<p>For many high school students, the application process is the first time that they looked up from their own everyday lives and assessed themselves. What do I like? What am I good at? What can I contribute? How am I different from other kids? Why would a school admit me instead of a similar applicant? Etc. It’s a distilling process for the student as well as those who consider each application. </p>
<p>So far this echoes overseas’ post, but I wanted to make an additional point.</p>
<p>The well-crafted application makes it easier for the groggiest adcom nightowl to “just say yes”. And let’s note that even the most wonderful application that represents the student beautifully and with full integrity, is still an application, a piece of paper. Interviews and visits and contact can literally flesh out the person behind the paper, but in the majority of cases, the college is making much of the decision based on the paper. As parents, I think we can do our part in reinforcing this with comments like, “her application was accepted” rather than “she was accepted”, or especially, “his application was denied” rather than “he was rejected” or “Princevard rejected HIM”. </p>
<p>And momrath covers some truly excellent points in just a few sentences. I think many kids would relate to the idea of providing nickname material, especially towards the beginning of the process. Nicknames…packaging…theming…whatever one prefers to call it, it’s different body parts of the same animal.</p>
<p>Recently, a college president or admissions dean (can’t remember the school) was quoted as saying that they look for applicants who “will milk this school for everything it’s worth”. I don’t remember the exact wording, and it sounds odd out of context, but the point was that they sought students who would take advantage of what the school had to offer.</p>