Should You Openly Share Your Interest in ‘iCarly’ or a Specific College?

David Lymburner on August 9, 2010 in College Entry

For those of you who haven’t gotten the chance to read my bio, I’m a dad. For parents like me, the opportunity to embarrass our kids is one of the greatest joys we can experience. Through the miracle of technology, I can do so on a vastly wider scale than was possible for my parents. For instance, I can tell you my 8-year-old son loves the show “iCarly.” Apparently, this is a huge secret that could permanently destroy his street cred if it were ever to be accidentally revealed, and he feigns disinterest when our friends’ daughters insist on watching the show. 

Pretending interest/disinterest, it turns out, is an important talent well beyond your elementary years. While it’s unlikely to impact your popularity in high school, the level of interest you show in a college or university has a surprising impact on college admissions decisions.  

Surveys from the National Association for College Admission Counseling (motto: “We’re a pretty big deal even though you’ve never heard of us”) show that demonstrated interest is an increasingly important factor in the college admissions process. That means colleges and universities, especially the most competitive ones, will look at how many times you visit, call, email and tweet about your unmatched desire to attend their precious institutions. They will also look at how early you apply as well as whether you bother to mention in your essay that you believe your life (and possibly existence as you know it) may come to an end (or at least be shattered in some way) if you are not admitted to their schools. 

This often leads to madcap situations worthy of a reality show, in which students attempt to show their passion for institutions. Many end up rapidly crossing that thin line from “I’m really interested” to “I’m a crazy stalker.”  

Much like being an “iCarly” fan, however, there is a dark side to demonstrated interest. Many of those schools that make the most use of demonstrated interest in college admissions decisions use it in exactly the opposite way when awarding financial aid and scholarships. In other words, if the school thinks you want to go there badly enough, then they assume you’ll still come even if they give you less money. 

Fortunately, we don’t play those games at my school. You can feel free to shamelessly admit that we are the best school EVER and that your life will only be complete if you attend. 

In the end, my advice is that it’s probably best to just be honest. Speaking of honesty, my son has asked me to formally announce that he does NOT like “iCarly” and that I was really referring to his friend Logan from across the street — no, really. I don’t watch it either. Although Sam is hilarious. 

Be seeing you. 

 

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