When an Optional Submission Becomes Overkill
We Admit It! We are at a bit of a turning point regarding our optional submission. Don’t get me wrong, we really like the prompt:
Beyond your impressive academic credentials and extracurricular accomplishments, what else makes you unique and colorful? We know that nobody fits neatly into 500 words or less, but you can provide us with some suggestion of the type of person you are. Anything goes! Inspire us, impress us, or just make us laugh. Think of this optional opportunity as show and tell by proxy and with an attitude.
Our prompt is a bit out-of-the-box. It’s original, it’s erudite, it’s quirky; it’s W&M. It was designed to allow our applicants to feel free to be out-of-the-box, original, erudite and quirky in their response to our prompt. We didn’t want them to feel constrained by the standard five-paragraph essay, formal writing style, or tired topics. What we worry about is that when combined with our video message (written by Associate Provost for Enrollment and Dean of Admission Henry Broaddus and designed merely to show our prospective students that those reading their applications are humans and not autobots), the two together might put undue pressure on our applicants to go a bit overboard with their optional submission.
Honestly, the instances of overboard optionals are not overly commonplace. I would wager that over 90% of the optional submissions we receive come in the form of downloadable printed content (essays, poems, creative writing submissions, etc.). But sometimes we do get some crazy stuff rolling into this office in postal shipping containers the likes of which seem proportionally infeasible. We’ve gotten everything from footwear (representing that applicant’s proverbial foot in the door), to baked goods in the shape of famous campus landmarks (yes, we received a Rice-Krispee-treat Wren Building), to a used cast (no, I’m not making that up, someone actually sent us their used arm cast…I think we were all so grossed out we have forgotten what it was meant to symbolize). We’ve also gotten scrapbooks, videos, green-and-gold-striped pole vaults, jewelry and stuffed toys dressed up in W&M gear. These items likely take a great deal of time and money to create, an enormous sum to ship (as many students Fed Ex them), and more likely than not they do not have an enormous impact on the decision we make (this is not to say that we didn’t appreciate the effort but oftentimes the over-the-top submissions don’t provide us much substantive information about the applicant).
So the question is, are we pushing you too hard? Does our prompt unintentionally put more pressure on you to come up with something extraordinary rather than making you feel more relaxed about being yourself? If so, what’s the next step? Do we change the prompt or just the way we talk about it? Do we need to be more explicit about what we want and what we don’t want as a response? What did you do for your optional submission and what impact did you hope it would have on the Committee? Your feedback on this one (via the comments) would be greatly appreciated.
Wendy Livingston, ’03, M.Ed. ’09
Senior Assistant Dean of Admission
Comments are closed on posts older than one year, but we still want to hear from you. If you have a comment or question for us, please email admission@wm.edu.
I personally say leave it the way it is. I put together a video and wrote a little something about what made me unique. I applied early decision to W&M and was deferred so it was my first application to a college and this question was one i thoroughly enjoyed. Other applications I submitted to other schools had less interesting topics and I really like how with W&M; I was able to think outside of the box and be creative.
I think sending items in to the admissions committee is taking it too far, as you could send in a picture of your item or have a video describing the item. I say leave the question the way it is and just add something like “do not send actual items to the office.” 🙂
Hope this helps!
Chris
Thanks Chris. We’re anxious to get feedback like yours or feedback that’s totally contrary. We just want to see where students are with this.
I say keep the prompt.
The people who are sending those types of items most likely read this blog. They will see what you have said and understand that the over-the-top submissions don’t make all that much of a difference.
-Zack
I think the best and the worst thing about it is that it’s vague. It encourages you to think creatively, to stand out, but perhaps it is a little TOO open ended! I agree with Christopher– maybe a disclaimer would be beneficial. It may help discourage the impression that you want to receive shoes and other unusual items!
I sent a painting that was part my art final. Shipping was free, as I sent it through my dad’s company, and did not require extra effort on my part. I hoped to emphasize my creativity and passion for art. I was accepted ED!
Art physical sumissions of paintings discouraged?
Skyler, thanks for the feedback. It’s helpful.
