College admissions is personal. An admissions officer who’s assigned to your geographic territory, who reads your essays and letters of rec and the summary from your interviewer–they get to know the student behind the grades and test scores. To the degree you’ve shared, they know about your life, your circumstances, your challenges, and your dreams. And when the information is compelling enough to merit a recommendation for admission, they are personally invested, ready to go to the committee and plead their case (MIT describes this personal investment powerfully in this past blog entry).
So how do you think they take it if they find out you’ve misrepresented yourself in your application? UVA sums that feeling up with yesterday’s Tweet:
When they work to make it personal, they take the outcome personally. Make sure you’re on the right side of that personal investment.