<p>I don’t believe in biting off ones nose to spite ones face, so I don’t throw out anything, and we don’t take into account any admissions office antics. We try to look at the schools objectively. That is one dept one does NOT have dealings with once at the schools anyways.</p>
<p>I remember getting (in pre-widespread email days) tons of postcards and brochures from low-ranked schools, stating that I’d be invited to apply. My parents actually fell for some of them and told me that I should be ashamed for not applying, since the schools went to the effort to contact me! I didn’t bother applying.</p>
<p>I don’t remember all this much angst over the mail. Most of it was schools that they knew they wouldn’t be interested in anyway, so it went into the recycle with other mail. But I don’t begrudge the schools for sending it. I don’t know, how else are schools supposed to make their names known? Just hope that people pick it up by osmosis? It doesn’t work that way. It’s a big country; if a college wants to expand its geographic reach I don’t see one thing wrong with sending brochures to kids based on zip code or SAT scores or whatever. CPT did generously share with me a recent example received by CPTSON - which I appreciate – but it still felt to me no different from a standard form letter inviting me to apply for a “special” credit card or test-drive the latest Lexus. </p>
<p>I never thought of the college admissions process as “abusive” - that word gets thrown around so easily these days. </p>
<p>Getting all that mail was amusing - who doesn’t like pulling a stack of mail out of the mailbox - and better than a stack of bills 
And my son learned about schools we had never heard of, and had no interest in (especially after running the NPC.) Some schools obviously have huge marketing budgets, including Macalester (never heard of before), Cornell, Case Western, Drexel. I think my son received something from each of those schools every month for over a year. Perhaps some of those schools would do better to work towards lowering tuition.</p>
<p>Abusive is a strong word. But it is certainly cynical.</p>
<p>I thought the letter was far more “come hither” than what we’d gotten from our older kids. Most of the letters and brochures were quite generic, but this year, the invitations to apply, specific interview requests and the such just seem to be much more targeted. </p>
<p>Based on this discussion, I decided to actually open the college mail this morning. And I see a pattern emerging. </p>
<p>No big brochures today, just three nondescript business envelopes (one apparently addressed by some poor work-study student by hand). Three separate colleges—one an OOS flagship, one a small local LAC, and one a more prestigious university that D has visited—all alerting us to the exciting special application offer that D should expect to come in the next few weeks. All waived application fees. All mentioned her major of interest. The OOS flagship indicated that the special offer would include automatic application into the honors college. The more prestigious college had a handwritten postscript asking D to arrange for an interview and instructions about how to do that. But, basically, they all had the same approach. (And, my guess is they all came off the same purchased list because of the area of interest mentioned.)</p>
<p>I’m thinking that if I looked into recent programs at marketing-of-higher-education conferences, this “special application” tactic would be among those featured in some workshop or speaker session. </p>
<p>And, I can see where it would be effective with some potential applicants. </p>
<p>On a similar subject, although I am a junior, class of 2015, I’ve been getting email from an OOS Public that says I’ve already been accepted and to do a few more things before August.</p>
<p>After my experience the last two years, I’ve decided that American colleges and universities are single-handedly keeping the U.S. Postal Service in business. So I suppose someone appreciates all this (junk) mail being sent!</p>
<p>Last year I ran into the dad of one of one of my son’s cohort at the grocery store. We exchanged the usual, “How’s kid A? How’s kid B?” pleasantries. He told me that Kid B is just doing great and he’s already being recruited by colleges because of his GPA. <em>insert facepalm, eyeroll and head shake</em> I have known kid B since kindergarten and he is a strong middle of the road student who does pretty well but isn’t lighting the world on fire (except in comparison to his older brother). All I could muster was a “How nice for him.” I didn’t have the heart to tell him about the little box they check on the PSAT. My kid B got mail from Stanford and Vanderbilt which tells me that their targeting isn’t very precise :)) </p>
<p>What annoys me are the phone calls. No, I’m not going to get my daughter and put her on the phone so you can convince her to apply to your college. We never answer telemarketer calls, and after a few calls from kids whom I’m sure are hapless work-study students (I do feel sorry for them), we started letting those go to voicemail as well. If D1 decides to apply to one of those schools, she’ll do it because she researched the school and decided it was a good fit, not because you called us at home on a Sunday morning.</p>
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<p>Hey, if they start sending 20% off coupons that don’t expire, then I might become more interested. </p>
<p>You win the internet.</p>
<p>One of my friends thought that Case Western was being particularly kind to him by charging no application fee, and thus he applied, visited and expended other resources only to find out that Case didn’t have an application fee and the wording of their messages to him were borderline lies.</p>
<p>Most advertising is borderline lies, though. And, BB & B always has 20-percent off coupons because the regular price is 20-percent higher to account for the discount. Maybe, this is part of growing up. </p>
<p>I had a friend who was sure his student was being treated as “special” because she was offered a chance to sit in on a class when visiting CalTech. i assume it was just normal “which of these available visit options do you want to do” sorts of questions when he called to set up the visit. i didn’t have the heart to tell him it didn’t mean a thing for her chances. She didn’t get in…</p>
<p>Not a marketing thing so much (so a little off topic for this thread), but another example of how people can misinterpret standard communications or admissions practices as a sign of increased odds of admission. </p>
<p>My 3 kids enjoyed the mailings. Certainly some we’re somewhat frivolous but they did expose them to schools they had not thought about or encountered and it also helped us as parents to consider some different options. </p>
<p>Well, I recently got emails and letters from two universities saying that I am a prioritized applicant for next admissions season. I had the application fee waived, a quick admission decision guaranteed, and I don’t have to write an essay for either school. I called both schools to make sure - those offers WERE legitimate. However, if a school sends you that type of mail without either of these three benefits, then it’s just pure marketing spam.</p>
<p>But that’s the thing—there’s no qualitative difference between that kind of “legitimate” offer and what you characterize as being pure marketing “spam.” </p>
<p>I think both parents and students need to keep in mind that basically everything they’re going to receive from colleges in the next six months or so are marketing materials. Just like the “you’ve been pre-approved for xyz credit card” and “you have been entered into a sweepstakes and could win a million dollars.” These materials are designed to capture the attention of consumers in a targeted category and encourage them to take a specific action. They are not personal. The benefits offered may be relevant to you and might be something you want to take advantage of. That’s what marketing is. </p>
<p>But the vast majority of students who receive this kind of mailing from an elite university are not being selectively recruited or promised anything that is not being offered to literally thousands of similar applicants, most of whom will be rejected if they do ultimately take the school up on their offer. </p>
<p>Checking that box after taking a Pre-ACT or SAT session was literally one of the worst decisions I made in my life. If you don’t want these emails, the best way is prevention: DO NOT CHECK THAT BOX OR ELSE YOU’LL SUFFER FOR THE NEXT TWO AND A HALF YEARS!</p>