Drexel University Letter

[unilliterate]

<p>Hey guys. Sorry if this the wrong section, but I got a letter in the mail recently from Drexel University. It says that I've been selected as a VIP applicant and I have a chance to be eligible for a $40k scholarship. It's gave me my online account information for the site drexelinfo.org. I was just wondering if this kind of stuff is legit? Has anyone had personal experiences with this? I don't want to waste my time or fall for scams and whatnot.</p>

<p>Many thanks.</p>

[capenn15]

<p>[Freshman</a> Instructions | Undergraduate Admissions | Drexel University](<a href=“http://www.drexel.edu/undergrad/apply/freshmen-instructions/]Freshman”>First-Year Application Instructions)</p>

<p>It looks legit. My son got several like this. If you are interested in going there, might be a great idea.</p>

[sybbie719]

<p>Article on Drexel VIP Application</p>

<p>

</p>

<p>Joan McDonald, senior vice president for enrollment management at Drexel U., believes applying to college should be easier. Drexel’s enrollment-management office has grown into a large, clockwork division that runs an aggressive recruitment campaign. Its centerpiece is the Drexel VIP Application,
**which the university sends not to a select number of very important students, but to each and every one in its vast inquiry pool. **</p>

<p>Drexel’s applications. In 2006 the university received nearly 19,000 freshman applications; last year it received more than 31,000. She attributes much of that increase to the VIP application, which Drexel started using three years ago. </p>

<p>“Application demand is fuel for a university,” Ms. McDonald says. “The more you have, the more you can shape the size, the quality, and the amount of institutional aid you can spend.”</p>

<p>**Each year, the university buys the names of hundreds of thousands of high-school students who have scored within a particular range on standardized tests (between 1000-1400 on the SAT, for instance). **</p>

<p>Ms. McDonald sends each of those students an introductory letter asking if they would like to learn more about Drexel. The names of those who say yes go into the university’s inquiry pool, which also includes students who first contact Drexel. All of them receive follow-up communications from the university.</p>

<p>“Apply today,” reads the first page, which lists three advantages of doing so: expedited consideration for scholarships; a waiver for the $75 application fee, which the university waives anyway for online applications; and “no long essay,” as Drexel requires only a brief personal statement. Students are urged to return the application (or apply online) by December 1, three months before the university’s stated March 1 deadline. Drexel then follows up, urging each applicant to send the rest of the required materials, transcripts, test scores, recommendation letters, and the personal statement. The admissions office then reviews completed applications. </p>

<p>Last year Drexel sent VIP applications to 175,000 students and received about 31,000 filled out. The university offered admission to about 68 percent of the applicants and enrolled a class of about 2,400.</p>

<p><a href=“http://www.sageridge.org/studentlife/documents/CollegesOfferApplicantsNewWaystoGetanEarlyAnswer.pdf[/url]”>http://www.sageridge.org/studentlife/documents/CollegesOfferApplicantsNewWaystoGetanEarlyAnswer.pdf&lt;/a&gt;

</p>

<p>If the school is on your radar, definitely fill out an application. It won’t cost you anything and it will take the pressure off in knowing that you will have some place to go. However do this with your eyes wide open.</p>

<p>Being eligible for a 40k scholarship, does not guarantee that you will get a 40k scholarship.</p>

<p>Drexel is a school that does not meet 100% demonstrated need. The scholarships that they do offer are reserved for the tippy top of the applicant pool.</p>

<p>[Undergraduate</a> Grants and Scholarships | Student Resource Center/Financial Aid | Drexel University](<a href=“Grants and Scholarships | Drexel Central”>Grants and Scholarships | Drexel Central)</p>

[dukedad]

<p>This is very similar to what Tulane does now. A huge program of mass marketing, offering a simple online app with no essay, to drive application numbers through the roof. One big reason is that it will drive selectivity and, as a result, improve US News rankings.</p>

[annasdad]

<p>How can a college that engages in such questionable come-on marketing tactics then expect its students to act honorably?</p>

[whydoicare]

<p>@annasdad - so you think marketing is questionable and dishonorable.</p>

<p>@unilliterate - if Drexel is a good fit, go ahead and apply. Drexel is located in a big city, emphasizes coop, and has certain strong programs in engineering, nursing, etc. If it’s not a good fit, then don’t apply. Because they accept the Common App, Drexel is not supposed to give admissions preference to those using the VIP application. All they’ve done is to contact and encourage you; nothing wrong with that.</p>

[annasdad]

<p>@why: I hope your response to my post is not an accurate reflection of your critical reading skills.</p>

[thumper1]

<p>

How can a college that engages in such questionable come-on marketing tactics then expect its students to act honorably?

</p>

<p>Are you suggesting that Drexel is NOT acting “honorably”?</p>

<p>To the OP…if you are interested in Drexel then apply…but be sure you read carefully. Is that $40,000 scholarship spread over the four years…because if it is, you will still have a significant bill to the school.</p>

<p>There are many colleges that are encouraging applicants by sending information regarding scholarships for high achieving students. You may find that you get something from a school that might otherwise NOT have been on your radar screen. Often these offerings also include free applications…and sometimes facilitated processing (you hear back very quickly). So…just read carefully and keep your options open.</p>

[annasdad]

<p>

Are you suggesting that Drexel is NOT acting “honorably”?

</p>

<p>I am saying, not merely suggesting, that Drexel is engaging in deception.</p>

<p>

I got a letter in the mail recently from Drexel University. It says that I’ve been selected as a VIP applicant

</p>

<p>VIP? That means I’m a very special applicant, right?</p>

<p>But:</p>

<p>

Its centerpiece is the Drexel VIP Application, which the university sends not to a select number of very important students, but to each and every one in its vast inquiry pool. … “Apply today,” reads the first page, which lists three advantages of doing so: expedited consideration for scholarships; a waiver for the $75 application fee, which the university waives anyway for online applications; and “no long essay,” as Drexel requires only a brief personal statement.

</p>

<p>Now you can define “honorably” any way you like. To me, acting deceptively is not acting honorably.</p>

<p>Morally, do you see a difference between a university deceiving prospective applicants in order to boost its application count and a student deceiving a professor in order to get a better grade?</p>

[thumper1]

<p>If you don’t like the practices of Drexel’s VIP application, don’t apply. Many would see the waiver of the application fee as a plus. They are not the only school that does this…in fact there are a bunch that do. If it’s a school you are interested in…then it’s not a bad thing.</p>

[annasdad]

<p>I could care less about the waiver of an application fee. What I find reprehensible is a college implying that because you have been selected as a VIP applicant (even though you haven’t), your waived application fee is a special deal (which it’s not).</p>

[MisterK]

<p>I guess I’m in the middle here. Although it’s certainly deceptive, I’d be happy to take the fee waiver if I was interested in Drexel.</p>

[mamabear1234]

<p>Obviously, every applicant to Drexel is a VIP! My S applied via this app last year and was offered a $19,000 per year scholarship. He is not attending; he only applied because I made him apply as a reasonable rolling admission safety. Since their acceptance rate is so high, I don’t see it as a serious moral transgression. The letters my D is getting from very highly ranked, very selective schools, implying that they are interested in her bother me a little more.</p>