The trick for me was getting stellar grades my last two semesters (I had a 1.4 GPA after freshmen year), having my associates, being an RM, and walking into the student admissions office to talk about my desire to attend. I got a letter in the mail 2 days later.

I now have a masters and doctorate degree from a two great east coast school which lead me to a good paying job. However, getting into BYU was still my greatest academic accomplishment.