<p>Ok, so one of the colleges I'm applying to allows you to submit a photo in order to "personalize" your application.
What kind of photos do admission officers usually expect? Does not submitting a photo diminish my chances?</p>
<p>I would expect most people to send in their Senior portrait or something similar, but Iāve never heard of a photo attachment option before. Would you mind sharing what college it is?</p>
<p>@puppey, itās Vassar</p>
<p>I would suspect it is to disambiguate gender and to āput a face with a nameā. We are going through boarding school search for one child, and a āHADESā BS had the same request. It does seem like they are setting themselves up for claims of prejudice, though, doesnāt it? You could be playful, but Iām not sure I would recommend it, unless it is more of an āinside joke,ā like having super juvenile wallpaper, or a Vassar pennant, in the background.</p>
<p>@ItsJustSchool, </p>
<p>All they say is āYou are welcome to submit a photograph of yourself to personalize your application.ā </p>
<p>I was just wondering if choosing not to submit a photo would somehow influence my chances of getting in. </p>
<p>Also, is it a good idea to submit just a basic portrait with a white background thatās almost like passport photo?</p>
<p>As context, this is what the boarding school sent: āBecause weād like the entire admission office to get to know you, we would like to give you the chance to add a photograph to your file - purely optional. Sending one couldnāt be easier - just reply to this e-mail and attach a photo that is focused on your face. Plain backgrounds are best, but any recent photo that you like will be fine. Make sure to include your full name so we can be sure that it goes in the right application file.ā They included a panel of three-across example photos- all looked like color yearbook (not senior, but lower grades) or school photos.</p>
<p>@itsJustSchool, wow, that indeed sounds like they are setting themselves up for claims of prejudice.
Vassar, however doesnāt have any clear instructions on what the pictures should be like.
Obviously, I want to do whatās best for my application and so far I have two very different options, one is the basic portrait I told you about, the other one is me wearing a traditional costume next to a display board of my country. Iām leaning more towards the second option because I think it represents me better than just a simple passport photo.</p>
<p>Anything I say would only be my uninformed opinion. Hopefully there is someone who works in a relevant role who can comment on this thread. Good luck!</p>
<p>Iām applying to Vassar EDI, and Iām just sending my headshot - itās a picture that (theoretically) shows a bit of my personality with some autumn colours in the background. Iām just smiling/almost laughing and a bit angled. I think that as long as it shows your face and you donāt look ridiculous, youāll be fine. Unless you submit something entirely inappropriate, it wonāt hurt your app.</p>
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<p>Thank you everyone for your insight !</p>