According to a recent article in the Wall Street Journal, the admissions deans from a dozen top-tier colleges have noticed a disappointing trend among the record early applications they’ve received: applications that are too polished, too professional, too slick due to ”misguided attempts at perfection” and parental meddling. Among the problems they note are too many passionless personal essays written using a coached formula, too many overly long resumes that are lacking in real commitment, and too many follow-up e-mails and phone calls from anxious students and parents. Said one dean: “We keep looking for authenticity and genuineness, for kids who are their true selves,” but instead, parents tend to ”leach all the personality out” of them.
For years, parents of students applying to highly selective colleges have tried to woo the admissions staff with a more-is-better approach: more clubs, more extracurricular activities, more volunteer work. But this strategy can backfire if the application is perceived as transparent. Admissions officers say that they would rather see a student show a genuine passion in one or two areas instead of feigned interest in eight or nine things. Their advice to applicants? Be yourself, and don’t hide behind a polished veneer. And parents, don’t sign your child’s college application. That mistake will land you, I mean your child, in the rejection pile.
Filed under: Education | Tagged: college applications
