As the days turned to weeks, I knew I really wanted to go to Binghamton. My friends labeled it an obsession, and my counselor advised that I find another way to occupy my time while I waited for a decision. As I continued to research Binghamton University, I realized I had a very slim chance (at best) of being admitted. They claimed to have received 50% more applications this year compared to last year, and last year the acceptance rate was a meager 37%. Compound this with the fact that Binghamton expects that more freshman who are admitted will enroll this year compared to last year (due to the economic disaster our country faces), and you can easily see that 37% figure being drastically reduced. It was at this point I decided something had to happen to give me an “edge” over other applicants. Something that would make the admissions committee at Binghamton think twice about denying me a spot. Something like.. a brochure?

I realized that my application alone wouldn’t be enough to get me into a selective school like Binghamton. Sure, my SAT scores are fairly good (1300/1600; 1950/2400), but they are just barely above average for a Binghamton student. In addition to a good SAT score, I also had: 2 teacher recommendations, a counselor recommendation, a personal statement and various extracurricular activities. A very large portion of my extracurriculars are best viewed in a browser, but upon contacting the Binghamton admissions office, I learned they did not view websites while making decisions. It was suggested that I send them a faxed copy of my websites so they could have a tangible copy to review. Unfortunately, I did not learn of this until January 5. I decided it would be a GREAT idea to send them a “brochure” about myself, in addition to the paper copies of my websites. There was just one major problem: the deadline for all supplemental materials was December 1. When I realized this, I quickly contacted my local admissions counselor at Binghamton, who assured me it would be OK to send them something under the assumption they receive it immediately. Upon hanging up the phone, I rushed to Staples and bought brochure paper, glossy paper and a nice envelope to put it all in. The total was $70 on supplies, since brochure/glossy paper only comes in packages of 150 and above. I was up until 3AM working on the supplemental packet I planned to send. It included a three-page brochure entitled “MARK ZAKARIYA: Why Should Binghamton University Choose Him?”, approximately 10 high-gloss pages featuring screenshots of websites I’ve made (with descriptions of them on the back) and a brief letter thanking them for reviewing my application. The next day, I sent the entire package via USPS Express Mail Overnight in an envelope clearly marked to the attention of my local counselor. On January 7, I received an email stating that she found the packet “very interesting”, and that I “must have spent a lot of time on it.” She reminded me to expect an admissions decision “soon!”

I’m happy to say that all my perseverance paid off, because on Thursday, January 15, I received this in the mail:

I sent the $350 deposit the day I received the acceptance letter. I can’t wait until high school finally ends, and a new chapter at Binghamton University begins!

Of course, it wasn’t just my packet (or even my entire application) which helped earn my an acceptance letter. I also have these people to thank:

• Mr. Justin Fox, my programming teacher for his recommendation on my behalf
• Mr. Rafael Uziel, my physics and electronics teacher for his recommendation on my behalf
• Mr. Aaron Kind, my counselor who wrote a recommendation on my behalf and helped guide me on the road to college
• Mr. Jerry Eng, COSA of Bronx Science who gave me various suggestions on college majors and the brochure
• Ms. Sara Delmar, the regional admissions counselor at Binghamton for NYC & Long Island- she read my packet and answered all my questions
• Ms. Nicole Johnson, an admissions counselor from Binghamton who encouraged me to apply despite the far-below-average GPA
• My family and friends for supporting me and encouraging me to apply regardless of my GPA

Oh, by the way, I received acceptance letters from St. John’s University ($13,000 scholarship) and Stony Brook University the very next day; this made absolutely no impact on my choice of Binghamton.

If you’re reading this, you must be an admissions counselor at Binghamton University! Welcome! Unfortunately, my blog was wiped clean due to an error beyond my control. However, here is a brief sample of content that was posted there:

1. In-depth technology reviews: iPhone, Windows Vista, Sandisk Cruzer Titanium Flash Drive, and (mt) Media Temple Hosting
2. Personal comments on: my war against the flu, an ear infection, and my thoughts on a customer service experience
3. Paid content: a few posts were advertisements in which I reviewed their site and posted it on my blog in exchange for a fee
4. Experiences at The Bronx High School of Science
5. Possible career choice: Hospital Administrator

I sincerely thank you for reading this, and I hope you enjoyed reading my supplementary application materials as I did creating them!

Note: A text-only archive of the content of my previous blog can be found here.

For students, high school often ends up being a time where they try desperately to impress colleges, rather than a period to explore various interests as well as enjoying youth. Many overload themselves with Advanced Placement courses, volunteer for a plethora after-school opportunities, and essentially stress themselves to the point where they are unable to keep all their commitments or perform as well as they could be as an individual. Lack of sleep and irritability are common.

For college admissions officers, it can often be a repetitive process in which hundreds (if not thousands) of nearly-identical applications are submitted. Although each student is his own “set of numbers”, there is not much else to distinguish one from another, save for the essay. Unfortunately, many people choose to write about how great a person they are, how they help numerous charities, or how they once saved a baby girl from a burning building at two in the morning. In my personal experience with dealing with repetitive tasks, it is often best to streamline the process in order to finish it faster. I see no reason as to why a college admissions officer wouldn’t do the same- if an essay appears to be exactly same as the previous within the first several sentences, it is doubtful the rest of it will be read.

Am I just another number?

The above is merely a rough draft (written in approximately 10 minutes) of a college essay assignment for my senior English class. Any comments? Post below.

My primary focus will be on something a lot of blogs lack: content. Who cares about how shiny a blog is, if there is nothing interesting to read?