<p>Everyone often makes fun of me because they say that I have "really girly handwriting" but I have come to appreciate that. </p>
<p>I do have pretty neat handwriting...and was wondering if hand-writing my applications would give me even the tiniest edge against other similar applicants who share my stats at the top schools? </p>
<p>Anyone have any good stories about hand-written applications?</p>
<p>The only issues I have is this:
1. They take sooo long..and I'm kind of OCD when doing college apps, so if I make 1 mistake, I will start the page over again, new sheet.
2. Will they think it was someone else who wrote it? Like my mom or something?</p>
<p>Do you guys think this will help at all? Maybe show a sense of dedication since it takes longer and looks more...human than just a bunch of typed words? You guys understand what I'm sayin?</p>
<p>Don’t, just submit online. Colleges prefer the ease of reading online apps, and handwriting won’t help (unless you’re applying to teeny tiny colleges?).</p>
<p>This could be a great/unique topic for the essay: how it’s your identity/how you can tell so much about a person/that you enjoy it even though it takes so much time. BUT, apologize that your app is not handwritten; in today’s world of electronics, your skill has become a “dying art”.</p>
<p>I legitimately thought about this once. I figured that they would take a longer time processing my app by hand, so that means more attention right?</p>
<p>Wrong. They digitize your scores and hard stats anyway…There’s a whole page that says “For Office Use.” It’s just not worth the extra effort.</p>
<p>In this age of keyboarding and printers, I doubt colleges would care one iota if you handwrote the application. Tidy handwriting is a rather obsolete skill, more useful for personal thank you notes and wedding invitation envelopes, than a university education.</p>
<p>I hate to say it, but some might be annoyed that you made some poor staffer spend half an hour keying your app into the system. You might also be perceived as tech-phobic. Even students without computers at home use the computers at school to submit their apps online.</p>
<p>I honestly thought that doing Apps by hand gives a tiny advantage to online reading (eventually your eyes are gonna exploding from using the comps).</p>
<p>Ten years ago, handwritten applications were the norm. Now, colleges highly prefer electronic. No one is going to be impressed with a handwritten app. In fact, at most colleges, the ones who make decisons won’t even see that handwritten app or even know it was a handwritten app because what the reviewers get is a file in the computer that sumarizes the needed info from the app.</p>
<p>I don’t think it will help. I applies to MIT’s MITES program earlier this year, and my father was appalled at the notion of me handwriting the application. Subsequently, I have a new “application” typewriter.</p>
<p>I actually had to hand write one of my applications. It was for a school outside of this country, and they let domestic students do it online, but not internationals. It takes <em>forever</em> and it’s not any fun.</p>
<p>One pro to the handwritten app: all materials can be submitted and mailed together which may actually speed the process in some cases. S applied to 5 out of 6 schools with handwritten apps. Accepted to 4 still waiting on 2. Guess it didn’t hurt! :)</p>
<p>I think your handwriting talent was appropriate for the Yale short take, although perhaps requiring more elaboration than allowed there. But the place to demonstrate that talent is not by handwriting your app.</p>