<p>some schools put in an extra effort to make the package look nice with several brochures and information packets, might as well take a GLANCE at them, at least .. .</p>
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Yeah I must've gotten at least 10 letters from WashU this year.
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Only 10? Just wait... WUSTL is notorious for their mailings, and you'll literally end up with pounds of stuff from them.</p>
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Do letters actually mean something, like you just might have a chance
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This is one of the unsavory parts of college admission. Mail is flattering but don't overestimate it as an indicator of any college's interest. They simply buy lists of who take College Board tests and send out mass-mailings as a marketing tool. It doesn't mean they've taken a personal interest. Kids are often surprised/delighted when they get such mail (eg. "Harvard wrote me a letter!") and take it as a sign they're being recruited, but its simply a sales tool and means no more than getting a credit-card application in the mail.</p>
<p>The colleges (or, more often, the marketing company they've hired) couch the mail in terms that come as close as possible to implying you're a shoo-in or that you're being recruited, without actually saying so. Expect letters saying things like "X is looking for students like you" or "we are impressed with your accomplishments so far and know you'll do great things at X". These letters lead to so much disappointment because kids take them at face value and do exactly what the colleges want -- send in an app with high hopes.</p>
<p>And the criteria they can search on is pretty broad. On the CollegeBoard site <a href="http://www.collegeboard.com/highered/ra/eps.html%5B/url%5D">http://www.collegeboard.com/highered/ra/eps.html</a> it says "You now have access to more data on College-Bound Seniors, including academic interest, religion or "best" language, ethnicity, gender, academic performance, and average household income, ... "</p>
<p>aww. . see they give you so much hope because they personalize it and everything, and give you PIN numbers so you have "special access" .. all that jazz ..</p>
<p>Eh, that's basically what I wanted to know. I wasn't really getting my hopes up, or anything, but I'll still try to put together a decent list.</p>
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I also got one from Yale. Then I decided that I have about as much chance as most people, low.
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<p>yes--i know the feeling! when i was in 10th and 11th grade and still VERY naive about the admissions game, i would get all these (unsolicited) shiny books from yale, harvard, upenn, etc. i guess it was because i got a 214 on my psat--i felt pretty good about myself, getting all these letters. then, when i really did my research, i realized that my other stats and ecs were NO WAY going to get me into these schools. now older and wiser, i'm hoping that i can scrape into notre dame or georgetown. </p>
<p>of coure, that's not to discourage you, murasaki. if you really want to go to one of these places that sends you the letters/emails/300-page novels, go for it and apply! if you're qualified, you have a good chance. just keep in mind that they blanket everyone they can, within a certain range. </p>
<p>it's a bit cruel, actually--all these ivy league schools showing interest to so many people, many of whom they will probably drop like a hot potato when they apply. :(</p>
<p>ok, sorry, i went on and on when you'd already found out what you wanted to know--but i just had to vent about the injustice.</p>
<p>They want to make as much off application fees as possible.</p>
<p>I bet there's this, too:</p>
<p>They want to get as many applicants with some sort of qual (eg: PSATs) as possible, that way they have more top students to choose from. Doesn't mean they'll actually pick a lot of them, they just want options I guess. But yeah, it's cruel, but not if one is realistic about their apps, and like a wise poster said here (can't remember the name at the moment) the lists should be built from the bottom up. And I think doing that I can get into at least some of my aims</p>
<p>yeah... but it makes me feel special...
i think now I might actually apply to WashU...
see their advertising efforts do not go wasted =)</p>
<p>they also want their rejection rates up so they seem more competitive and attract better students.</p>
<p>That's pretty cold. Down with the system.</p>
<p>Why do you think they extend their deadlines? This year alone, I think Duke, Cornell, Princeton, etc. extended their deadlines to field even more applications they can reject. They probably do this every year to increase applicants...and thus, their ranking.</p>
<p>colleges are evil :mad:</p>
<p>Wow . . . pretty wicked. But ah well. I'm subject to the system I guess.</p>
<p>The first thing I look at when I get college mail is if its signed personally.</p>