<p>I got a very unexpected and nice letter today from the Stanford Mathematics Department:</p>
<p>"I am writing on behalf of the Mathematics faculty at Stanford University to tell you that we are very aware of your significant achievements and talent, especially in mathematics, and we regard you as one of our top prospects for serious undergraduate study in mathematics. We are pleased that you have received an offer of admission to Stanford's Class of 2013, and we very much hope that you will accept this and join our Freshman class this fall.</p>
<p>....[math info]....</p>
<p>If you do decide to attend Stanford -- and we hope you do -- please come by early in the year to make yourself known to me and to others in the Mathematics Department. Both our undergraduate director, Professor Brian White, and I would be happy to meet you to chat about your plans. </p>
<p>....[email of mathematics department chair, etc.]..." </p>
<p>And it was hand-signed no less. 0.0 I am, needless to say, quite flattered. I wrote about math in my intellectual vitality essay, but I had no idea that I was that appealing. I would think IMO medalists would be recruited, not me by any means.</p>
<p>Did anyone else get this letter, or a similar one from another department? I know Stanford wants to maximize yield, so I can imagine everyone getting such a letter. They didn't even have a place to put your major, so frankly I'm quite surprised.</p>
<p>Probably a USAMO index of ~190. And I’ve done a lot of math work with younger kids. And I went to a math camp. But given the number of USAMO qualifiers, IMO winners, etc. that get admitted to and go to Stanford, I’m quite shocked at this. That’s why I was wondering whether it was yield protection or something more serious.</p>
<p>Letter is both genuine and it is designed to increase yield. Almost all of the faculty whose e-mails are on your letter would be very happy to talk with you about their research, being an undergraduate at Stanford, and anything else you might like to ask them about.</p>
<p>The opportunity to do this kind of marketing is likely one of the reasons Stanford has decided to stay in the EA game. It gives them time to make applicants feel special. It’s not necessarily a bad thing.</p>
<p>Thanks. I assumed it was some combination of yield increase/getting people who may actually be good candidates into programs (or interested in them) early. I just wasn’t sure what the actual motive was, given all of the yield protection most schools are practicing now…</p>
<p>This puts you at about top 400 of your class (on math) in the nation. Considering splitting those 400 among HYPSM. Why do you think the math department does not want you?</p>
<p>0.0 Sorry, I got hit by a wall of perception just now. My area/school is very strong in math, with many USAMO qualifiers, but it just didn’t register that they were spread over all grades (and most were not in mine). Okay, thank you…</p>
<p>I got one last year (but deferred) - anyway, there was a thread last year on Math Dept letters, and no thread regarding any other department. Like Sly Si suggested, they seem more proactive on the matter, and I wonder if it has anything to do with the Putnam.
[Full disclosure: I wrote about math for about a third of the application. IMO Medalist, but only after being accepted.]</p>
<p>Hey, this is really cool. I never knew they did stuff like this. Maybe a new thing, but I approve!! It’s like recruitment by departments, rather than merely for sports…both kinds of recruitment, for outstanding candidates, seem a good idea. Congrats.</p>
<p>Thanks. I got 118.5 on the AMC today with no prep, which is my PR. We’ll see how the B goes. Anyway, thanks GN; I guess Stanford math really likes getting students…</p>