Paintings are not at all discouraged although we generally suggest artistic students make fine arts submission because of course our fine arts faculty are more qualified to evaluate such pieces than admission deans are. If one does submit a painting or some form of art work, we generally recommend the student give us a short blurb about the work so we know what it’s about or how it relates to them.
Personally, I think it’s a great way to put yourself out there, but the free nature makes it a bit difficult. When an admissions counselor described what we could do on a visit, I expected it to be some sort of optional submission that said: do whatever you want on a piece of paper. When I read the prompt, I was utterly confused. I didn’t know what to do, and I kept running through my mind the different things I could possibly do. It seems as though it can be informal, although I was scared of doing so. The video was reassuring, but still left me saying “huh?”. I think a better explanation would help.
Thanks A. All of this feedback is super helpful. We used to have a part of the prompt that noted people should confine themselves to one side of one 8.5 x 11 sheet of paper but have since dropped that because plenty of people exceeded those guidelines (which is fine). Certainly people seem so far to be in favor of more explicit directions. We purposely leave it vague so people can feel relaxed and informal and creative but maybe mild parameters will help.
What about a blog post or video or Flickr gallery of some of our favorite submissions? Would that help?
That would be great. It would give an idea of what you’re looking for.
Creating a Flickr gallery of some of the great submissions you’ve gotten would be AWESOME! It would let other students know what you’re looking for roughly, plus you’d get to show off some great work!
Wow… I thought my really quirky essay was odd enough. I’m surprised so many people sent in stuff. I wasn’t aware that you could….
I also think the extreme selectivity and competition for slots at W&M is enough to drive applicants to submit strange things. Flickr would be excellent.
May have spoken too quickly. Just let the brainstorming take over. If many of our best optional submissions aren’t photographable because they are essays (maybe like yours Jesse), would there be anything else helpful. Our goal is in part to discourage over-the-top submissions which a Flickr gallery may instead promote. Certainly if there are good physical submissions we can certainly devote a Flickr gallery to those but again, our goal is not to increase angst/worry/overkill.
Personally, I thought the promt was very thought provoking, but because it was quite vague I was a little scared to send in something that wasn’t in essay form. I also was not aware that sending in physical objects was allowed, and I am a little upset that I was not aware of this. However, I really have no room to complain, since my essay was enough to get me accepted early decision. I think using the prompt is a great idea, but maybe setting restrictions or letting applicants know what types of materials can be sent in would be a good idea.
Zack, thanks for your comment. It didn’t come through until this morning so I didn’t get a chance to respond until now but we’re loving all of this feedback.
Thanks Katie. We ourselves are trying to determine if we should allow physical objects. While there are definite exceptions, most are more overdone than substantive. However, we like being vague on purpose so students don’t feel limited but it appears so far that students are in favor of some loose parameters.
Would blogs/pictures/examples of good and bad optionals be helpful do you think to give you an idea of what is acceptable?
I must admit the optional prompt made me think really hard. It was not easy but once I figured what to do I realized I had something that really worked for me and that the prompt was pretty awesome. I think it should stay the way it is, but maybe include some example prompts accepted students from previous years, that way people can see it can be just about anything. Don’t do away with it; it’s uniquely W&M.
The optional essay prompt should still be used for future applicants. Though it may be difficult to write the essay because it is somewhat vague, that’s what makes it a great prompt. What better way is there to stand out and show the College who you are? That’s what this prompt asks the applicant to do. I submitted a video for my supplement explaining who I am and how I see myself as a student at William & Mary. I think there should be a reminder at the end of the prompt explaining that the purpose of the optional submission is to give admissions a sense of who you are so applicants aren’t carried away (like submitting an old cast, haha.)
Thanks John and Daniel. Really appreciate the feedback. Clearly it seems examples/guidelines would be helpful to students. Glad you like the prompt. We Admit It! We do too so that’s why we’re at a crossroads. It’s hard for us to let go of something we think expresses a sense of W&M to others
When I first read the prompt, I was a little confused about what to do! It was so vague and I wasn’t sure what was wanted. I ended up writing a little short story about my family reunions, but after reading what other people have done, I’m not sure if that was enough. I did like the prompt a lot. It made you think more about yourself but like everyone else, something to reference would be nice in the future. Keep the the promp.! It was hands down the most fun supplement I had to do!
