<p>My daughter hopes to finish up all of her applications this week. She is using the common application. Her main extracurriculars aren't well-explained by the somewhat limited format of the common application, so she has prepared a nice 1-page activity resume that highlights the details of her most important EC's.</p>
<p>Here's the question: She can either cut and paste it into the "additional information" section of the common application (she tried this, it fits, prints out nicely) or send it through the mail with a cover sheet re-emphasizing why each college is a fit for her. Or, I suppose, she can do both. </p>
<p>So, I told her I'd ask last year's parents for advice: if any of your kids used the common application, how did they include a activity resume? Which do you think would be preferrable?</p>
<p>One other question: if she did send it through regular mail, should she address the cover letter to the admissions rep for our area? I'm wondering if a letter just sent to "admissions" is going to even make it to her file.</p>
<p>I would like to know this too. I cut and pasted a nice explanation of all my important activities into the additional information section but feel it might be more beneficial to send it to the colleges directly along with a cover letter (should I do this for University of California schools too)? Will it matter which way I go about doing this? All my info fits in the additional information section and I suppose it will be less of a hassle for me to write a bunch of cover letters highlighting why I want to go to X college and printing up a bunch of resumes ... what should I do?</p>
<p>If it would be satisfying to write separate letters, then I think it is a fine way to add a more personalized supplement to the standard common form. On the other hand, if it adds a whole new task and level of stress, then it probably isn't a "cost benefit". Since many common app schools do have some supplemental items to add, I don't think others mind getting something like you describe--but they also wouldn't expect it. (UC might be an exception here and I don't have the experience to comment on them particularly) </p>
<p>Almost anything coming into a LAC admissions office from an applicant will go into a hard copy file for them, so I also think who it goes to is not critical. If she has met the area reps then it can be a more personal letter directed to them; if not, the dean or director is probably most apt. </p>
<p>Given all your expertise Carolyn, it makes me smile that this process always has something to inspire new questions...Congratulations to your daughter (and you) on your progress in the the process. For those of us who have followed the "pilgrim's progress" over the past year it will be fun to learn who the final contenders for her admission will be</p>
<p>My advice is to send all parts of the application together, whether doing it online or in the mail (both my kids--classes of 2004 and 2009 printed out their common aps and sent them together with the supplements and resume by regular mail. However, it seems that this year's group feels that the schools are communicating a preference for online submissions, which is not something we came across last year). You never know how quickly a separate submission will get filed with the original ap, and you don't want to risk an adcom reading the ap without the resume.</p>
<p>Thanks Mmaah and Donemom. You both make a lot of sense. Since my daughter is at the point of just wanting to get this all done, she probably will opt to just include it in the additional information section. And yes, even college junkies like myself can be stumped, especially when it's your own child asking the question. :)</p>
<p>By the way, her final list has TEN colleges on it. This from the girl who a month or two ago was convinced there was only ONE college in the world for her. That college is still on the list, but is now running neck and neck with several others on her list for first in her heart. So, yes, it should be interesting to see how it all pans out...or at least it will be interesting once I stop biting my fingernails to the quick. ;)</p>
<p>I would submit this online. I was amazed at the number of submitted items which various colleges managed to lose. In addition I think it is more likely to receive attention if it included with the other common app submission.</p>
<p>Edad, Yes, we learned the hard way how easy it is for colleges to lose things when my daughter sent her application and recommendations to a college summer program last spring. She sent the package registered mail, but the college admissions office never received it. The post office could only confirm that it had been delivered to the campus. She ended up having to scury around to re-send everything in order to meet the deadline. Three weeks later, admissions called to tell us that they had found the original package sitting in a classroom! </p>
<p>It would be very nice if there was a simple way for teachers and schools to also submit recommendations and school profiles online, perhaps commonrec.org. :)</p>
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<p>It would be very nice if there was a simple way for teachers and schools to also submit recommendations and school profiles online>></p>
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<p>We have a good family friend whose daughter applied to veterinary school last year (yes she got accepted everywhere she applied!!). The vet school applications are totally done online. You give your recommendations a pin number and they access your site and send their recommendations electronically. AND YOU (the student) and see that it's been done and when. I sure do wish that could be done with regular college aps. It seems to me that the dingy GC at our school said something about Naviance moving in that direction.</p>
<p>Does a packet go to the school from the counselor with teacher refs, counselor letter & info and transcripts etc? Can't she ask the counselor to include her cover letter and her "activities sheet." Because mailings are more difficult from overseas and go fed-ex that is how our school handles it. In that way, everything that goes hard-copy is all together. (Son applied online where ever possible) Maybe that is not the case with your daughter's school and would cause more problems. I think my son had a generic title for his cover letter. I am not sure. He also included a newspaper article on a summer program he was involved in from the previous summer (2 months old) that had his picture as well. That was the only pic sent.</p>
<p>As you may remember, my S used the Common App, filled it out online and printed it out. He tried to answer everything he could on the Common App. But he still had a one-page resume where he listed his ECs and the positions he occupied; his awards, and the college classes he took. He also sent in a set of catalog description of these classes plus a paper he wrote for one of the classes. If your D has some unusual ECs or did something slightly out of the ordinary, the resume would be a good place to explain (eg., founded the creative writing club; collected and published short stories; or, participant, National History Day--state level: produced video on...)
