The first response to news of the time crunch faced by admission officers is to spice up the application. This is done in a variety of ways, but I want to warn against the more extreme methods. For example, a student recently sent in a macaroni-copy of a college’s emblem with their application. These types of stunts make their way around the admission office, but they don’t help your chances.

First of all, unusual acts make it seem as though you do not take your application seriously, so why should the admission officer? Further, it will seem as though you think your application is a long-shot, and your attempt to make your application jump out is a last-ditch effort. Finally, admission officers want their fellow workers and supervisors to think they make good judgments. It puts you an extra step back from which they have to advocate for your file.

This doesn’t just apply to extreme cases like the example above. You will notice that most applications warn against sending extra materials. Admission officers don’t have the time and experience to evaluate the unusual. I suggest spending your time perfecting the large amount of materials you already need to submit, instead of looking for unique ideas that probably won’t pan out.