Mollie, glad the prompt was so much fun but we are hearing people that guidelines or examples may be helpful and reduce anxiety
I loved having the opportunity to show something unique about myself. I chose to submit a video of me performing aerial acrobatics on fabric silks. How else could I put that into a college application and it have the “wow factor”?? I was able to show I was more than just another great student, I have depth and chutzpah as my aerial teacher puts it. I say keep the prompt, for every “over the top” submission I’m sure you’ve had one that made you say, “Wow! that was cool”. I was deferred to regular decision from ED but I’m confident that submitting my aerial acrobatics DVD had only a positive impact.
Sarah, many thanks. Love that you used the word Chutzpah by the way…great use of Yiddish! Our idea behind this is for students to be able to distinguish themselves in a unique way and clearly you got that
Personally I did not know anything besides an essay was allowed for this prompt. When I visited I was told a story of a life-size cut out being sent in and that gave me the impression to keep the submission simple, which was reinforced when I read the prompt. That being said, I believe the prompt is a great addition to any application, but it would help if it was worded a little differently.
I’ll admit (no pun intended!) that the wording in the prompt was daunting at first. Then again, so was the acceptance email I got on December 1, so it must be a William and Mary thing 🙂
I didn’t even think to do anything crazy like send a separate package to the admission committee. I wrote an essay, just in a less formal format, that talked about the life goals I wrote when I was eight and how I’ve kept the same paper since then, and how W&M was the next step to accomplish those goals I wrote 10 years ago.
I thought my additional essay was an important outlet to show another side of me in addition to my common app essay, and was truly proud of it.
I do think that some examples, or a “disclaimer” would help to give some more direction for confused applicants, and would help get the juices flowing.
I agree that it is a bit too vague. When I read the prompt I got the idea that it was asking for an essay in less than 500 words about yourself. I did get that the essay should be out of the box, but it really seemed like the prompt was asking for an essay.
It seems that everyone is interpreting the prompt differently. Some get the anything-goes vibe while others get the essay vibe. That’s good for us to know.
Caroline, we definitely took to hear the feedback about the admit email sent to early decision candidates in December. We really like the tone and vibe of that email but will be adding something like “Welcome to the Tribe” as the signature to make things a bit more clear to those receiving that it is, as the subject alluded, good news 🙂
I think that although the prompt suggests an essay, allusions to other unusual creative submissions are made during the tour and on the website. That was my issue– I’d heard of non-essay submissions that were well-received, but the prompt clearly encouraged a second essay. I didn’t know which was preferred. (But now I do.)
L, that’s good to know. We need to ensure that the same messages we share during information sessions and tours is the same message we are putting in print on the application.
You could even call it the anti-essay prompt. You’ll take anything (with in reason) that expresses you as long as it’s not a standard essay. That way applicants will realize there supposed to have fun with it. Also including in the directions to keep it causal if that’s their style and remind them there is no right or wrong will relieve some of the initial stress and fear. All in all, like I said before, definitely keep the prompt!
Sorry I have to correct myself or else I’ll go crazy- they’re not there.
Thanks for the additional feedback John
I think the prompt really encourages the applicant to take the time to show themselves in what ever medium they find fitting. I know I felt that writing was my strongest area, so I wrote an essay that included things that were not in any of my other essays. I took it as a opportunity to show my deeper self. I understand how items can be odd out of context of the person, but I feel that if it’s done right it could send a strong message.
Ruthiey, glad you found the optional to be the optimal way to express yourself. That’s certainly our goal.
I’m going to agree with L. I visited W&M twice before applying, and both times, admissions staff stated that they’ll take anything that USPS or UPS will ship. In fact, my student interviewer’s comments inspired my project. When, months later, I read the prompt I was actually scared for a second. I thought perhaps my project (a mini-magazine) wasn’t allowed, but because I had heard so clearly before it would be okay, I sent it in.
