Idiot's Guide to Sorting.: elite

ariesathena in elite_hogwarts

Idiot's Guide to Sorting.

Sep 18, 2006 00:28

a guide to applying at hogwarts elite;
Before you start:

The first thing you need to do is read the rules very carefully. Any application that does not comply with the rules will be rejected.
Next, you need to join the community, sorting_elite. Do NOT join Hogwarts_elite or any of its subsidiaries other than sorting_elite
Read through past applications and their votes to get a sense of what we are looking for in prospective applicants. Consider what points have proven problematic for past applicants but do not base your answers on the responses of other applicants.
Make certain your journal is at least one month old. (You can determine this by going to your user info and clicking on "more details" to see what date your journal was created.) If you have another journal that you've used for a long time, you may submit an application with your new journal, provided that you include a link to your old one in your application.
Remember to BOLD each question and put your application behind an LJ-cut.

There are no minimum or maximum word requirements for your answers. However, we ask that you assume each question is followed by "Why?" and elaborate on your answers as best as you can. The more information you give us, the easier it will be for us to sort you. This does not mean you have to write a novel and repeating yourself over and over again to bulk up the length of your application. Just tell us as much as you can about yourself in as many or as few number of words as that takes.
We want your answers to the first section to have a strong basis in canon. Use the Harry Potter Lexicon to check your facts if you are uncertain of a particular detail. Or, there is always the books themselves of course.
That being said, there are a few common pitfalls regarding answer length:
- The first five questions are designed not only to get a sense of your personality through your choices and the reasons behind those choices, but also to ensure that you have an appropriate knowledge of canon for membership to the community. Excessively short answers to these questions may give the impression that you are not knowledgeable enough of canon. Also, we are not asking you to summarize the plot of your favorite book or describe the history of your favorite characters. References to specific events in support of your reasoning are good. Needless summaries are not.
- One word answers are not appropriate for any questions save your name, age and referral. No, you do not have to elaborate on those three questions.
- When we ask you to list your positive and negative traits, we are looking for more than just a list of five adjectives. Give us reasons for why you consider these to be your best and worst characteristics and/or examples to demonstrate how they apply to you.
One of the common complaints you will see is that an applicant will be accused of "pushing" for a particular house. This means we felt your application was specifically geared to gain you admission to one house or another. Signs that may give this impression include: an applicant who rules out all but one of the houses through his or her answers to questions 6 and 7 or an application that is so one sided, only traits of one house are present at all. For example, if you use question 6 to argue how you do not have any traits of two of the houses and then rule out a third house in question 7, you will undoubtedly be accused of pushing. Likewise, your descriptions of your characteristics for each house should be as balanced as possible. Writing an essay on how you belong in Gryffindor, with one line responses for each of the other three houses is not appreciated.
If English is not your first language, we have found it helpful to put a note to that effect on the top of your application. It is not required, but the members will give you a little more leeway with grammatical errors.
We have no tolerance for fangirls. Bear this in mind when describing your favorite character. We are looking for solid reasons, supported by canon, not gushing about how a character, or even worse, the actor who plays him or her in the films, is hot.
We ask that you take this application with a degree of seriousness. Yes, this is an online Harry Potter community and we appreciate people who have a sense of humor. However, if the entirety of your application is just one joke after another, it becomes quite difficult to get a good sense of your personality.
Likewise, make certain you are actually answering the questions, not simply talking your way around them or providing us with off-topic discussion.
Do not bash any of the houses in your answers. This is a particularly common pitfall on questions 5, 6 and 7. Again, justify your answers with canon. To declare that all Hufflepuffs are stupid or all Slytherins kick puppies has no basis in canon and will send you quickly on the way to squibdom.
We do not encourage the use of graphics in your application. While it is not forbidden, it is not looked upon particularly favorably by the members who will generally see it as an attempt to provide style over substance.
Finally, make certain that you proofread your application and run spellcheck. We do not like reading applications that are riddled with errors. Also watch out for misspellings on canon names. When in doubt, check the Lexicon.

Submitting your application:

You should have already joined the sorting_elite community so now, it's time to submit your application. Go to the Sorting Elite User Info and click the pencil graphic in the user info to post your application. Before you hit submit, double check to make certain that your questions are in bold, your application is behind an LJ-cut and your application is in compliance with the rules. You should also give it another quick proofreading.
Do not use a font other than the default font. Tiny fonts are exceedingly difficult to read and large fonts give the impression that you are trying to make your application appear longer than it is. Preview your application before posting it and make certain that the formatting is all correct and easy to read. Put a line break/hard return in between the end of each of your answers and the next question for ease of reading.
Be patient. Your application will go into the queue and will be posted in the order that it is received. We post only 15 applications a week so sometimes you may have to wait a week or two before your application is posted for voting. Do NOT ask the Headmaster or the Sorting Caretaker when your application will be posted unless you notice that the dates on the applications currently being posted are at least a week after the date you submitted your application.
If you realize that you made a mistake on your application, you may go to this post to ask to have your application deleted from the queue so you may resubmit. Be patient, as it may take a couple of days to have your application deleted. If you realize that you just forgot the LJ-cut, bolding or subject line, your application will be automatically deleted and you do not have to make the request.

Being Sorted:

Prepare for a lot of comments. Most applications receive around 150 votes before they are officially stamped into the community.
You are allowed to respond to the votes, however we encourage you to bear in mind that your responses will be taken into account by some of the members when they are making their decision on where to sort you. Hostile responses and arguing with members during your sorting will not endear you to the community and will likely earn you a squibbing. Likewise, replying to votes with the house you wish to be in will be considered pushing for that particular house. When replying to comments, err on the side of caution. Responding to questions or politely clearing up misconceptions is one thing, arguing is another.
You are NOT allowed to respond to the votes on an application other than your own. If you are sorted into the community you will have ample opportunity for discussion with the members, but we consider it very rude to butt in on another member's sorting while you are still being sorted.
If you have a problem with one of the members and feel that they are being particularly cruel in their votes, bring it to the attention of the Sorting Caretaker, or one of the Sorting Minions. Let them handle the matter, although bear in mind that they may judge the vote to be appropriate based on our sorting guidelines.
Do not delete your application once it has been posted. Not only is it foolish considering the sheer number of votes you will receive before you are officially stamped, but we keep records of all of the applications posted and it will not do you any good.
Do not edit the content of your application once it has been posted. You may make technical corrections, which include fixing any formatting issues or grammatical errors, but only within the first 24 hours after your application has been posted. Adding an addendum to your application is considered editing the content and is forbidden.
There are times where the Headmaster may veto the majority of the community and sort you into a different house. Do NOT ask the Headmaster to do this for you. It is an extremely rare occurrence and done only in cases where the voting is particularly close between two houses.

very important!