I would say a number of things, but one big one is to simply show that you're the kind of person willing to jump through various hoops to get where you want to

I would say a number of things, but one big one is to simply show that you're the kind of person willing to jump through various hoops to get where you want to be. Actually, I think at the undergraduate level it's even worse (you still learn a lot of generally useful things in GED/high school). I would guess that what most people actually learn at the undergraduate level is completely unnecessary for their eventual careers. There are certainly exceptions, but it's a good rule (consider this: why do you need a bachelor's degree before entering med school? We invented a "fake" major for this requirement--premed--but objectively, it's completely unnecessary)