The W&M prompt as I understood it from my visits was my favorite of all my college applications. I think the written prompt just needs a little rewording. Maybe instead “nobody fits neatly into 500 words or less”, you could indicate that nobody fits in an application, so you’d like anything, written or physical, that shares their “type of person”.
I’ve enjoyed this blog and reading the comments. Thanks for being so open to input!
Yes, the prompt was challenging. Among all the supplements I had to work on, W&M one was the toughest. I struggled for days to figure out what to submitt. I did feel pressured. But, isn’t that the nature of “optional” submission? After all, it challenged me to think outside of the box and truly reflect/express who I am (I sent a mini-version of my photograph work with its artist statement). Moreover, the uniqueness of the prompt trigured me to research more about W&M (“What kind of school would challenge its applicants to think this hard? I want to know more about it”). So, no, I don’t think the prompt should change.
One more thing about the option of using Flickr/blog: I believe the applicants still should be allowed to send in actual work. Receiving an actual work gives a whole different meaning than looking at it through Flickr in my opinion. If the submission becomes more restricted to just using Internet/computer programs, it gets tougher; especially in case of such a broad topic. Or may be, bunch of applicants might end up friend-requesting W&M Admissions on Facebook as their submission… 😉
Of all my college essays, I found William & Mary’s to be by far the least stressful. The W&M prompt, because it is so purposely vague, allowed me to write what I wanted without worrying about the constraints of a specific topic. Unlike my other essays, I felt like I was just trying to be myself rather than answer a question.
I can see why that might be difficult for some people though, as it forces one to try and get creative. People sending in absurd, over the top supplements sounds more like a problem with the applicant rather than the prompt. Applicants like that are going to feel compelled to go overboard no matter what the topic is. And hey, maybe that person who made a rice krispee treat Wren Building found that more fun and less stressful than writing an essay. I say keep the prompt!
Lindsay S, thanks for the feedback. If nothing else, we are learning that all of us (deans, interviewers, tour guides) need to be consistent about how we discuss the optional submission and what we solicit. While there have absolutely been worthwhile physical submissions (such as art work, videos, charity project pieces, etc) we need to decide as an office if we want to continue to solicit such types of submissions and if so, how we curtail the desire of applicants to send “anything that ships”.
Yongjoo, sorry the prompt caused you consternation but glad that it got you more interested in W&M. Did you believe that it was optional? Did thinking it wasn’t add to the stress? Our prompt is truly optional. We don’t think less of those who don’t submit one.
M, glad to hear you found it the least stressful and that you appreciated the freedom to be yourself. We used to ask pointed questions before we moved to the Common App but we like that we ask applicants to share what they want. On our end, it hopefully yield more variety and more interesting essays/submissions rather than a targeted question which can lead to very repeatitive sounding submissions.
I say keep it. I applied ED and I thought it was a great way to be able to stand out. I also sent in a music supplement, in addition to several other optional submissions. I felt it was just one more way to stand out in the competitive applicant pool. It seems silly to have people send in actual artifacts, since you can submit arts supplements regardless. I would say just add a stipulation that it should be in a format that can be electronically delivered, that way people won’t spend a ridiculous amount on postage.
Thanks for the feedback Dan. Out of curiosity, did you send in some kind of fine arts submission for your optional submission in addition to the fine arts supplement or did you send in something else?
I have to be truthful. The optional essay prompt scared the living daylights out of me. I had no idea what I could do in order to show my individuality. I do some creative writing so I thought I’d write something, but nothing came to me. So when the deadline came for ED applications, I just didn’t submit an optional essay. I was freaking out because I thought I wouldn’t be accepted because I didn’t have that optional essay. But now that I’ve reflected back on my application, I see that I showed how I’m unique through my required essay, which was perfectly fine for me since I got accepted anyways.
I think that the optional essay should stay, but to make it clear that opting not to do it isn’t a big deal. Not doing it doesn’t mean that you are automatically going to be denied. It’s about creativity. Oh, and maybe giving examples in the prompt of items that have been sent in that were too out there would help as well. I still can’t get over the old cast…ew.
