<p>My D recently received her yearbook/graduation picture and it's Ok. She looks real conservative in the black drape and pearls, however that's not really who she is. In our town, most seniors get "senior pictures" which are fun pictures and these are the ones that they give out to their friends. These pictures look more like her than the yearbook photo. My question is for applications should she use the yearbook photo, or the fun pictures? She's applying to mostly business and top tier schools and I was concerned that the casual dress on the app might be inappropriate. Are there any rules?</p>
<p>Have you checked to see if they require photos - this was one of the oddest things about college apps to me - they didn't require photos (?a discrimination thing?). We have some lovely pix of my daughter left that I had made for the apps, want one?</p>
<p>S did not like his senior picture. We cropped and scanned a summer picture of him looking scruffy but happy in a Hawaiian shirt. Didn't seem to hurt him.</p>
<p>I think as long as the pictures don't showcase kids in too tight, too scanty, or too inappropriate (regrettable slogans, etc.) it won't matter. If I were an admisisons officer, I'd much rather see a picture that the applicant actually likes and that shows some personality rather than the black drape deal.</p>
<p>Count me as one who DOES NOT like the idea of photos being required with applications. What's the point? What a kid looks like and whether or not he/she is photogenic is (or should be) irrelevant.</p>
<p>On S's app it was optional. They said that it was useful if they'd met you on campus, to put help connect to the memory. S had not met any adcoms, but, he figured, they asked, why not? His view was, I'm not including anything they did'nt ask for, but I'm going to put in anything they do.</p>
<p>Savvymom-</p>
<p>My son used a pic that a friend took of him. He felt that it accurately reflected his personality - silly with a big cheesy grin - taken from the rear seat of a car while he was in the front and he was only turned halfway around - so the pic looks like of crazy, which he loved. I'm still not sure why the schools want these pictures and plenty of kids have said they don't send one in. If I were you, I would let her send in the one she wants. </p>
<p>IMHO, sending in something aside from the school grad pics says she is confident, comfortable with herself and put some thought into which pic to send.</p>
<p>I'm sending in a really candid and casual face picture of myself because I'm rediculously good looking and the adcoms might think I stole the picture if it were a studio shot of me.</p>
<p>What about pictures with beer and drugs? I have this great picture of myself doing a keg stand, I assume that's out.</p>
<p>Whatever makes you the most MEMORABLE</p>
<p>go for it - let us know if you get in.</p>
<p>I think it depends on the school, but the photos really do help differentiate you as your application gets read. I used to work in admissions and my take on pictures is that they can't hurt you, but they help remind the reader that you are a real person behind the stats and essay. Trust me, these things blend together and almost all apps look the same. They are not judging you on your looks. Even at an "artsy" school, most of the applicants submit the usual senior portrait, so I think in certain cases, it can work to your advantage to send one that shows your personality.</p>
<p>"my take on pictures is that they can't hurt you"...</p>
<p>"They are not judging you on your looks."</p>
<p>I'm not so sure I believe that's always the case. I do believe that the wrong picture can indeed land your app into the reject pile. Meateater, send the Keg Stand picture to the schools your parents want you to go to, not your dreamschool---that's my advice... Just kidding---LOL!</p>
<p>Happy Senior, if you're not inclined to view a physically attractive person more charitably than an unattractive person, you're better than most people, according to research. There's a reason why college viewbooks feature attractive, happy students in ther pages. Life repeatedly teaches attractive people in our society that their looks open doors to opportunity. The opposite lesson is soon learned by those much less attractive, and certainly by the down right ugly, unfortunately. </p>
<p>I think colleges shouldn't ask for a picture with the application. It's not fair to handicap the well qualified, though physically unattractive student in such a way.</p>
<p>I've never even heard of colleges askign applicants to submit pictures along with applications.. And i'm a senior this year who has already begun some apps.. Which colleges are these that require pics?</p>
<p>^UPenn! I think Duke too.</p>
<p>So now they all need to dig out their college T/Sweatshirts and take a photo for each school with the appropriate shirt on......such effort. You know the Duke photo all decked out in blue with the I Love Coach K sign and the blue face paint.....bare chest. Yup. Reverse side is the keg stand.</p>
<p>Like masha, I've never heard of it. None of the 9 schools my son applied to last year required a photo with the application.</p>
<p>"...if you're not inclined to view a physically attractive person more charitably than an unattractive person, you're better than most people"</p>
<p>Yes but there are SO many factors going into an admissions decision. Looks are not on the radar. When you are reading through your apps, you are looking for a mix of people with certain qualities, based on their stats, background, interests, writing ability, etc. You are constantly justifying your scores of these applicants. There's absolutely no reason to use looks as a either a plus or a minus for the candidate. </p>
<p>In my original post, I was just trying to point out one rationale for the pictures, but personally, I don't think they're necessary either.</p>
<p>It's much more probable that looks could affect an interview.</p>
<p>^ Yeah but imagine this:</p>
<p>You're in a grocery store buying peaches. You see this ROBUSt and virbantly colored juicy looking peach and you go for it, making sure no one else sees it. When you pick up and turn it over, it has a big scrape and dried up brown stuff on it. The rest of the peach is beautiful but you can't buy something like that. So you go for the less vibrantly colored peach with potential and no blemishes.</p>
<p>Rumor had it that Penn really uses photo & favors good looking people. I'm sure being average wouldn't hurt, but looking extreme (weight, hair, etc) probably has an effect.</p>