So you’ve decided to apply to a fairly selective college or university. You’ve completed all the steps that you need in order to apply and are now in the final stages prior to hitting the submit button and getting this daunting process behind you is your top priority. In fact, you may have tried to submit your application and found that it could not be processed because you did not complete the particular school’s addendum.
So what is this beast and why is it of importance in some cases when you apply to a selective school? Well, in many cases it is not and the addendum simply asks for additional demographic or family information. For these addenda you simply fill them out as per directions and you then apply to that particular school. These selective schools use other factors than the addendum to differentiate admission offers.
Today we are also seeing selective schools looking for creative ways to shape their incoming classes. They are looking for diversity in such traditional areas as geography, ethnicity, and socioeconomic circumstances and they are also looking for real diversity in thought. One way to accomplish this goal is to challenge prospective students with addenda to the application that will demonstrate a student’s creativity as well as their problem solving and critical thinking abilities. The key here is that the student must respond to these addenda in a way that reflects their best in demonstrating these skills.
Let’s look at an example. Wake Forest recently went SAT/ACT optional. One the reasons for this was that they wanted to achieve some of the class-shaping/diversity goals described above. Wake was quite transparent and when it made this announcement it explained its new process for admission. One addition was the interview while another was a strong emphasis on the addendum. This addendum could have a powerful impact on an admissions decision. The questions are potential minefields or golden opportunities. The student completing the document must be in “I’ m applying to a very selective school mode” and answer each question with thoughtfulness, clarity and in some cases innovation and creativity. Some students may answer a question such as “What outrages you?” with “I hate it when I work in a team on some members do not do anything and I have to do their work”. This is not a good answer. In fact, it reflects an image of a whiner and of someone that is immature and self-centered. When one thinks about it, a proper response to this question (as expected by the admissions staff) might be to reflect on the situation in Darfur, or cruelty to animals or man’s destruction of the planet. If you look at each of the questions in Wake’s addendum you’ll find similar opportunities to shine or fail miserably.
Many other selective schools have these addenda. You must be careful and take a larger view when you fill them out. While you cannot have anyone other than yourself make these responses, you should strongly consider having parents, peers, or a guidance/counseling professional review your work. Putting in the extra thought and review can clearly make the difference between acceptance and rejection.
