<p>DD got one acceptance and a huge merit scholarship both in separate very thin envelopes. The acceptance (Rolling) came quite early, and she thought it was a rejection. The merit aid came a couple months later, and she almost didn't bother opening it. Sadly, she chose another school...where she also got a thin acceptance.</p>
<p>Actually, I'm kinda sad to see e-mail and website notifications take over. Because one of the little dramas we used to see every year here on CC was the kids reporting in on the days after Mailing Day and tracking the spread of the letters across the continent from the campus of origin.</p>
<p>The thing I didn't like was how long it took the snail mail to get here to VT. Even the schools in MA and PA--we heard from them about 2 days later than people in major cities--even across the country. We were truly the last to know.</p>
<p>There are sometimes glitches in the system, as my son found out last year. He applied to a large state school with rolling decisions, whose usual method was to notify the student by e-mail and time the large envelope to arrive a few days after that. </p>
<p>Long after other students had received their decisions, my son had still heard nothing. Finally, one day he opened his e-mail to find a message from the school's honors college saying, "Now that you've been accepted, wouldn't you like to consider applying for the honors program?"</p>
<p>My son called the admissions office to ask whether he'd really been accepted. They went to check his status, and after a long pause said, "Uh, you should receive your decision shortly." Sure enough, the next day he got his e-mail acceptance, followed a few days later by the envelope.</p>
<p>My son thought he'd hear from his safety school on or about December 15th. When he checked our e-mail yesterday, we had an e-mail from them saying congratulations on your acceptance. He was like, "What???". So he went to the webpage for the school, logged in and sure enough his acceptance confirmation was posted! He knew it was a safety but is so glad to get an answer so soon. :)</p>
<p>Oh congratulations momsworried!!</p>
<p>I was worried too--the whole thing made me very anxious and yet it turned out extremely well. Safety is a good thing.</p>
<p>my acceptance from my state school came in a big envelope with "Congratulations" on the front, and i could also read the first couple of lines in the letter.</p>
<p>Caltech didn't send e-mails and it took a very, very long time for the rejection to get here. Five or six days after it was supposedly mailed. I think they sent it extra slow! We would much rather have gotten it over with sooner.</p>
<p>
[quote]
I was worried too--the whole thing made me very anxious and yet it turned out extremely well. Safety is a good thing.
[/quote]
My memory of our older son's senior year is that each and every acceptance was thrilling! Once a school accepted him, it sure didn't seem like a "safety." I just thought they must be very perceptive!</p>
<p>elon university: huge envelope w/ congratulations, beautiful folder, enthusiastic letter, scholarships/certificates
st louis university: huge envelope, cool folder (made out of a street map of STL), standard letter, lots of scholarships/certificates
university of missouri: standard size, standard letter
university of virginia: plain 1/2-fold sized envelope with "SAVE THE DATE! ADMITTED STUDENTS DAYS BEGIN JUNE 10" where the return address would be on the back flap, very enthusiastic but short letter
university of michigan: standard size, standard letter</p>
<p>accepted to all 5</p>
<p>S2 did an app. online to a state sch. in Sept. The following week, he got an letter saying a piece of his app. package was missing. It really wasn't. Then last week he gets another thin letter in the mail that says "from the office of the chancellor". S2 was at football prac. and I figured it was another letter about the app. so I opend it. It was a letter from the honors college. It said something about his app. being sent to them and how he should consider joining the honors college at this state u. I was dumbfounded since he hadn't gotten an acceptance notice and is not supposed to until Dec. 15.</p>
<p>I called the admssions office and was told by the admissions officer that "No, this does not mean he is admitted." and "I don't know how they decide who they are sending those letters out to." and "All decisions will be out on Dec.15".</p>
<p>My S2 is not a top student and would be very happy to get in this school. I think it's ridiculous that they sent out a letter about Honors College..raising hopes...only to then say it has nothing to do with admission, as if the letter is not for real. I put the letter away in a drawer and never mentioned it to S. I was elated for him and then so disappointed that it meant nothing. It would be so cruel to get such a letter and then not get accepted.</p>
<p>So a kid will be happy with an acceptance, no matter the method of delivery. But doesn't the pomp and splendor of a fat envelope containing a heavy folder with a large gold college seal containing a "you are special; we want you" letter on good stationery with a real signature and a college bumper sticker (argue over which car it will go on) bring more excitement than a mass email?</p>
<p>I definitely did not have "permission to steam." D2 even threatened to hide the decision from me. But as it turned out, she was home and I wasn't when the acceptance came & she was merciful enough to call me immediately to let me know. Swarthmore sent a skinny ED acceptance letter.</p>
<p>One odd thing that came in Harvard's fat envelope was an official Certificate of Acceptance - looked sorta like a diploma. I'm not sure what its function was except perhaps so that those people who chose to enroll in other colleges could prove to everyone that they really did turn down Harvard.</p>
<p>Dartmouth's acceptance also came with a nice certificate that we framed.</p>
<p>
[quote]
One odd thing that came in Harvard's fat envelope was an official Certificate of Acceptance - looked sorta like a diploma. I'm not sure what its function was except perhaps so that those people who chose to enroll in other colleges could prove to everyone that they really did turn down Harvard.
[/quote]
Beautiful.</p>
<p>
[quote]
So a kid will be happy with an acceptance, no matter the method of delivery. But doesn't the pomp and splendor of a fat envelope containing a heavy folder with a large gold college seal containing a "you are special; we want you" letter on good stationery with a real signature and a college bumper sticker (argue over which car it will go on) bring more excitement than a mass email?
[/quote]
</p>
<p>Nope. :) Two years ago, when my D found out that she had been accepted early via the school's website (it was done very well) she literally squealed with delight. The big fat envelope came about a week later.</p>
<p>I thought Harvard's Certificate of Acceptance was a real turn-off. It seemed very pompous. Since my son decided not to attend, I suppose we could do something with it - along with my shirt that says "Parent of a Harvard 2011 student" or something like that. I've thought about adding "I could have been a..."</p>
<p>LOL Mathmom.</p>
<p>Yesterday D, our oldest, got her first envelope, a thin envelope from a state U with rolling admissions informing her she needed to submit updated test scores, or take the SAT again. Since I was sure that the OCT sitting had just been received, and thought the letter crossed in the mail with the score report, I told her to check the status of her score report online. She was upset, thinking that her nice improvement from the Oct sitting was not good enough, and that she would be taking it again. She signed onto her status page to find an instant "Congratulations, you have been accepted for Fall 2008." While a fat packet would have been nice, on this particular day, the online note was priceless.</p>