<p>Can someone explain to me what this means? In your opinion?</p>
<p>I know it has been mentioned on CC a few times, and thick files are synonymous with 'bad' and--not a good idea.</p>
<p>I guess this mother is pretty dense, 'cause I don't get it. thanks for explaining. If you send in too much, why is it overkill? Does it look too narcissistic? any other reasons?</p>
<p>I’ll give you my take on it.</p>
<p>If Kid X has done 100 impressive things, then that’s wonderful - they should be mentioned! If Kid X has done 100 impressive things, but a mere mention isn’t enough to convey how wonderful they were, and what’s really needed to give AOs the full picture are photocopies of the 83 awards certificates and the 214 newspaper articles (and, perhaps, just to be on the safe side, a few dozen photographs) . . . then there’s a problem somewhere.</p>
<p>Let me give you an example. A few years ago my kid did something really neat and a reporter commented on it in a very flattering way in a newspaper article. Last year he included that with his applications. It wasn’t overkill - there really wasn’t much else to include. This year, however, there’s been a lot going on in my son’s life - and he reported all of it in his responses to the standard questions on his applications. He did not include that old newspaper article, nor any of the other ones that have come out since. It would have been ridiculous - there were too many, and it wouldn’t have added a thing to his application. What he’s accomplished will have to stand (or fall) on its own - without the support of award certificates, newspaper articles, or that congratulatory letter from Aunt Jane!</p>
<p>A reporter’s job is to convey information succinctly. As an applicant, my son’s job is in many ways the same. Cut to the chase, tell the AOs what he’s done, and move on.</p>
<p>Certainly, include an art portfolio or a DVD or CD if it will give the AOs insight into the kid’s talents. But if you have to fall back on that really clever drawing he did when he was five, then you’re in trouble.</p>
<p>The expression is used to refer to applicants who try to use quantity make up for a lack of quality. </p>
<p>To expand on dodgersmom’s point, here are some other things not to include in your application…</p>
<p>-a letter of recommendation from your best friend’s father, who graduated from the school 25 years ago or the trustee who has never met you but can attest to your mom’s golf skills
-your 4th grade certificate of merit
-all 15 papers you wrote for school last year
-a ten page personal essay or parent statement
-the 25 photos you took in your beginning photography class last semester
-five clippings from your small-town newspaper in which your name appears after the phrase “also appearing in the play were…”
-a 45 minute recording of your school orchestra’s annual performance.</p>
<p>If you include everything under the sun in an application the truly meaningful accomplishments can get lost. Highlight only the significant stuff and you AO will thank you. :)</p>
<p>I only included what they asked for and just showed my interviewer my writing. I didn’t send it with my application and I brought it home.</p>
<p>This thread is a bit dated, but I just came across it and have a question…
… Is it acceptable (or necessary or recommended) to include an article that highlighted me and only me about two summer camp programs I did and what I got out of them? It’s from a local online news site and the reporter got the info for the article while listening to me explain the summer camps at our local Rotary club meeting. They feature a “whiz kid” each month and I was that kid, so I’m not sure if it’s worth including or not.</p>
<p>^^^I don’t think that I would include the “whiz kid” feature, unless it is absolutely pertinent in some way. Personally, I believe in the “less is more” approach.</p>
<p>For me it all depends on what the article says. If it details your roles and your enthusiasm for the theater I would not include it. Instead use your theater experience as fodder for your interviews and essays. The admissions committee would rather hear what you’ve gotten out of acting directly from you than from a reporter quoting you. Why steal your own thunder?</p>
<p>If, on the other hand, the article is primarily about your skills as an actor and quotes other people on the subject of your abilities it might be useful to include in your application if you do not have a recommender already making the same points. Articles, like recommendations, are most useful when they say things about you that you can’t say about yourself without sounding egotistical or awkward. “The director says I’m the most focused actor he’s seen in ten years” just doesn’t sound right, does it? Just make sure any article you submit is meaty enough to be an addition instead of a distraction. Admissions people are well aware that all it takes to get an article in some small-town newspapers is for your parents to write one!</p>