<p>what would truly be depressing would be a student who has had baylor as his dream school all his life go there, and find himself surrounded by classmates disappointed they had not gone to their top choice(s). </p>
<p>smart move by baylor imo.</p>
<p>What's shocking on this thread is not what Baylor is doing, but the naivete of some of the posts. Like it or not, accept it or not, it is a stone cold fact that political calculations (and money) have an influence in life, sometimes in a big way. Working parents out there see this everyday in their jobs in the real world. Why is this practice such a surprise? If you were in Baylor's shoes (or in the shoes of countless other admissions offices who face very difficult choices among applicants and who need to protect the needs of the institution), you would probably do the same thing. You can wish all you want for some kind of utopian selection process for college (or for life) that sees everything as organized to help everyone reach their full potential and is 100% based on meritocratic principles. But the real world and the college selection process just does not work like this.</p>
<p>is only baylor doing this?</p>
<p>I wonder if Baylor uses this information in setting prices (also known as awarding financial aid).</p>
<p>If they figure that somebody is super-interested in Baylor, they can set a higher price.</p>
<p>I wouldn't be the least bit surprised if Baylor engaged in this practice.</p>
<p>Even if it's used only in the admissions process, it seems a little self-defeating once word gets out that they're doing it.</p>
<p>If they are just doing it to determine what advertising materials get sent out, I don't see any problem. But why not just put the materials on a web site and/or send it out by e-mail? That's very inexpensive and I think most 16-year-olds today would be fine with that. Or even prefer it.</p>