Soft Skills That Make STEM Applicants Stand Out

I often have conversations with high school students about how they can build their resume as a future applicant to science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) majors. It seems like everyone is looking for a formula or some kind of equation to follow. This isn’t totally surprising, as STEM students tend to find comfort in the tangible and technical. And, yes, technical achievements and skills are important. However, colleges are also looking at soft skills, or interpersonal skills, which are the non-technical abilities that play a role in how people connect to and communicate with others. These skills cannot truly be measured or graded, so it can be challenging to understand how they might play a role in college applications. Yet, a student's ability to communicate and collaborate with others, adapt to new situations, and manage their emotions are some of the characteristics that admissions officers look for as they evaluate applications.

Examples of Soft Skills

Communication and collaboration: STEM careers are increasingly collaborative and interdisciplinary. As an admission counselor at a STEM-focused college, I heavily emphasized the importance of a student's ability to work with and communicate with others. While reading applications, I looked for students who not only had a strong technical understanding of their interest, but also demonstrated an ability to explain and share their interest with others. Indicators of strong communication and collaboration skills can come in different forms in applications:

• A student’s transcript might show a robust curriculum including consistent courses in non-STEM fields like the humanities, social sciences, and arts.

• An essay might share a time when the student worked collaboratively with peers to solve a problem or complete a project.

• The activities list might highlight a student's role as a leader or collaborator on a team or club.

• Letters of recommendation might emphasize how the student explains difficult concepts to peers or asks questions that help themselves and others understand content more deeply.

Adaptability and resilience: One quality that I looked for in STEM-focused applicants was the ability to navigate failure. For many, the thought of failing can cause them to give up on a project or pursue an easier route. However, many strong STEM applicants demonstrate a positive reaction to failure. This does not mean they are happy to fail, but they often recognize it as an opportunity for growth. Indicators of adaptability and resilience could include:

• An essay that shares a time when the student had to find a different path after an academic or personal setback.

• Letters of recommendation that highlight a time when the student sought extra help to understand a challenging topic or adjusted study habits after receiving a lower test score.

• A counselor recommendation that shares context about the students’ circumstances, like navigating a learning difference or moving to a different school district.

Emotional intelligence and empathy: I like to remind families that, when admissions officers put together a class, they are not just seeking to create a strong academic community, but a strong social one as well. Students who act as the “glue” of their friend group or team, can manage conflict among peers or siblings, and who understand how their actions impact others are often great community members on a college campus. Since these skills tend to be developed outside of the classroom environment, they might be the most difficult to get a sense of in a college application and most difficult to cultivate. Indicators of emotional intelligence and empathy might entail:

• A letter of recommendation from a volunteer coordinator or workplace manager that speaks to how the student interacts with diverse groups of people.

• An essay that reflects on navigating conflict or seeing a situation from a different perspective.

• A resume that shows participation in service-oriented activities and clubs.

Beyond College Applications

Developing interpersonal skills is beneficial not just for college applications, but for employment preparation. The Job Outlook survey conducted by the National Association of Colleges + Employers found that:

• Nearly 90% of employers seek candidates who are strong problem solvers.

• Nearly 80% of employers seek candidates who have strong teamwork and communication skills.

• More than 60% of employers seek candidates who are adaptable and able to relate to others.

These statistics are proof that, by highlighting soft skills, college admissions practices reflect common hiring practices. If high school students begin building these skills now, they can give admissions officers a fuller sense of who they are and how they’ll contribute to a campus community and future profession.