Application tip: Be yourself p1 - Military - Education Strategies and Tips - Military Times EDGE

Swamped by a rise in early applications, college admissions officials have some advice for the class of 2009: Be yourself.

Admissions deans at a dozen top-tier colleges and universities said in recent interviews that they’re also seeing a disappointing trend: Too many students are submitting “professionalized” applications rendered all too slick by misguided attempts at perfection.

Among the symptoms: Too many formulaic, passionless personal essays. Too many voluminous résumés devoid of true commitment. And too many pointless e-mails and calls — a trend one dean labels “admissions stalking.”

Admissions officials offer applicants the following advice for getting accepted to the college they want:

Don’t hide behind a polished veneer

Some applications are so “corporatized” by admissions coaches and other outside influences, says Seth Allen, dean of admission at Iowa’s Grinnell College, that the real applicant becomes almost invisible. This is the exact opposite of what most colleges want to see, Allen says. A telltale sign of outside meddling is the word “heretofore” or too many semicolons in an essay, said Jennifer Delahunty, dean of admissions at Ohio’s Kenyon College.

Pick essay topics that inspire you

While as many as one in five applicants this year are describing overseas service trips, which are certainly a worthy pursuit, too many of the resulting essays are merely shallow recitations of facts: “I went here, I did this, I made great friends, it was uncomfortable and oh, wow, I really know how less-fortunate people live now,” Allen said. He said he wants deeper revelations: “How did this really impact you? Give us insight into what you were feeling.”

Delahunty says she’d rather read an essay about such everyday topics as the challenges of changing a tire in a Minnesota winter, or growing up as the only boy among eight children, if they revealed more about the writers.

Don’t stalk the dean

Some applicants barrage admissions offices with numerous recommendation letters or e-mails with little value other than reaffirming interest. At Barnard College, one applicant sent eight thank-you notes to every person she’d met during a campus visit, from the receptionist on up, a practice Jennifer Fondiller, dean of admissions at Barnard, calls “overkill.” Such efforts have no bearing on applicants’ fates.

Don’t be afraid to take risks

Amid an overabundance of qualified candidates, colleges want applicants with traits that set them apart and promise to enrich the campus community. In a presentation recently to high-school students, Jean Jordan, Emory University’s dean of admission, said this application question came up: “If you were a song, what would you sing?” The students seemed baffled; one asked in bewilderment, “What should I sing?”

Jordan’s firm reply: “Whoa. Be yourself.”

Don’t make these mistakes

• Plugging in the wrong college name when answering, “Why are you applying here?”

• E-mailing the admissions dean 15 times to show your interest.

• Expounding on your sexual experiences in your personal essay.

— By Sue Shellenbarger