As many applicants are burning the midnight oil to put the finishing touches on their applications, we wanted to offer some words of advice about an often overlooked element of one’s file that is often overlooked: the data forms themselves. Most candidates leave the forms for the last minute or rush to fill out online applications from work on Deadline Day, but the truth is that a weak effort on these forms can do serious harm to your candidacy. This being the case, here are a few tips for those who are in the midst of completing this component of the application:

1) Follow instructions. If the schools asks you to list activities in chronological order, then do not list them in order of importance to you (as you may have done for another school). If the school asks for a contact person, title or the number of hours/week, do not leave these fields blank. Attention to detail is very important; a reality that makes spell checking another important step in this process.

2) Make things clear. The last thing you want is for your reader to have to play detective in determining your career progression (like making sense of gaps in employment) or undergraduate career. Admissions officers are busy people and they don’t have time to connect the dots on your background. If your listings are not clear, the reader may assume you are hiding something – a conclusion that could seriously damage your chances. By the same token, you should avoid using jargon and be sure that all of your statements will make sense to a reader who is not familiar with your industry or function. Given the level of competition in the applicant pool, the admissions office can afford to avoid files that seem a bit confusing or difficult to follow.

3) Don’t be lazy. Since it’s likely that you’ll be ‘burned out’ from your essays, the temptation will be to zip through the application forms and provide a bare minimum of information. While it’s fine to use your resume as a starting point, make sure that you think beyond this ready-made content and consider other information that might be of interest. In many cases, the forms are a great opportunity for you to list outside activities in depth, offer a quick explanation for a bad grade, share the significance of some professional awards you’ve received, and so on. In fact, your application forms will often be the starting point for the admissions officer’s review of your file. Put your best foot forward.

4) Don’t go overboard. Admissions officers typically review several files in a sitting – devoting much less time than you might imagine to each file. With this in mind, try to avoid listing 18 activities, 22 awards and 17 publications – especially if some of those items date back to high school (or are more than 10 years old). Stay focused on the elements of your background that are most relevant. Also, when asked for a short-answer, do not draft an essay. If your admissions file is twice as thick as the rest, it will not necessarily be twice as good. Remember that the application process is an exercise in marketing, and that the schools appreciate an applicant who is discerning about what details to share and who knows how to present him or herself most effectively.

As always, best of luck to those of you who are applying!