rudimentary ideas closer to when their release dates, I could have well avoided the time-crunch I faced for some of them towards the end.

Symonds: How far in advance did you start to work on the application process?

Soin: I only concretely decided on applying to the U.S. at the outset of 11th grade (Junior year for American high schools). In the 3 months or so building up to this decision, I began reading up and talking to people about the logistics of the process as well as reflecting on the attributes that I would want my prospective institutions to evaluate me on. If I remember correctly, I put off working on my application (which is highly unadvisable) till the middle of 11th grade but then immediately began to conflate my background and profile as well as start out on test-taking. For the essays, I chalked out some initial thoughts slightly before I plunged into the writing zone about a month and a half before the Jan 1 regular application deadline.

Symonds: How important is it to have things outside of your school record to share?

Soin: My general sense is that engaging in virtually any community/activity outside of school shows an inclination towards moving beyond one’s comfort zone (school curriculum and routine). It also serves as a crucial avenue for any University to be able to gauge an applicant’s credentials based on local context, availability of opportunity and its subsequent capitalization. With that in mind, the salience of outside school involvement lies more in what it stands for than in just being symbolic of extra-curricular engagement.

Symonds: What advice would you give to someone who was thinking of applying?

Soin: To begin with, I feel like it is absolutely imperative to have a clear sense of how and why applying to the U.S. aligns with your aspirations with regards to higher education. And this does not necessarily have to correspond to definitively knowing your major - it is more an understanding of notions of personal growth and enhancement that you hope to realize over your undergraduate career.

That said, the process can be overwhelming and more demanding compared to the conventional Indian education system that is by and large rote-driven. The U.S. application process will require painstaking rigor and self-introspection that preferably includes being ahead on standardized testing, earmarking mentors well in advance to help reflect on your persona for letters of recommendation and preparing a realistic yet well researched college list that exemplifies a balance between ambition and existing academic background.

With an ever-growing number of Indian students applying to the U.S. , the resources available for guidance have vastly increased over the last for years. I would urge every Indian student applying to make use of the immense resources available that once were virtually non-existent.