Remember senior year of high school when you got more mail than ever before in your life? One day’s mail would contain at least one postcard from the armed forces and several letters from colleges — many you didn’t even know existed.

Tens of thousands of students apply to the University of Michigan every year. Of those, only a fraction gain acceptance and end up matriculating at the Ann Arbor campus. But how do those students decide they want to bleed maize and blue? How does the University sell itself to bright high school seniors?

Attracting true Wolverines

When most people think of advertising, they think of mass mailers, widespread e-mails or nationwide television ads. While the University sends recruitment materials to hundreds of thousands of students, according to a former admissions officer, they’re not sending those materials out to just anyone.

Brie Jeweler-Bentz is an education consultant at the School Counseling Group in Washington, D.C. Considering that her job title isn’t exactly self-explanatory, she says you can think of her as a “private guidance counselor.”

Jeweler-Bentz is hired by families with children entering their junior year of high school who need extra help with their college search. She helps her clients throughout the application process, from choosing where to apply to editing their application essays.

Jeweler-Bentz, the self-described “college matchmaker,” said not everyone is a perfect fit for the University of Michigan.

When matching students to the University, Jeweler-Bentz noted that in order for students to stand out among the thousands of applicants, they have to make an effort.

“It’s not a school for an introvert,” Jeweler-Bentz said. “You need to be an initiator.”

Jeweler-Bentz added that though the University does tend to have large classes and an exceptionally large student population — this year 6,300 freshman are enrolled — it is possible to have relationships with professors. You just have to try.

“It’s one of those big schools that feels smaller to me,” Jeweler-Bentz said, reflecting on her time as an undergraduate student here.

In an e-mail interview, Erica Sanders, director of recruitment and operations in the Office of Undergraduate Admissions at the University of Michigan, wrote that prospective students should embody the characteristics of well-rounded individuals.

“Students most interested in the University of Michigan recognize the importance of academic excellence, commitment to service learning and community engagement, interest in the creative arts and school spirit,” Sanders wrote.

Jake Timmis — a senior at Groves High School in Beverly Hills, Mich. and an applicant this year — said he thinks most high school students see Wolverines as students of high academic caliber.

“It’s a really respectable school,” Timmis said. “Anyone that goes to Michigan is thought to be a smart kid.”

Students want Michigan … does Michigan want them?

If the reputation of a Michigan student is so prestigious, does this world-class university — one that is sometimes referred to as the “Harvard of the West” — really need to advertise to attract students?

Timmis said he thinks advertising is unnecessary and that student recruitment played no role in his decision to apply to the University. He added that he’s never been to a college fair, nor has he attended an official campus visit.

Considering the already overwhelming demand for the University and increase in applicants after the University switched to the Common Application last fall, Timmis said he doesn’t believe there’s a need for the University to reach out and recruit students.

However, Jeweler-Bentz said the University does desire students, just as students desire the University.

“Michigan wants to attract high-quality students,” Jeweler-Bentz said.