Every year, our office receives our fair share of odd and unusual items. Red and Black M&M’s with the applicant’s name on the side, UGA decorated cupcakes, DVD’s containing a comedy sketch of the student, a YouTube video wtih the Uga mascot rapping an appeal for admission (the identical video was also sent to GT using their Buzz mascot), an essay on the side of a football, or sending a shoe with the words “to get my foot in the door” written on it. All of these have been sent to UGA over the past five years or so, along with a variety of photos, cookies, images and cupcakes, all in the hope of getting a leg up in the admissions race. Does it help? In one word, “No!”.
While these items are amusing and interesting, and it makes for great admissions stories, these items are not the way to move forward in the admissions process.And as admissions offices are going more and more to imaging systems for their applicant files, it becomes even harder to know what to do with non-traditional items (although, of course, we did not try to stuff cupcakes into a person’s file, those were stuffed into our mouths). But seriously, what are we suppose to do with a shoe?
So my suggestion is to leave all the baked goods, videos, and clothing articles at home, and concentrate on the things that matter at UGA, namely who you are as a student and a person. Substance over style wins every time. Enjoy the week!
P.S. About ten minutes after I put up this post, I received something in the mail that I forgot to put in the blog. While cookies and footballs and shoes are over the top, a nice note to the admissions counselor is always a nice thing to send, especially if you have just met them (or in my case, she enjoys this odd blog that I write).
During late March and April, we are overloaded with unhappy phone calls and letters, so nice notes from students/parents are always appreciated. While they will not have an impact on a decision, they do display a manners and thoughtfulness.
Thanks for the postcard Courtney!!