How to Make a Great First Impression

As the deans in the office head into committee, I am beginning to get nostalgic for this summer–when those students whose college decision is now in our hands were sitting in the chair across from me.  William and Mary’s admissions office prides itself on putting faces with all that paper coming in every year around this time. We offer ever increasing opportunities for students to help themselves add dimension to an otherwise thin folder of mostly quantitative information.

The best description I have heard of our “optional submissions” is that it makes your application like a pop-up book–helping the admissions officers see more of what makes you…well…you!  The first “optional submission” is the one that is near and dear to my heart–the interview.  Over the summer ten(ish) rising seniors at William and Mary sit down with rising seniors in high school to put a face with the name in the application that will follow. We talk about everything from trips around the world to organizations started right in their hometown.  The point is not to recite your GPA or your AP scores (please for the sake of all future interviewers don’t do that). The point is to find out what makes you tick.  So many students look exactly the same on paper, but we know they aren’t.  They each have something unique and special to offer so come on down to the ‘burg and show us what it is!

The second optional submission comes in with your application and this year the prompt for the submission was on YouTube! (Yeah, our deans like YouTube and Facebook just as much as the rest of us). This submission gives you a chance to exhibit your creative side–send in artwork or an additional essay. Every year there are many truly amazing submissions that give the committee insight into your personality they might never have seen without your submission! I could go on and on, but the point is this: take advantage of this opportunity! Give the deans a chance to see who you are off the paper. Take the opportunity to jump off the page.

Lauren E. Jones

Senior Tour Guide