Hope this helps!
Victoria, thanks for the candor. Sorry the optional submission caused you some stress. Is calling it “optional” not enough to imply that it’s not required to be admitted? We absolutely always make sure students know it’s optional in information sessions as well.
I feel that the prompt is a great addition to the admissions process. Sure, its a little open ended, but it made me feel at ease, like you really wanted to get to know me, not just “a student”. In fact, the prompt helped to instigate my continued interest in W&M, because I felt welcomed to share a little bit of myself with the college. The start of a personal connection. The random packages of “shoes” and the occasional “used cast” are unfortunate, but not due to a problem with the prompt. Keep the prompt!
Thanks Robert. Your feedback is appreciated. We will be thinking over everyone’s perceptions and comments over the summer. No worries, there will absolutely be some kind of optional submission prompt that shows the quirkyness of our staff and community even if it’s changed up a little
Personally, I loved having the opportunity to submit an optional and more creative submission, though in my case I didn’t feel like the “optional” truly applied. I applied Early Decision as an out-of-state student so it was REALLY important for me to stand out. I was relatively confident in my grades, extracurriculars, scores, and essay…but I was very nervous that it wouldn’t be enough. When I got to the “optional” prompt, I was intimidated because I wasn’t sure how my creativity would be ranked next to so many other applicants with greater creative-writing/musical/artistic talent. I knew that I had to submit something that would show the committee that I was more than what could be shown through words and numbers and felt pressure especially from my college counselor urging me to come up with something special. Completely crazy amazing and out of the ordinary ideas have never been my specialty, but after thinking about it for a while I realized that the submission didn’t have to be unusual, funny, or artistic–it simply had to be meaningful, sincere, and ME.
So for my extra submission I created a short, 3 minute video slideshow complete with snapshots of my life that I believed exemplify what makes me “me” 🙂 I briefly explained each of the captured experiences and reflected on the qualities that I have gained through the people in my life and the opportunities I have been given. Even though the video was very simple, I felt that it would help the admissions committee feel a slightly stronger connection to me as a person. (I also think that my cheesy but meaningful song choice of “My Wish” brought out the emotional tone I was going for.)
Anyways, my point is that I definitely think that the prompt should stay. Though it seemed a somewhat daunting task at first figuring out what exactly to create/send, I ended up loving how an open-ended challenge like this gave me the chance to add more personality and depth to my application.
Sorry if this comment was super cheesy and long but I was excited to share 🙂 Oh, and I suppose I should add that I got accepted ED and am extremely excited!
Katie Jo,
Thanks for your thoughts. We certainly do want to ensure that applicants no our optional submission is in fact optional so it seems that message may not being totally conveyed although it’s also likely that anxious applicants won’t treat anything optional as optional because, like you, they simply wish to stand out.
Glad you liked its open-ended tone and creative bent. Even if we change the prompt those qualities will be retained.
I LOVE the optional writing prompt. Instead of the cut and dry essays I wrote for other schools, I really had a lot of fun creating my non-paragraph-form supplement, and it got me a nice little postcard AND into W&M RD/Monroe! I felt that this topic allowed for colorful fonts, photographs, and the conversational tone that I put into my supplement. To be honest, I think I had the most fun preparing William and Mary’s supplement than any of my other colleges because I had the room to let my mind run free. It enables students who feel like they don’t have as stellar resumes or scores as others show the admissions crew what they’re all about. I think all colleges should have this kind of optional supplement. Please keep it!
P.S. I’d really like to see an album/collection of your favorite supplements, just for fun 🙂
KR,
Congrats on your admission and your Monroe designation. Clearly your optional was well received if a dean commented on it in a postcard. Glad you enjoyed the optional so much. To know that is very helpful!
Keep it! This prompt was my favorite out of every application. It allowed me to finally be creative and I would have to say it was fun to write. My rhyming poem was one of the best poems I had ever written, I’m so proud of it. I think it really adds a personal touch to the application. I feel like any prompt will have some answers that get a little too far “out-of –the-box”.
