Faced with the daunting task of standing out in a crowd of nearly 20,000 Harvard College applicants, some students each year resort to gimmicks—a dozen roses sent along with their application, for example—to win over admissions officials.

Over the years, the admissions office has collected “a colorful set of items” from applicants, says Dean of Admissions and Financial Aid William R. Fitzsimmons ’67—including various desserts, a size 17 athletic shoe and a photo of one applicant’s bedroom wall, painted crimson to show school spirit.

This year’s round of admissions, which concluded last week and saw a record 19,605 applicants, brought in equally memorable items, some verging on the ridiculous.

According to Fitzsimmons, there are now guide books that instruct students on how to get noticed in the application process, which is often viewed as impersonal.

But these instruction manuals often inspire students to go over the top to catch the attention of the Harvard admissions committee, Fitzsimmons says.

“Maybe people think we don’t read the folders,” Fitzsimmons says.

Some familar with the admissions process attribute the gimmicks to media attention paid to applicants who employ such marketing strategies to catch the eye of the admissions office.

“Whenever someone does a crazy stunt, it gets press [coverage],” says Connie Cooper, founder of College Foundation Planners, Inc., a college counseling service based in California. “But these games don’t work.”

According to Cooper, reputable college counseling services are not likely to advise applicants to resort to such tactics.

Nevertheless, some applicants still feel compelled to mount a campaign to win the admission committee’s vote.

One Harvard applicant sent dozens of gift pencils, each with a picture of the applicant and an inscription that read, “Admit [applicant’s name].”

Several candidates have printed their own versions of Time, selecting themselves as Man or Woman of the Year and including articles detailing their achievements and contributions.

Some applicants try to sweeten the deal with desserts—fruit cake, carrot cake and chocolate chip cookies—some of which are gratefully consumed by the admissions staff while reviewing applications.

The admissions office has also received Harvard insignia clothing as well as various edible Harvard Veritas shields.

One year, an applicant from Hawaii sent a coconut, perhaps to serve “less as a snack than as a reminder of where the applicant was from,” Fitzsimmons says.