College hopefuls try the creative approach, but gimmicks rarely work

[Mickey is a gyrl]

Article

A Smith College applicant glued words to a Scrabble board trumpeting her attributes. A Tufts University hopeful designed a neon-green flower made of duct tape. And a teenager desperate to get into Harvard sent in a homemade chocolate replica of the school's Veritas shield.

As the competition for spots increases, anxious-to-impress applicants try to see how far they can go beyond the required essay and forms. Admissions offices at Tufts, MIT, Harvard, and other colleges across the country wind up with a shelfful of items each year, ranging from the adorable and clever to the risqué and absurd - think naked photos of an applicant riding a bicycle.

The lengths some students will go to try to get accepted to a top school...