Lauren, glad you enjoyed the prompt. You make a good point about the liklihood of out-of-the-box submissions coming regardless of what we say or do. We just want to ensure that we’re a) talking about the optional submission in a consistent way and b) our prompt doesn’t encourage over-the-top submission.
I thought the supplemental submission prompt is great. It allowed applicants to express themselves in a way that a regular college application just can’t. That being said, I think when y’all say “Anything goes!” in the prompt, that gives applicants the idea that well, anything goes. I submitted a video about my life, but tried to spin it in a creative and fun way. When I read the prompt, I got the impression that y’all didn’t want essays, you wanted some other expression of ourselves. I think the premise of the prompt should remain the same, but changing the wording or adding some dos and don’ts would help to make the submissions y’all receive a little more reasonable.
Hope this helps!
Thanks Stuart. Glad you enjoyed the prompt and your interpretation helps us to see that students interpret the prompt many different ways, which is fine. However, we should of course likely provide some best practices so to speak. That’s what we’ll be thinking of over the summer.
I absolutely adore the optional submission idea! I saved it for last to do out of all my college applications (even more so since W&M is my dream school!) and I was so excited to go about it. I made an altered book with information about myself and a special page dedicated to W&M and why I would like to be accepted. I remember when a W&M representative came to my high school and showed us the quirker submissions such as the cast! I think the wording could be changed a little if you guys didn’t want to receive SUCH over-the-top objects, but overall it’s a fantastic idea!
Amy, thanks for your feedback. It’s much appreciated and we’re glad you enjoyed the prompt.
Sorry to disagree with most, but I hope what I have to say can be helpful. First off, I know that the prompt was optional, but it seemed to me that if you really wanted a decent chance of getting in, you’d have to submit something to show interest, particularly if you hadn’t interviewed. That said, it also wasn’t a typical prompt, and at least for me personally, I was ripping my hair out trying to do something creative that hadn’t been done before. I eventually just ended up sending an essay, and in retrospect, it probably wasn’t the best essay I’ve written. It was far from it, actually — even though I spent a lot of time on it and I guess I thought too hard about it — and I ended up getting waitlisted (applied last year). I’d say I had decent stats (good enough to get me into UVA), but I think it was this optional essay that made the difference between getting accepted and waitlisted to W&M. I’m over it now and I’m fine where I am now, but sometimes I still can’t help but think that this was what made the difference, particularly when students with lower stats got it. My point is, I imagine that the results are tons of fun to read/watch, and this prompt was far different than any of the others I had done, but I have to say that this prompt did cause undue stress. It encourages alternate mediums of expressing oneself, but I also think it assumes that everyone has access to or expertise in videomaking and I feel that you are at a disadvantage if you don’t. My recommendation would perhaps be to clarify the expectations by making it more explicit (the 500 word limit made it seem as if an essay was the expectation), and perhaps level the playing field a bit. I’m not sure how that would be feasible with such an open-ended prompt, but I will say that I didn’t think that was a problem with the other school’s prompts. Anyway, I hope that whatever you decide to do will help future applicants, and I hope that this will provide some insight from a student who was not so lucky as to be accepted. Thank you for allowing us to voice our opinions.
Jessica, thank you for your thoughts. Please know that in our one process, no one factor on its own makes or breaks a decision so your optional essay, whether good or bad, was not the only reason we made the decision we did.
Additionally, W&M is very clear that our optional processes (interview, optional submission, fine arts submission) are optional and because we do not track interest we do not consider submitting optional materials to be a demonstration thereof. There are plenty of students who get admitted who do not complete the optional submission, who don’t interview, etc. Unfortunately, given the hyper competitiveness of college admission these days, applicants are unlikely to view anything optional as truly optional.
We do not expect students to submit videos knowing that not all students have access to that kind of technology and do not give those who do submit good videos any more credit than those who submit a good second essay.
Clearly your feelings demonstrate that applicants have mixed feelings/reviews about our optional submission and intuit lots of different meanings from our prompt; some intuit positive feelings, others just the opposite. We’ll keep all of these opinions in mind as we move forward.