The transcript from your high school is one of the first documents the college admission officers are likely to consider. The headline figure here is your grade point average, or GPA. However, admission officers typically do not limit themselves to an applicant's GPA score. Equally important are the types of classes you take. Many college programs require candidates to complete a number of specific high school courses, for example Princeton undergraduate programs typically require at least four years of English, four years of math, four years of some foreign language and two years of history.
If you have achievements outside the classroom, you can include those in your application. For most colleges, these are not requirements in a strict sense. The best universities are so selective that participation in some extracurricular activities has become a must. The extracurricular activities may include sports, computer programming or successful participation in music or dance competitions.
Some colleges may require you to complete a standardized test, including the SAT and the ACT. This is also true for foreign students coming from a predominantly non-English speaking country. In America, such students may be required to submit their TOEFL scores. Other standardized test scores may also be required.
An admission essay may be another part of a college's admission requirements. In it, the candidates are typically asked to provide information about themselves, state their personal goals in life and why they they want to study at the college they are applying to. Alliteratively, some candidates may be invited for an interview where similar questions will be asked. In order to do well at this type of examination, candidates are advised to be articulate and honest.