I did a search to see if there had already been a thread on this topic, and didn’t see anything in the first page of results, so here goes…(consider this a distraction from the hype of “Ivy Day” and a possible salve for the stings of W/L and rejections).
What’s the best admission package (the mailing you get when are admitted to a college) you’ve seen so far?
My current favorite is Carnegie Mellon’s. They put a message on the outer envelope to the effect of “Yes, this is the official Fat envelope.” Well played, CMU, well played.
Soka’s first page featured a picture macbook pro and read “the World is waiting for you at Soka, explore with your macbook pro (it’s included in your tuition!)”
I thought it was funny they try to entice me with a Macbook, and it was rather effective with me considering I am in need of a new computer.
My daughter liked American’s acceptance letter because it included specifics from her essay and it seemed very personal - like they knew and liked her.
It wasn’t part of the official acceptance package but Northeastern sent me candy (those little hearts with “choose NU!” printed on them) on Valentine’s day.
Gettysburg’s was nice. It said “CLASS OF 2019” in big letters on the outside, and inside was a little handwritten note from my interviewer. I think everyone gets a note, so that’s really sweet.
In our house, I’d say honorable mention goes to Drexel. Substantial folio and well designed. Don’t want to ruin the surprise for future applicants/admits, but they included a few nice, unexpected elements (including at least one with a social media tie in).
My favorite was University of Rochester’s acceptance letter. They mentioned specific parts of my essays and told me why I was recommended for admission. I don’t know, I guess I just thought it was cool because it provided insight to a part of the application process we don’t really get to see.
In terms of actual package, Case Western’s looked the nicest. I’ve heard good things about Kalamazoo but my parents had already opened it by the time I got home from school.
The best ones were the ones with letters that quoted D’s essay or a handwritten note saying something about her activities. Not the acceptance package, but the candy (which D specified on the application as her favorite) sent by Hendrix was greatly appreciated.
USC’s was classy. Big, impossible to miss gold envelope on the outside and crimson folder on the inside with lots of brochures and info and even an expensive looking, personalized certificate of admission. Best D has received thus far.
Occidental College also included a handwritten card talking about what parts of my application they thought were most exciting or interesting. They also had a current senior studying the major I intend to go into email me so she could share her experiences and answer any questions. Very thoughtful.
Interesting that while I reacted primarily to the form of the acceptance mailings (like how the folder was designed, etc.), many of the contributors so far are reacting more to the content — the personal touches added by some schools.
I got handwritten letters from Franklin and Marshall and Bryn Mawr, but the best was Muhlenberg writing You’re In! on the envelope. Wasn’t a fat letter in the way most colleges send them, but it didn’t need to be with that on the cover.
I love the folders put together by liberal arts schools. Bowdoin’s had a lot of cute stuff like a tiny banner thing. And Colby’s had a handwritten note!
