<p>My son has been getting mail from various schools since he took his 1st SAT test in 7th grade! He has not been particularly impressed with the tons of stuff he gets & gets a lot of HYP stuff, tho he doubts he'd get in because his grades are not as high as his test scores.
He gets particularly irritated that he keeps getting invitations to "drop by" the campus during the school year, tho it would be a > 3000 mile "visit" & not really a casual "drop by" if we were to do it, interrupting his many AP classes to make the visit. He has seen some schools with us over the summer after his junior year & now. He's also considering visiting a few schools after he's accepted & before we send in the final deposit, but that's it!
We're planning to get rid of his name & identifying info on all the material he doesn't want & donate it to the local library or public HS (his private HS gets TONS of info).</p>
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<blockquote> <p>What is the best way to get OFF a college mailing list? >></p> </blockquote>
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<p>I don't know the answer...but if you find out, could you please let the rest of us know :) DD also has been receiving HUGE amounts of mail in recent weeks. She is getting everything from postcards to applications. In some cases she has heard from the schools, and in others this is brand new "stuff". We are also wondering about how she got on certain mailing lists. For example, she received an application packet from a school we will be visiting (haven't even contacted them yet) but which is definitely a reach for her, we think (Lafayette). Why would schools spend money to send applications to students who are not in their standard group of accepted students? Very odd. And of course, Wash U is STILL sending a ton of mail. They really do win the prize in this household for the most mailings.</p>
<p>I have some colleges that just keep on sending the same old stuff about once a week (if not more). It's annoying especially for schools you would never ever consider.</p>
<p>Calmom - E-mail from a college usually has an unsubscribe option. My son's experience is that unsubscribing from e-mail usually stops the regular mail from that college, too. Unfortunately, some colleges deal only with regular mail, including the one which has sent him <em>three</em> viewbooks so far. He isn't even interested in that college.</p>
<p>Question of the day: How much should you increase your mail person's Christmas tip if you have a high-school junior or senior living in the household?</p>
<p>you tip your mailman? I mean, you're supposed to?</p>
<p>We had the mail flood when D was a junior. I was not surprised to get more mailings next year (when she actually was already at college). But it continued for two more years, and we got the last piece after she got her BS degree! That was scary, because we moved to another state by then...</p>
<p>That's why we decided: the best way to get OFF a college mailing list is to never get ON the list. Both S's checked "do not send mail" (or similar) checkbox on their test booklets, and it worked! Well, sometimes we do get an occational mailing or two (triggered by AP and even AMC tests), but that's it! Their SATs are in 1400+ - 1500+ range, so I think we would get tons of mail if they'd check the "send mail" box. </p>
<p>We have Internet, and libraries, and bookstores, and even collegeconfidential, - we do not need unsolicited info, thank you very much! Well, sometimes I wonder if the kids would have fun getting some freebies in the mail... but nah, it doesn't worth it! :)</p>
<p>My S also checked the Do not send mail and has been blessedly free from college mailings.</p>
<p>My son has been receiving a bunch of larger documents. Most of which have been solicited, some of which were not, i.e. Bucknell, Colby etc. Some of these actually pique the interest of my son but I think he is getting closer to making up his mind on what schools he wants to apply to.</p>
<p>The most interesting is that he received 2 applications from Notre Dame today. In looking at the mailing label the names and addresses are both the same but one has a special zip code field so it probably came from either a cut of the ACT or Collegeboard mailing lists. Interesting that they did not scrub the list for duplicates before sending out the brouchure.</p>
<p>Of course he is wondering if it doubles his chances of getting in. ;-)</p>
<p>And another thing, my older son who is going into his sophomore year in college is still getting some mailings and phone solicitations. He is quite happy where he is but it is interesting that he is still getting contacted.</p>
<p>Apart from the environmental chaos, S doesn't much mind the mail. I don't either. It's fun to browse, and sometimes it really will catch his eye and make him at least look into a school that he hadn't thought of. An example is Hampden-Sydney, which has sent some very quirky stuff. I find them bizarre but definitely memorable. And I guess that's HSC's goal.</p>
