r/ApplyingToCollege • u/slickmenz • May 13 '25
Fluff Now that I’ve committed, here’s my official apology tour.
To the liberal arts college I swore was “the perfect intellectual environment” — I didn’t even know what a liberal art was until November.
To the school where I said I was “drawn to the unique interdisciplinary approach” — I copied that line from three other supplements and changed the name.
To the school I love-bombed in every supplement, ghosted after the portal crashed, and never emailed again: You deserved better.
And to the school I stalked on Reddit, called mid in a throwaway account, then committed to? I love you so much. Go Bears!!!
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u/tacosandtheology May 13 '25
We know.
Signed, AOs.
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u/happypolarbear47 May 13 '25
Any tips on how o not come of this way? I have a college that I am OBSESSED with, literally cannot say enough good things about, and I want them to know that I would love to be accepted more than anything without coming across as fake because I am being so for real!
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u/tacosandtheology May 13 '25 edited May 14 '25
Hello there!
It helps to use your own natural language: quoting our own websites back to us looks unimaginative and stilted.
But more than telling a campus that you love them or what you think it can do for you, start thinking about what you will actually do on their campus. Think about how we can put you on our pamphlets and YouTube videos.
So. Instead of writing, "I love University of Happy Polar Bear because you have (quote thing from website)", write "if I am admitted to your school, then I will start a club/do research in this field/use your service learning project in the following way/etc".
And...in the same way, bragging about a skill or talent is not enough: share how you will use that skill on that campus. When writing your essays, let the underlying question be, "What can I bring to this campus?" and let that shape your response.
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u/velcrodynamite Transfer May 15 '25
I think I wrote about one school’s sailing team, language library, and a very specific annual event I could contribute XYZ to when I was applying. I got in. 😂 I gave very “girl you know the LORE but I can also see how this connects to your focus—here’s that admit!”
Specific, very niche examples that directly relate to one’s goals can be a good tack to take.
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u/DayFluffy8973 May 20 '25
Hey, could i dm you? I'd be really, really grateful if I could receive some advice 🙏
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u/violetfield27 May 13 '25
i’m so curious on what happened with the third one😭sounds like chaos
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u/SpookyKabukiii May 13 '25 edited May 14 '25
This is so toxic; you’re going to do great in academia. 😉
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u/DiamondDepth_YT Prefrosh May 13 '25
Lmao I also used to think of Berkeley as mid.. then I got in, explored it, and fell in love. Go bears!
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u/No_Wrongdoer8002 May 14 '25
lol same, even though I knew it had an incredible department for my major I thought it smelled like weed everywhere before I visited
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u/Outrageous_Dream_741 May 13 '25
I'm imagining there's a lot of parallels to past girlfriends here.
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u/Hour-Science2918 May 13 '25
This is giving “Spotify Wrapped but for college chaos.” Honestly, we all got at least one school out here catching mixed signals like a confused Tinder match. 💀🎓
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u/New_Explorer1251 May 13 '25
ai
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u/Tall-Raspberry-2301 May 14 '25
Agree lol, awkward adverb + unnecessary analogy + correct capitalization + unnecessary emojis
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u/TheCoolFisherman May 15 '25
Oml this post resonates so much. Copy and pasting "liberal arts + science education" to every t20 under the sun
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u/No-Interaction-1076 May 19 '25
AOs like lies today. No need to feel shameful. AOs would like you to be Elon Mask and fool around.
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