<p>I wonder if this is a good sign. One of the allums from Lafayette College called me at my house last night and I had a conversation with me. Is that a good sign for me?</p>
<p>It probably isn't a sign. I went out to Lafayette's alumni site just because I found it odd that an alum called you without trying to set up an interview. This is from the alumni reference manual:</p>
<p>"AARs are organized geographically, by high school. As students apply to Lafayette, they are referred to the alumnus assigned to their particular high school. The AAR is then asked to call the student to set up an alumni get-acquainted contact. Although a face-to-face meeting is preferable, because of scheduling difficulties it may become necessary for alumni to conduct a conversation over the telephone. Also, in rare instances where an alumnus has responsibility for a school from which Lafayette has a large number of applicants, a group information session may be conducted. Another option is to contact another AAR in your area who may have fewer referrals and who might be willing to assist you. Within several days of processing the application, the AAR will receive a contact form from the admissions office. You should try to call the student as quickly as possible to set up a time to meet. Often busy schedules preclude a meeting from taking place immediately, and before long a week or two may easily elapse before a meeting can be arranged. As mentioned before, when scheduling becomes particularly difficult, a phone conversation may be done in lieu of a face-to-face meeting. If a student is adamant about not having a meeting, do not force the issue. Simply point out the benefits of having an additional contact with someone associated with the college, but if the student is still not receptive, please note this on the form and return it to our office. Since we do keep records of completed contacts for the purpose of volunteer recognition, it is important that you document the nature of your contact and submit the forms for our records. If possible, meet with the student and submit your report within two weeks. When submitting your report, consider the students enthusiasm, clarity of goals, interest, and preferences that match what Lafayette has to offer. ".</p>
<p>as dufus3709 points out, in the case of Lafayette it's not a sign.</p>
<p>More generally its just part of how college admissions operates, a part that is largely unknown by the applicants. Everyone "knows" how competitive college admissions is, but the truth is that just applies to about 75 or so colleges in the entire country. The rest of the colleges admit many of their applicants, often the majority. Lafayette, for example, admits more than 1/3.</p>
<p>Outside of the most competitive schools, you're going to get lots of acceptances and have plenty of options. Even if you don't realize this yet, the colleges do. Hence they have "outreach" efforts to increase their yield, to make you choose them over one of their competitors. </p>
<p>You can expect to get phone calls from most of the schools you applied to you. Alum calls are just a start; as spring heats up expect to get calls from actual students on campus letting you know the college has your app and wondering if you might have any questions they could answer. There will also be invitations to meetings in your area, to visit campus, etc. But its not a sign; they funnel everyone into the program and contact 'em all.</p>
<p>Last year, my son asked to be sent an application from Ohio Welesyan, but he reconsidered and never mailed it in. He got all kinds of mailings from them, and one night somebody called him to talk about the college. There wasn't anything special about him in terms of college admissions, not even an URM.</p>
<p>I'm not making reference to Lafayette or Ohio Welesyan when I say this, but the funnel effect means that the competition at the top 1-15 colleges is completely insane and then it is very competitive for the next 50-100 colleges. After that, some of the colleges are scrambling to get people.</p>