Changing the amount of forum points you need:
This would decrease the amount of applicants and show more dedication, As it is pretty easy to get 25 forum points. Maybe make it 250 trophy points needed. I know this seems like a lot, but almost requires people to get planted into the community. Also making it so you HAVE to be on the forums for at least a month.
If you mention the application publicly:
This makes it easier to narrow down applicants and shows that the person who applied is mature enough to keep something private.
The cool-down
A ton can happen in two months. Changing the time to one month wouldn't change too much in the long run just allowing people to apply 11/12 times a year as apposed to 5/6. People can change very fast.
Thanks for reading this!