Anonymous
Post 04/21/2026 15:00     Subject: Overpackaging an applicant
Anonymous wrote:Well, think about it. You have two applicants. Applicant A has high grades and scores and was in band, debate team, choir, environmental club, glee club, art club, science club, toastmasters for teens, DECA, basketball, track, Spanish club, yearbook, cross country, volunteered for a local marathon, volunteers at an animal shelter once a month, likes anime and drawing. Applicant two also has high grades and decent test scores. This applicant is a double black belt in Taekwondo after taking it consistently for twelve years, assists in teaching taekwondo class to littles on Saturday mornings and mentors and inspires them as a Wednesday volunteer math tutor at the dojo during after school care, is in orchestra as first chair cello and plays in a fun quartet on the side, has taken Latin all four years of HS which was hard, is a member of a local "make it" organization that makes robots that compete in local and regional competitions, applicant's team of four placed second at a recent regional meet. That's applicant two's resume in total. Which applicant gives you a better idea of who they are as a person on first read? Who seems more attached to very specific interests over time that tell a simple story and offers a concrete through line as to what the person is all about? I think it's pretty clear.


But I don't think this is what overpackaged means. I think it means what another PP said about Nobel Prizes getting involved: meaning that someone is visibly pulling strings for the applicant, and that this can leave a sour taste in application readers' mouths.

My second kid is applicant B, very clear interests and storyline. My first kid was applicant C: no extra-curriculars to speak of, but excellent grades and test scores. No one in my family is interested in packing resumes just for the sake of it, and we don't have anyone to pull strings for us.

Anonymous
Post 04/21/2026 14:55     Subject: Re:Overpackaging an applicant
Ladies, we get it, right? This is the college app equivalent of going for a "natural look": That means no obvious contouring or "work done" -- but for heaven's sake, please do not misunderstand "natural" to mean "no makeup." Look your best, but keep things understated, ok?

We're going for a NATURAL LOOK. Be packaged -- just don't be OBVIOUS about it!
Anonymous
Post 04/21/2026 14:49     Subject: Overpackaging an applicant
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:Well, think about it. You have two applicants. Applicant A has high grades and scores and was in band, debate team, choir, environmental club, glee club, art club, science club, toastmasters for teens, DECA, basketball, track, Spanish club, yearbook, cross country, volunteered for a local marathon, volunteers at an animal shelter once a month, likes anime and drawing. Applicant two also has high grades and decent test scores. This applicant is a double black belt in Taekwondo after taking it consistently for twelve years, assists in teaching taekwondo class to littles on Saturday mornings and mentors and inspires them as a Wednesday volunteer math tutor at the dojo during after school care, is in orchestra as first chair cello and plays in a fun quartet on the side, has taken Latin all four years of HS which was hard, is a member of a local "make it" organization that makes robots that compete in local and regional competitions, applicant's team of four placed second at a recent regional meet. That's applicant two's resume in total. Which applicant gives you a better idea of who they are as a person on first read? Who seems more attached to very specific interests over time that tell a simple story and offers a concrete through line as to what the person is all about? I think it's pretty clear.


What is a double black belt in Taekwondo? Do you mean black belt 2nd Dan? If so, that is not impressive at all after 12 years of practice. DC was black belt 4th Dan Taekwondo after 12 years of practice. Was nationally ranked in another NCAA varsity sport and recruited at a T-10 private. Decided to take a full ride in a T-20 private.


Both of you are missing the point of this thread and no one cares about taekwondo


What's the point?
Applicant A was a generic in-school overachiever. Had they played the ukulele, they might have had a shot?
Anonymous
Post 04/21/2026 14:48     Subject: Overpackaging an applicant
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:Well, think about it. You have two applicants. Applicant A has high grades and scores and was in band, debate team, choir, environmental club, glee club, art club, science club, toastmasters for teens, DECA, basketball, track, Spanish club, yearbook, cross country, volunteered for a local marathon, volunteers at an animal shelter once a month, likes anime and drawing. Applicant two also has high grades and decent test scores. This applicant is a double black belt in Taekwondo after taking it consistently for twelve years, assists in teaching taekwondo class to littles on Saturday mornings and mentors and inspires them as a Wednesday volunteer math tutor at the dojo during after school care, is in orchestra as first chair cello and plays in a fun quartet on the side, has taken Latin all four years of HS which was hard, is a member of a local "make it" organization that makes robots that compete in local and regional competitions, applicant's team of four placed second at a recent regional meet. That's applicant two's resume in total. Which applicant gives you a better idea of who they are as a person on first read? Who seems more attached to very specific interests over time that tell a simple story and offers a concrete through line as to what the person is all about? I think it's pretty clear.