<p>What I don't understand is this: Son #1 took the SAT a single time and got a 1500, Spring junior year. Following that test we were deluged with mail from what seemed like hundreds of schools, including top ones like Harvard and Oxford. Son #2 got a 33 on the ACT (comparable, right) and he has gotten nothing --not one letter, he is simply off the map. Could this be because #2 was allowed to use a computer for his essay (dysgraphia) and thus his score did not go in the computer with the bulk of the test takers? Is it a function of the ACT itself?</p>
<p>When the mail isn't "recycled", will sometimes give us a laugh (all the Ivy mailings) or at best, introduce us to a college we hadn't heard of. I think before the internet was so involved in our lives, they had more meaning. Now, it's so easy to find sites and customize your college searches online.</p>
<p>Oh goodness, I'm still getting college mail too... and I'm in already. And leaving home in two weeks. </p>
<p>A few of my better stories: One college sent me three of the same things repeatedly, even though there was NO DIFFERENCE on the mailing label. I checked several times to no avail. It was odd... and it was from a very small state school on the other side of the country.</p>
<p>I had some problems with the two state schools I applied to. One sent me a letter saying I'd be an excellent applicant and should consider applying... after I was accepted. The other is still urging me to apply... after I was accepted and told them "sorry but no thanks." o.O Yeah. I think I'll still be getting "fill out your FAFSA today" forms for years.</p>
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<p>Like what kind of stuff?</p>
<p>I do like college mail for that reason. One of the schools I'm really really interested in would have fallen off my radar if not for them being so dang persistent. I was online one day and I was just like, well it couldn't hurt to see what they're like, and now I love them</p>
<p>Wabash -- I know you're quite interested in HSC. A good school, by the way, and I hope my comment didn't come across as critical. I guess "goofy" would have been a better word than "bizarre". In particular, S got a letter from the Admissions dean or assistant dean that went on and on about the pet cats or dogs that different administrators had. That was pretty much the whole letter. I read that sucker several times looking for something resembling a typical "admissions" message, to no avail. And the most recent letter was on the topic of "why attend an all-male college". That's an important topic for HSC to address, obviously, because it's crucial for HSC to overcome the reluctance of most young men to look at an all-male environment. But the letter was written very casually and pretty much said -- "hey don't worry, you'll still be getting some". I don't mean to be so crass, but that really was the tone that came across in the letter :) I guess they don't feel they can afford to be too subtle about that topic when trying to get the attention of teenage males.</p>
<p>The mail deluge is useful when your child is clueless about where he might want to go, as my son was. In fact, he wasn't very interested in even looking at colleges until the mail started flowing in. The literature sparked his interest in checking out various colleges and he is now working on a (sort-of) final list.</p>
<p>You all might be amused by one of his observations about college literature: "Ninety percent of colleges say they are unique, all in the very same way."</p>
<p>We have the same issue: multiple mailings of the SAME hefty package, brochure or viewbook, with little or no discernable difference on the mailing label. That's why I suspect that merely notifying the admission office that we want to be off the list will probably be ineffective -- it looks like they are working from multiple lists, as I assume that any mailing house would run a duplicates check for any single list it was working with.</p>
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<p>In no way did you come across as crass. I wasn't sure I wanted to attend an all-male school, until I visited and talked with students who quelled my fears. Fruthermore, the letters I got were relaxed in tone. Which is why I got "turned on" to the school.</p>
<p>How seriously is your son considering HSC?</p>
<p>DD has been getting this college mailing stuff since 9th grade....way before she took the PSAT or SAT. We know it all is coming from the same "list" because there is a tiny mistake in our address on EVERY address label. After she took the PSAT it just increased, and after the SAT it came again. There was never a lull in the mail. Now it's coming with applications. She once quipped "I'll apply to the school that gets the address correct". None have (except the ones where she has requested info).</p>