A few years back, USNews ran a story about Admission Representatives' pet peeves in the college application process. They were nice enough to quote me in it, I spoke a little bit about my annoyance when students write the wrong school to me, which happens more than you would think.The article got me thinking that there are indeed a few things that tend to get on my nerves a bit during the process. Keep in mind that 99.9% of what happens in college admission is annoyance-free. And we also understand that this is a stressful time for you as well. So, I figured it may be helpful for you high school juniors and seniors (and your parents) out there to know of a few things that us folks on our side of the desk will consider to be pet peeves. Now, if you're guilty of any of these things in the past, don't fret, they are not make or break things at all. But, since you'll always want to put your best foot forward in this world of college admission, I figured it can only help you (and all my colleagues in the world of college admission!) if you avoid being the following people.
1) The Vague E-mail Question Asker: Admission representatives can get upwards of a thousand e-mails a week. It's a part of our job, and for us, we really enjoy it. I like communicating with students, helping them plan their visits to Tulane, and answering their questions. However, if there is one type of e-mail that can be a little bit frustrating for us, it is when prospective students e-mail us very open ended and vague questions. "Dear Mr. Schiffman- Can you tell me what it's like to be a student at Tulane?" [it's great!] and "Dear Jeff- What is Tulane looking for in an applicant?" [well rounded!] and "Dear Mr. Schiffman- What is New Orleans like?" [it's funky!] These are the type of questions that, while great questions, may be best asked in person or over the phone. When we have to sit down and type out what the campus climate is like, it's a bit broad for us to cover, and it takes us a long time. Don't be afraid to pick up the phone and call your schools to ask these very broad questions, or do some research online, or chat with our current students (which you can do online every day from 3-5 CST!). I would much rather answer questions that are specific and well-researched. Trust me on this one, it makes admission representatives lives a lot easier. For more on this, check out my 5 e-mails you should never send post as well as Questions to never ask your admission rep.
2) The Let-Mom-Take-Over-the-Meeting Student- We love meeting with students on campus. But there is nothing more disheartening when a student arrives in my office and speaks a few welcoming words before Mom or Dad takes over with their laundry lists of questions. Because we don't offer formal interviews here at Tulane, we totally welcome your mom or dad to come into our office during your chat with your admission rep. But if they are going to dominate the conversation and won't allow you a word in edgewise, then let them stay in the waiting room and come in towards the end of their discussion. I once had a student come into my office with her mom, made no eye contact with me the whole time, and on her mother's twelfth question, the daughter actually began texting on her phone. In my office. No thanks.
3) The Best Kid in the World- This goes along with #3 above. Mom and Dad, I know you are going to have a tough time holding back these words, but I can tell you that every parent thinks their kid is "really really special." I can count on seventeen hands the number of times I had an overanxious mom or dad say this to me. Even if you start the my-kid-is-special sentence with "I know that all parents will say this to you, but..." it still seems unrealistic to us. Also, Mom and Dad, "we" are not taking AP Calculus. "We" are not taking the SATs in November. They are. Avoid this word. I know you are footing the bill for this, but let your kid be themselves. Let them show their specialness on their own.
4) The Leader On-er- This is the peeve I was quoted about in USNews. I had a student contact me all year long last year, and while they were an average applicant, they had expressed a lot of interest and had really let me know that Tulane was their top choice. However, when they were added to our wait list, I got a full page e-mail from them indicating how badly they wanted to attend [insert school here that is not Tulane]. I was all set to bring the applicant to my VP and say how I wanted to support the candidate, but this really took the wind out of my sails. So make sure you are being honest- don't lead admission officers on and never cut and paste an e-mail from another school or make the fatal error of writing the wrong school. This happens much more often than you would suspect. If you are expressing interest in a school, have it be genuine engagement rather than forced or feigned interest. Need some more help on this one? Read my tips here.
5) The Twelve Page Resume-Sender- I have spoken on this topic before. It won't do you too much good to send us an extremely lengthy resume about every single bake sale you have ever worked. The best resumes we get are on one nice, clean, crisp page. They highlight the three or four major priorities and passions that you have. Sending 44 pages of photocopies of every award you have won (true story) is similar to this. I am 33 years old... your resume shouldn't be longer than mine is!
We know that you all are about to start working hard to get these applications out and we know that this might be a pretty stressful time for you and your family. I hope these little tips are able to help you a bit, and of course selfishly, following many of them will make your admission officer's life just a little bit easier.
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