By The Princeton Review
All the admissions officers I've met are good people who would much rather admit than deny students. But application season is a stressful time for you and for them. And during the pressures of the admissions cycle, some applicants' actions can drive the over-burdened admissions folks crazy. So here are five things you really shouldn't do when applying to graduate school (or if you have kids who are applying to college), or you run the risk of irking--rather than impressing--your readers.
1. Don't make your parents call the admissions office for you.
Admissions officers expect that you'll have questions. But asking your parents to call the admissions office for you doesn't send a very good message to the school about your maturity and preparedness for school life. You're going to school--your parents aren't. So if you have a question, call the admissions office yourself. Students who show initiative and who aren't afraid to ask for help when they need it are very attractive to a school.
2. Don't ask questions that prove you haven't bothered to read their website.
When is the application deadline? How many letters of recommendation are required? When is the last date you can take the GRE (or GMAT, LSAT or MCAT)? You can find answers to these and many other common questions from applicants on the admissions websites. Before you pick up the phone or email an admissions officer, make sure you've carefully read all of the information they provide for you. Failure to do so makes it look like you haven't spent much time researching the school.
3. Don't ignore the directions.
You can avoid most application peccadilloes by just following directions. For example, if a school asks you to list your activities in the space provided, and you send them a résumé instead, you just showed them that you couldn't follow a pretty simple direction. So read the directions. Do exactly as they instruct you to do. No matter how much you think you might be helping your case by doing things your own way, you're always better served following directions.
4. Don't send lots of extra material the school didn't ask you to send.
A lot of students send the admissions office drawings, videos, CDs, etc. Admissions offices receive an overwhelming amount of information during admissions season. But if they don't ask you for it, they probably don't want it. Some schools invite you to send this additional information. But most don't. So when in doubt, follow directions (see tip #3) and don't assume that extra materials will be appreciated.
5. Don't forget to be polite and respectful.
You don't have call admissions officers "Sir" or "Madam." But you should be nice to them and mindful of how busy they are. Admissions officers have a hard job. There's a tremendous amount of work to do and the pressure is on during admissions season. So for starters, follow our previous four tips. It's always OK to ask questions, but don't inundate them with emails and phone calls. And when you do have contact with them, always thank them for their time.
A little sincere appreciation goes a long way in life--and in the admissions office.