What is a double black belt in Taekwondo? Do you mean black belt 2nd Dan? If so, that is not impressive at all after 12 years of practice. DC was black belt 4th Dan Taekwondo after 12 years of practice. Was nationally ranked in another NCAA varsity sport and recruited at a T-10 private. Decided to take a full ride in a T-20 private.


NP: this is the most DCUM response ever.

“Let me take a clearly made up opinion post, tell them why they’re wrong, and then brag about why my kid is better than the one they invented.”
Anonymous
Post 04/21/2026 14:46     Subject: Overpackaging an applicant
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:Well, think about it. You have two applicants. Applicant A has high grades and scores and was in band, debate team, choir, environmental club, glee club, art club, science club, toastmasters for teens, DECA, basketball, track, Spanish club, yearbook, cross country, volunteered for a local marathon, volunteers at an animal shelter once a month, likes anime and drawing. Applicant two also has high grades and decent test scores. This applicant is a double black belt in Taekwondo after taking it consistently for twelve years, assists in teaching taekwondo class to littles on Saturday mornings and mentors and inspires them as a Wednesday volunteer math tutor at the dojo during after school care, is in orchestra as first chair cello and plays in a fun quartet on the side, has taken Latin all four years of HS which was hard, is a member of a local "make it" organization that makes robots that compete in local and regional competitions, applicant's team of four placed second at a recent regional meet. That's applicant two's resume in total. Which applicant gives you a better idea of who they are as a person on first read? Who seems more attached to very specific interests over time that tell a simple story and offers a concrete through line as to what the person is all about? I think it's pretty clear.


What is a double black belt in Taekwondo? Do you mean black belt 2nd Dan? If so, that is not impressive at all after 12 years of practice. DC was black belt 4th Dan Taekwondo after 12 years of practice. Was nationally ranked in another NCAA varsity sport and recruited at a T-10 private. Decided to take a full ride in a T-20 private.


Both of you are missing the point of this thread and no one cares about taekwondo
Anonymous
Post 04/21/2026 14:43     Subject: Overpackaging an applicant
Anonymous wrote:Well, think about it. You have two applicants. Applicant A has high grades and scores and was in band, debate team, choir, environmental club, glee club, art club, science club, toastmasters for teens, DECA, basketball, track, Spanish club, yearbook, cross country, volunteered for a local marathon, volunteers at an animal shelter once a month, likes anime and drawing. Applicant two also has high grades and decent test scores. This applicant is a double black belt in Taekwondo after taking it consistently for twelve years, assists in teaching taekwondo class to littles on Saturday mornings and mentors and inspires them as a Wednesday volunteer math tutor at the dojo during after school care, is in orchestra as first chair cello and plays in a fun quartet on the side, has taken Latin all four years of HS which was hard, is a member of a local "make it" organization that makes robots that compete in local and regional competitions, applicant's team of four placed second at a recent regional meet. That's applicant two's resume in total. Which applicant gives you a better idea of who they are as a person on first read? Who seems more attached to very specific interests over time that tell a simple story and offers a concrete through line as to what the person is all about? I think it's pretty clear.


What is a double black belt in Taekwondo? Do you mean black belt 2nd Dan? If so, that is not impressive at all after 12 years of practice. DC was black belt 4th Dan Taekwondo after 12 years of practice. Was nationally ranked in another NCAA varsity sport and recruited at a T-10 private. Decided to take a full ride in a T-20 private.
Anonymous
Post 04/21/2026 14:43     Subject: Overpackaging an applicant
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:Hmmmm. Interesting. Are there examples of the "variance"?

Like I know from our HS, there are many poli sci/political activist type students, who I can imagine all blend together (working on campaigns, in govt, wanting to be lawyers, newspaper writers, and mock trial/MUN/debate, etc.).

For a kid like that, just having a summer job mucking horse stalls and volunteering at a barn instead of another Capitol Hill internship might be differentiating.

Or is that the wrong variance?


No, this is a good example.

Assume they all have really high GPAs and SAT scores. They probably all have at least one varsity sport and a leadership position. Then the mucking of horse stalls is a good differentiator.


Yeah, I think anything that breathes life into the application often helps. So much advice just makes the application look like a brand campaign: This why I want to study this specific subject at this specific school and here is the stuff that proves that I will excel at it and add value to the school.

If you don’t have anything in that package that differentiates you from the others with that same package you are unlikely to be selected. You might be better off emphasizing something more off-beat or surprising. But this all depends on the luck of the person reading the application aligning with that view at the moment they read the application.
Anonymous
Post 04/21/2026 13:19     Subject: Overpackaging an applicant
Anonymous wrote:Hmmmm. Interesting. Are there examples of the "variance"?

Like I know from our HS, there are many poli sci/political activist type students, who I can imagine all blend together (working on campaigns, in govt, wanting to be lawyers, newspaper writers, and mock trial/MUN/debate, etc.).

