<p>Digmedia, I agree wholeheartedly. Its hard to discuss the concept of packaging, labeling, and marketing a teenager without sounding mercenary, calculating and callous but whatever we call it thats exactly what the savvy applicant needs to do. Make him/herself stand out in a crowd of equally qualified kids. </p>
<p>There are a limited number of contact opportunities during the application process. Each is facet which hopefully assemble to make a three dimensional person. These include: statistics like scores and grades, essays that offer a window into the applicants world, face to face interviews, and third party recommendations. By the sum of these parts, the applicant must sell himself to the admissions committee buyer who has in most cases more motivation to say no than yes. (The episode of the Gatekeepers that really stuck in my mind was when the beleaguered readers wife padded by late at night, whispering just say no.) </p>
<p>Mercenary or not this process is very much like what marketers call branding. And, even if its unpleasant to compare a student to a tube of toothpaste on the shelf of Duane Reade with 199 others that will all clean teeth reasonably well, a strong brand identity is often exactly whats needed to get off the shelf and into the shopping bag!</p>
<p>If the applicants handle is bright well rounded kid s/he sitting with a shelf-full of like BWRKs. Some of them undoubtedly get chosen even by the most selective schools, but none jumps off the shelf. Time is crucial here. The applicant needs to make the adcom/shopper reach for his/her brand. </p>
<p>Having a clearly defined persona that highlights hooks, attributes, or special skills is exactly the point of focus that the applicant wants to achieve. My son for example was the Eagle Scout artist from Indonesia. His profile was a unique point of differentiation and was reinforced by all of the supporting documentation in his application (e.g. resumes, essays, recommendations). Most importantly his persona fit with the colleges specific needs and self-image. Again, this is a marketing ploy. Define what the buyer wants and needs and offer it, clearly labeled as such. </p>
<p>Caveat: The persona must be sincere and factual. Im talking about highlighting and focusing on valid attributes, not making them up to fulfill a perceived need. In other words, no false advertising!</p>