We felt that the fewer pieces come separately from different sources, the less chance of misplacement (of course, the whole package could go astray!) If the school has a preference for online applications, it is still possible to snail mail some items, such as a resume and other supplemental materials. If your D has met the area adcom, then it is fine to have a cover letter addressed to him/her that reiterates why she is applying and why she thinks the school is a good fit. </p>
<p>My son's Guidance Counselor said that he could send my son's resume in along with his School Report. My son will handle the resume issue this way; he plans to do all his apps on line. He also plans to send in a supplemental music CD under separate cover. Congrats, Carolyn, on your D's progress; my S is procrastinating.</p>
<p>Not to worry 3boysnjmom, My daughter has done her share of procrastinating and there's been much wailing and gnashing of teeth in our house over the last few weeks. </p>
<p>The only reason she is working so hard to get it done this week is that her school gives seniors a 5-day weekend this week to either do visits or do applications. We were supposed to do a college visit, but at the last minute she begged to cancel the trip for social reasons. Since that meant I was out the cost of the non-refundable airline tickets, the agreement was she is my slave until her applications are finished. Seems like that is motivation enough for her. ;)</p>
<p>Carolyn-I had son paste his resume of activities into the additional info. area of the Common App.-he has also given it to his Guidance Counselor with each application and asked that it be sent along.
Sounds like our kids are on the same schedule-much gnashing of teeth with S, too. -much procrastination about doing the Common App. essay-he slaved over it last week and ended up doing a beautiful job (I think)-his concept of timeliness and mine are quite different-maybe he had to mull it over a bit. Hopefully, his English teacher will look at it this week and then he can send them out. His 5 state school apps are in-I want him to have the 5 private school apps in within the next 2 weeks).</p>
<p>One cautionary word - the common app has a character limit. If the additional info adds too many characters, the essay portion will be shortened. </p>
<p>You will know this is a problem because a warning will pop up on the essay portion stating that you have exceeded the character limit.</p>
<p>This is one reason why our daughter did NOT do the common application. She found that those "little boxes" were too restrictive and she could not include what she wanted to include easily. She did the regular college applications...she is only applying to three schools.</p>
<p>This is also why my S did the Common App but printed a hard copy and wrote the essays on separate sheets. He wrote "See attached sheets" in the boxes where the essays should be. </p>
<p>I also totally agree with Interesteddad. Every piece of the application should have the name of the applicant and Social Security number. This means every page of a multi-page document, in case pages get ripped.</p>
<p>Well I heard from some former adcom that the admissions committee room is quite chaotic during the whole process. So it is common to have applications and things not matched. Just think about how many recs and transcripts they have to match with the online applications. I sent my resume with my application to umich ann arbor. I just put on the activities box, see resume next page. I did fill out the boxes they gave me but attached a resume.
So i think send a resume but send the whole application together with it to avoid it getting lost. Also I addressed it to the address on the website.</p>
<p>Marite and imiracle911, that's exactly what my kids did--and believe it or not, they used a typewriter with a small font to make the most of those restrictive boxes.</p>