For a kid like that, just having a summer job mucking horse stalls and volunteering at a barn instead of another Capitol Hill internship might be differentiating.

Or is that the wrong variance?


No, this is a good example.

Assume they all have really high GPAs and SAT scores. They probably all have at least one varsity sport and a leadership position. Then the mucking of horse stalls is a good differentiator.
Anonymous
Post 04/21/2026 13:16     Subject: Overpackaging an applicant
Well, think about it. You have two applicants. Applicant A has high grades and scores and was in band, debate team, choir, environmental club, glee club, art club, science club, toastmasters for teens, DECA, basketball, track, Spanish club, yearbook, cross country, volunteered for a local marathon, volunteers at an animal shelter once a month, likes anime and drawing. Applicant two also has high grades and decent test scores. This applicant is a double black belt in Taekwondo after taking it consistently for twelve years, assists in teaching taekwondo class to littles on Saturday mornings and mentors and inspires them as a Wednesday volunteer math tutor at the dojo during after school care, is in orchestra as first chair cello and plays in a fun quartet on the side, has taken Latin all four years of HS which was hard, is a member of a local "make it" organization that makes robots that compete in local and regional competitions, applicant's team of four placed second at a recent regional meet. That's applicant two's resume in total. Which applicant gives you a better idea of who they are as a person on first read? Who seems more attached to very specific interests over time that tell a simple story and offers a concrete through line as to what the person is all about? I think it's pretty clear.
Anonymous
Post 04/21/2026 13:09     Subject: Overpackaging an applicant
There is an overpacked kid to the nth degree at our school. Nobel prize winners are involved. This is a feeder private where consultant curation and nepotism are not uncommon and even then this is an outlier, so everyone is waiting to see if this kid (a junior) will clean up with T10s next year. I’ll report back.
Anonymous
Post 04/21/2026 12:57     Subject: Overpackaging an applicant
Hmmmm. Interesting. Are there examples of the "variance"?

Like I know from our HS, there are many poli sci/political activist type students, who I can imagine all blend together (working on campaigns, in govt, wanting to be lawyers, newspaper writers, and mock trial/MUN/debate, etc.).

For a kid like that, just having a summer job mucking horse stalls and volunteering at a barn instead of another Capitol Hill internship might be differentiating.

Or is that the wrong variance?
Anonymous
Post 04/21/2026 12:47     Subject: Overpackaging an applicant
There is no right answer on this in my opinion. Packaging the applicant so it fits neatly into a specific bucket is a good strategy at schools that see a lot of applications and don’t spend much time on any applicant. At the top level schools, there are some that suggest you want your application to stand out. So you want to inject some variance into the process by having a more unique, less obviously curated profile. But it all depends on your specific set of characteristics and the specific person that reads your application. In other words, curation probably raises your floor, but it could also lower the ceiling depending on the APO who reads the app. But this is all pretty unknowable despite an industry that pushes a specific viewpoint.
Anonymous
Post 04/21/2026 12:32     Subject: Overpackaging an applicant
I know a STEM prof who loves to work with students on research. Reads a lot of resumes, is super smart. Prefers applicants who have only a few clubs or ECs instead of those who joined 50 clubs and activities. Quantity doesn't mean quality. 50 clubs means being a jack of all trades but a master of none, being an inch wide instead of a mile deep. Looks for sticktuitiveness to one activity or area of interest. A few specific interests and activities is much preferred to a long list of 50 clubs or activities. 50 tells them nothing about the person as a person, and only seems to create more questions. What makes this applicant get out of bed in the morning? Who are they, really? It isn't clear.
Anonymous
Post 04/21/2026 12:21     Subject: Overpackaging an applicant
Anonymous wrote:Someone mentioned this in another thread.

What does an overpackaged application look like? Is it someone trying to tie everything together (to a major)?

Would love examples. I always thought you were supposed to try and tie everything together and create a thread, but maybe that looks over packaged?


You will get a lot of different opinions about this, but we have heard from some school admissions offices for schools we toured that they feel like they get the same 10-15 profiles over and over - the business school applicant with a curated set of extracurriculars that neatly tie everything together, the engineering applicant, the English applicant, etc. So there is a feeling among some admissions officers that these applicants don’t feel like real people anymore and they prefer profiles that aren’t as carefully packaged, but seem more “real.” What percentage of the AO”s have this view is anyone’s guess. But there is definite fatigue of everyone doing the same consultant influenced packaged profile.
Anonymous
Post 04/21/2026 12:12     Subject: Overpackaging an applicant
Someone mentioned this in another thread.

What does an overpackaged application look like? Is it someone trying to tie everything together (to a major)?

Would love examples. I always thought you were supposed to try and tie everything together and create a thread, but maybe that looks over packaged?