College Admissions Thank-you Notes
Recently The New York Times published an article titled Thank-You Note Enters College Admission Game. The article offers some very good advice about writing thank-you notes to college admissions officers. Ms. Arenson points out a thank-you is not mandatory but is the “new Frontier” in distinguishing one applicant from another. We certainly agree, particularly with the quoted advice from Patrick J. O’Connor, a director of college counseling: “…every contact with the college contributes to their perception of you.”
But, what we bristle at is the idea that creative, tricky, cutesy, and contrived thank-yous are valuable. College Basics stresses the need for sincerity in thank-yous (See How to Make the Most of Your College Visit).
If you feel you were treated well on a college tour, if you found a new way of looking at the college because of your visit, if someone gave you some extra help or good advice, then a thank-you is in order and can be written with sincerity. Admissions professionals are not dumb; they know when they are being scammed and when a student is really appreciative. It is a true feeling and the true self the student should want to reveal, and the thank-you is only one vehicle to covey that.
And don’t forget, thanks-yous might be appreciated by others who have helped you apply to the right college: teachers, recommendation writers (see How to Ask for a Recommendation), guidance counselors.
Genuine thank-yous can leave many open doors to knock on when you need help in the future.
CollegeBasics now has a new e-book The Basics for Writing College Application Essays: Simple How-to Steps for Writing All College Essays from the Personal Statement to the Short Activity Essay that outlines every aspect of writing the college application essay. This book explains how to write different kinds of application essays from the short activity essay to the personal statement to scholarship essays and more and offers samples of essays and essay edits. This book can really help you.