The Common Application is used by over 500 colleges. It was created to save colleges and students time when submitting their college applications, hence called the Common App. The basic information you complete in the application will be used by every college you apply to: test scores, personal information, and extracurricular activity lists. You don’t have to resubmit that information to each individual college.

The Common App was set up in 1975 to simplify the application process, but the very name of the application suggests that there is no opportunity for students to stand out in this common app process. But there are opportunities for students to stand out, or look uncommon when using the Common App.

1. Craft a stellar essay

The essay is your opportunity to communicate who you are and give admissions officers a glimpse into your unique qualities. The creator of EssayEdge.com, in a recent article, 5 Things Admissions Officers Look for in an Application Essay, explained it simply:

Within your college application, your personal statement is your one opportunity for the admissions officer to “meet you”, to visualize the person behind the numbers. While no essay can save an unqualified application, an outstanding essay can push an otherwise mediocre application into the “yes” pile. However, writing a good application essay is hard. Many students write essays that are too cliché or too shallow; others write essays that are impersonal and uninformative; some are even unfortunate enough to write essays that cause their own rejection.

2. Write an unforgettable supplemental essay

Supplemental essays for college applications can take all kinds of forms, but the majority of them are actually asking a very similar question: “Why do you want to go to our college?” The question sounds simple, but college admissions officers are looking for those essays that are unforgettable, or create a lasting impression. Answer the question by providing specific details that made you choose them above others. Such things as a highly-ranked science department, an involved student population that is active in the surrounding community, or a theatre arts program that is unique from any other, would be an appropriate answer to the question. This lets the admissions officer know that you have done your research and chose them because they fit your career interests and your educational goals.

Here’s a sample supplemental essay for Duke University and a critique.

3. Pick an interest and stick with it

You can create a lasting impression with a college if you exhibit consistency and commitment to an area that interests you. Colleges look at the extracurricular activities listed on the Common App and use them to get a better picture of how you spend your time outside of school. Listing 20 different activities is a red flag to admissions officers—they view it as “padding the resume”. Instead, focus on the activities that coincide with your interests and your passions and also exhibit a consistency throughout high school. A student, who participates in the JROTC program for all four years, is going to make a more lasting impression than one who participates once a year in beach cleanup or a food drive.

4. Get glowing recommendations

Pick the people who provide recommendations carefully. Do they know you well enough to tell a college why you should receive an offer of admission? Or are they simply a casual acquaintance who will list the basics: good student, good work ethic, and popular with classmates? These letters are important and they give you another opportunity to stand out on the Common App. Many colleges place just as much importance on the recommendation letters as they do on the essays.

5. Submit early

Submit your Common App early—at least two weeks before the application deadline. Instead of arriving with all the applicants who squeaked in at the last minute, your application will be on “the top of the pile” and the admissions officer will have more time to review it. Since most regular admission deadlines are in early January, consider submitting before the holidays, giving the colleges plenty of time to view yours before the others arrive.

It may be called The Common Application, but you can be “uncommon” by following these five steps.