Is there really such thing as being too "desperate" sounding to a school

[Tippyboat]

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[jm192]

I can't really tell if people are completely serious when they talk about this, saying that if you are too desperate (send them pre-interview updates, LOinterest, tell them you're their only choice, etc.).
I understand that a lot of these things are not USEFUL, but I'm wondering if it could actually hurt you by making you sound too desperate. It will probably not help very much, but on the off chance that it MIGHT help and WON"T hurt, it still sounds like a good thing to do for your top top top choice school.

So can it hurt?

I think if you constantly call the office asking for updates, you can annoy somebody you'd rather not annoy. Don't get me wrong, it's ok, but there is such a thing as over doing it.

 

[gettheleadout]

I can't really tell if people are completely serious when they talk about this, saying that if you are too desperate (send them pre-interview updates, LOinterest, tell them you're their only choice, etc.).

"I'm the only applicant you're getting this year!"

 

[BigRedder]

From what I've heard the rule of thumb is don't contact them more than once per week, and make it substantive. If you have a compelling reason to want to go there, a letter of interest is not desperate. You should certainly call places if they aren't moving your application along...

 

[raginfly]

yes you can over do it
i heard a story of someone not getting accepted bc the person kept bringing gifts and presents to her interviewer... haha that's obviously extreme but ya i wouldn't over do it.

 

[NotAsking4Much]

I think if you constantly call the office asking for updates, you can annoy somebody you'd rather not annoy. Don't get me wrong, it's ok, but there is such a thing as over doing it.

Yes you can easily over do it. You want to show interest, but at the same time, you want to convey you belong and deserve to go there.

A good analogy would be going on dates with someone. You want to illustrate that you and your date had a good time / enjoyed his or her company / want to see each other again (aka interest). What you do not want to do is call way too often, coming off as desperate, creepy, weird, or stalkerish.

 

[Tippyboat]

"I'm the only applicant you're getting this year!"

Haha oops...edited.

 

[235009]

From what I've heard the rule of thumb is don't contact them more than once per week, and make it substantive. If you have a compelling reason to want to go there, a letter of interest is not desperate. You should certainly call places if they aren't moving your application along...

once a WEEK is overdoing it! One update letter (or two if you did really extraordinary things, which you probably won't be doing) is more than enough and then after an interview, other than your thank you notes, you can send a letter of interest and a letter of intent if the school is still ur first choice. anything beyond these three or four contacts is overkill

 

[DocBell]

once a WEEK is overdoing it! One update letter (or two if you did really extraordinary things, which you probably won't be doing) is more than enough and then after an interview, other than your thank you notes, you can send a letter of interest and a letter of intent if the school is still ur first choice. anything beyond these three or four contacts is overkill

Wait we are supposed to write thank you notes after an interview?

 

[235009]

Wait we are supposed to write thank you notes after an interview?

you're not supposed to but it's a nice gesture

 

[Musclemass]

I can't really tell if people are completely serious when they talk about this, saying that if you are too desperate (send them pre-interview updates, LOinterest, tell them they're your only choice, etc.).
I understand that a lot of these things are not USEFUL, but I'm wondering if it could actually hurt you by making you sound too desperate. It will probably not help very much, but on the off chance that it MIGHT help and WON"T hurt, it still sounds like a good thing to do for your top top top choice school.

So can it hurt?

More likely to hurt than help. It's called being ANNOYING.

Your app should have said all that is necessary. If it gets into the fall and you haven't gotten interviews from schools where you are competitive, or you're beyond that and you haven't gotten an acceptance, it's ok to follow up on where you stand or to express your interest. Beyond that, remember the schools are dealing with a large volume of apps. If you're the type of student they are looking for, they will find you. If you're marginal, pestering them will not help your cause.

 

[Tippyboat]

Thanks for the answers so far.

I understand that the TACTICS you guys described can be very annoying, spamming and hassling the admissions office. However, I was wondering about the very nature of being desperate - telling a school too early that they're your top choice. In other words, if done tactfully and in well-worded ways, would any school like you less for liking them too much.

 

[jm192]

Thanks for the answers so far.

I understand that the TACTICS you guys described can be very annoying, spamming and hassling the admissions office. However, I was wondering about the very nature of being desperate - telling a school too early that they're your top choice. In other words, if done tactfully and in well-worded ways, would any school like you less for liking them too much.

No.

But I don't think it's the type of thing that GETS you an interview. It may help if your a defer decision or possibly waitlist. But if they're not sure they want to interview a candidate, it's not going to change it.

 

[drizzt3117]

If a candidate is annoying me I'm sure as HELL not going to give them an interview or acceptance. Just relax ppl.

 

[Astarael]

I never really understood the letter of interest thing. It's not like schools are really 'taking a chance' on an applicant if they aren't sure that person wants to go to their school. Worst case scenario for them is they have to take a couple more (still very qualified) candidates from their alternate list. If you have something interesting to update, that would be a worthwhile letter to send to most schools. That could potentially be a question to ask during your interview day, as well (DON'T ask your interviewer though, just ask someone working in the admissions office how they view further correspondance).

 

[235009]

I never really understood the letter of interest thing. It's not like schools are really 'taking a chance' on an applicant if they aren't sure that person wants to go to their school. Worst case scenario for them is they have to take a couple more (still very qualified) candidates from their alternate list. If you have something interesting to update, that would be a worthwhile letter to send to most schools. That could potentially be a question to ask during your interview day, as well (DON'T ask your interviewer though, just ask someone working in the admissions office how they view further correspondance).

it's probably more of a big deal than you think...accepting someone who doesn't want to go to the school first of all wastes time and might send everyone scrambling late in the game if they withdraw, second % accepted who matriculate is important to these schools and the more people you have to accept to fill your class the lower that percentage is going to be so they're looking for honest interest in their program.

part of what you need to do (especially at the interview) is to convince them that you want to go to THEIR school....especially if you are a qualified candidate with several interviews.

 

[Evergrey]

Yeah one of the factors in rankings (IIRC) is how many of their accepted students end up matriculating. I mean, it's basically a measure of how much people want to go there vs. other schools, right? I disagree with it, but it's still something that matters. Harvard boasts that they have the highest ratio, for instance.

 

[RogueUnicorn]

acceptance rate is 1% of the research rankings