<p>“Received a thank you note ‘reminding’ me of application season maybe last week, seemed like a likely letter type thing (Why encourage someone you don’t want to apply?)”</p>
<p>So that Reed’s acceptance rate may go down. Reed has been pressing people to apply very aggressively for that reason.</p>
<p>Reed does not, however, send out likely letters of any kind.</p>
<p>Oh, okay. I feel stupid now lol</p>
<p>I just noticed that I forgot to mention that this note was from my interviewer and was specifically about my interview</p>
<p>Don’t feel stupid; selective colleges like Reed, which worry about their acceptance rates, deliberately play on prospective candidates’ emotions in order to make them feel wanted. As a former dean of admissions at Reed once wrote,</p>
<p>"I suspect that prospective students and their parents wonder sometimes whether admission deans are educators or sales managers. We can seem like masters of the bait and switch. While engaged in recruiting mode, colleges and universities send letters and e-mail containing near-promises of admission. The biggest tease letters go out in “the search,” to PSAT, PLAN, or ACT takers with high scores and high grades. Prospective students and their parents probably do not realize that many colleges, Reed among them, sometimes contract out the writing of the search letter to direct mail firms, skilled at crafting catchy phrases.</p>
<p>When his daughter was receiving search mailings, Washington Post reporter Jay Mathews observed that students may feel “courted, then dumped” by colleges that pursue applicants initially, then turn them down later."</p>
<p>(You can read the whole thing at <a href=“http://www.universitybusiness.com/article/admissions-messages-vs-admissions-realities”>http://www.universitybusiness.com/article/admissions-messages-vs-admissions-realities</a>. It used to be on Reed’s website, but I just tried to find it there and couldn’t. I guess it’s too edgy for us now.)</p>
<p>What you need to realize, I think, is that these notes, exhortations and congratulations are part of the admission office’s job. They’re designed to ensure you’ll apply. They don’t have much to do with the quality of your application or whether your interview went well (which I’m sure it did!). You may very well get in after receiving a note from your interviewer, but his/her decision to send it to you has little to do with the ultimate outcome of the selection process.</p>
<p>It’s good for you to know this because the impression that there’s some sort of personal, emotional bond between the applicant and the college is designed to manipulate the applicant, and I think people should avoid being manipulated if they can.</p>
<p>This is going to be the longest/shortest month of my life. :(</p>
<p>Longest, for sure. </p>
<p>25 days left to know about the big decision. Gawd, time has frozen at this point.</p>
<p>I doubt we’ll get our decision on Dec 15th as noted, since they’re still processing applications and haven’t sent out emails regarding student portals and IDs yet. </p>
<p>You’re probably right. At this pace, we’ll get our decision on Christmas. </p>
<p>@Ghostt Really appreciate you taking the time to show me that stuff. Definitely do feel a little manipulated, but it’s all in the game I suppose.</p>
<p>As for my admissions decision: I want it now.</p>
<p>I just got my portal code</p>
<p>Just got mine as well!</p>
<p>Me too! </p>
<p>Mine came too!</p>
<p>Do you guys think it’s worth sending my progress report with my highest GPA yet if it’s also got copious absences and tardies?</p>
<p>That’s a tight spot. I have a ton of absences but my school doesn’t put them on transcripts. I probably wouldn’t unless the change in your gpa was drastic </p>
<p>It is drastic. As in almost a whole half a grade point higher than my highest GPA ever. Think it’s worth it then? Maybe they’ll see that I can hold my own in classes even if I miss them…? It’s a stretch, but perhaps they’ll understand since I’m a senior and senioritis is so very real. (I haven’t even ditched a class in a few weeks…cut me slack.)</p>
<p>That sucks so much I am so sorry omg
I’d submit the transcript then
My district’s cutoff for excessive absences is like 9 or 10 and I’m at 8
5 AP classes cut me some slack lmao</p>
<p>Mine are almost all excused, but it’s so obvious that I’ve been ditching…maybe they’ll think I got really sick? That’s plausible.</p>
<p>Does anyone know when we may get our admission decisions? I want to start counting down but then I don’t even know which date it is lol.</p>