Dance With An Admissions Officer: Eight Steps to Get You Admitted to College
One of the great myths about college admission is that the process is merely a matter of doing your best in high school, getting good scores on some tests, writing a decent essay, and then simply submitting your application to the admissions office. Then you just sit back and pray that a college admissions officer will love you enough to give you the keys to the gate.
Not true.
If you want a college admissions officer to love you, you have to love them back.
Admissions officers are people, too. They want to be appreciated. They want to know that you find them attractive.
So you have to dance with them. Tango, foxtrot, waltz: it doesn’t matter. The steps are always the same.
What are the steps?
First, let them know you think they’re attractive.
Bat your eyelashes. Show a little leg. Sign up to receive their information. Go to their college websites, and develop an attractive Internet profile. Register for their web portals, and sign up for their email lists. An admissions officer will never know that you have your eye on them…unless you show them a sign. So start the dance by giving them a wink.
Second, fill out their dance cards.
Any time an admissions officer whom you find attractive asks you to fill out a card, do it. Even if you have filled out the same card for the same person a hundred times, you get credit for every bit of contact you have with that admissions officer. In today’s high tech world, admissions offices across the land keep careful track of your contacts with their admissions people. And every contact is a brownie point in the application process. And who doesn’t need more brownie points?
Third, accept their invitations.
If they invite you to meet them someplace—at your school, at a Starbucks when they visit your town, at a college fair—put on your dancing shoes and show up. Even if you’re not the most attractive dancer in the room, you get major points for just showing up. Especially if an admissions officer you find attractive visits your school, you cannot afford to forego the opportunity to meet and take another turn around the dance floor—you need those brownie points. Even if you have to miss your calculus class. Even if you have to skip volleyball practice. Even if your feet hurt. You’ve got to dance if you want that admissions officer to remember your name, to know how much you care, and to know how badly you want the keys to the gate.
Fourth, go visit.
Explore what your life might be like if you agree to keep dancing with this college for the next four years. Nothing—I repeat—nothing will declare your affection as much as a personal visit, where you can dance for a few hours (or better, a day or two) to see whether this college really is everything that admissions officer promised. When is the best time to visit? Anytime you can. It’s nice to go when school is in session, because it gives you a better sense of what your life might be like if you decide to go exclusive with this dance partner. But you’ll make a suitable impression no matter when you go or how long you stay.
Fifth, meet the in-laws.
Talk to the rest of the admissions officer’s family. The faculty. The staff. The coaches. The gardener, even. If you were to accept your officer’s hand, you would suddenly find yourself in this new world, populated by lots of new folks—who also might like to dance with you. So when you do visit, don’t simply spend all your time in the admissions office parlor whispering sweet nothings with the admissions officer. Even if you can’t connect with the family during your visit, use email, the phone, the web. You won’t know whether you really want to hook up until you chat with the rest of the clan.
Sixth, spend the night.
Really. Most admissions officers will be happy to let you shack up in a dorm for a night—properly chaperoned by other students, of course. You might see some of the institution’s dirty laundry (better to get over the shock before you commit), and some of the polish of the glossy brochures your admissions officer plied you with might lose its luster. But spending the night will give you the opportunity to experience, however briefly, what your life may be like if you agree to go exclusive.
Seventh, send love letters from time to time.
Don’t forget to thank your admissions officer for the invitations, and for the dates. Sprinkle the praise, and your delight in the attention you have been receiving. Mention the specific characteristics of the college that thrill you the most. Tell how appreciative you are, and how each minuet brings you closer to saying yes to the eternal embrace that is on offer. Despite the lightness of the metaphor, the admissions dance is an extremely important aspect of the entire process. Take the time to build a relationship with the admissions officers of the colleges that interest you. Admissions offices do keep careful track of your calls, emails, visits, interviews—every single point of contact between you and the admissions representative. Lovestruck, your dance partners from the admissions officers will keep everything you send and guard it as precious evidence of your passion.
Eighth, don’t step on toes.
It is possible to overdo this flirtation. You don’t want to be annoying. Sometimes an admissions officer will not be in the mood. This is particularly the case at large state universities and also at the most selective schools, including Stanford and the Ivy League. These admissions officers just have too many suitors to respond to your overtures. Plus, since they are so highly sought-after, they can be very, very choosy about the people they decide to flirt with. So you don’t want to seem like a stalker. In these cases, just let them know you’re interested, fill out the (dance) cards, attend the college fairs, and pay a visit. But don’t take it personally if they don’t want to engage in a lengthy phone conversation with you. These admissions officers are simply in very high demand on the dance floor.
Think about it.
Whom would you be more likely to give the keys to your heart? Someone who simply sends you a typed application, listing all their credentials, their qualifications, their hopes and dreams for a beautiful life together? Someone who sits back, passively waiting for you to choose him or her from among the thousands of others who have also submitted applications?
Or someone who not only completes the application, but meets you whenever you call, who agrees to visit you on your turf, who sends you letters full of affection and praise for your best characteristics, who agrees to spend the night with you?
Colleges want to accept students who express their strong interest and enthusiasm for their institutions.
So get out your dancing shoes, and don’t be afraid to dance. It may lead to something extraordinary.
Published at Mon, 01 Mar 2021 03:30:23 +0000
Article source: https://greatcollegeadvice.com/blog/dance-with-an-admissions-officer-six-steps-to-get-you-admitted-to-college/