<p>What is a first choice letter? Is it just a letter sent in with applications stating that a certain school is your first choice? Would it have a big impact in decisions if it was between a waitlist and an acceptance?</p>
<p>@pandapandaa,
I wouldn’t send a first choice letter unless you’re put on the waitlist for a school and decide to stay on it. But if you want schools to know that they’re your first choice do that during your interview.</p>
<p>We know a couple of kids who submitted a first choice letter. However, none of the AO’s we talked to considered it to be an advantage. There is no guarantee that the appiclant wrote only one ‘first choice’ letter. These couple of kids we know that submitted a first choice letter were rejected by those schools.
I don’t see how a first choice letter, or most any type of letter, could help your cause after being waitlisted.</p>
<p>A boarding school may have waitlisted an applicant if they thought that person would not attend the school.</p>
<p>Bump for mamakiwi (also trying to keep master Decisions/Stats thread as clean as possible).</p>
<p>Thanks SevenDad!</p>
<p>Any other thoughts on these ‘first choice’ letters?</p>
<p>Here’s another semi-recent thread:</p>
<p><a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/prep-school-admissions/1074359-first-choice-school.html[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/prep-school-admissions/1074359-first-choice-school.html</a></p>
<p>I was told that if you are waitlisted at a school, and it was truly your first choice. Then write a letter to that effect after March 10.</p>
<p>The one school that did waitlist my d was not my d’s first choice. Since she was accepted at her first choice we immediately asked to be taken off the list to hopefully make room for another student.</p>
<p>As soon as we made the final decision, we informed the other school so that we could open up that spot.</p>
<p>My d believes in love the school(s) that love you! Only write that letter if you mean it!!!</p>
<p>Alexz825mom is right - my daughter was waitlisted at three schools last year and all three asked that if she wanted to stay on the waitlist that she write a letter to them giving additional info if there is any and if they are the first choice to state that and why. </p>
<p>For college admissions, I know that first and top choice letters are common. I also know that college admissions reps meet and sometimes compare so it is highly frowned up to write more than one first choice letter(thus, the " your school is one of my top choices" letter). </p>
<p>No prep school AO suggested that we write a first choice letter prior to decision making.</p>
<p>Recently a coach sent my son an email asking about his stats. and his level of interest of the school. My son responded letting him know that the school was his top choice. We hope the coach will let the AO know this.</p>
<p>Top BSs care about their yield so if it is really your first choice send the letter–although at this point it is very late in the process and many files have been reviewed and voted on . . . .</p>
<p>Generally schools expect people to be honorable if they write a first choice letter. In many cases such a letter helps a lot in the process. In some instances it acts as an Early Decision does for a college. Of course if the family or the student isnt sure about which school is best, or is attendance in a particular school is predicated on how much FA they will get, then its dishonorable to write one.
In the case of a waitlist, it definitely will help if you write to them and say you will go if accepted (just dont do that to all your waitlist schools, see another thread about schools talking to eachother)</p>
<p>My D was flat out asked at one school if it was her first choice when she was interviewing- not even the “what other schools are you considering”. The Admissions Director wrote down her answer in his notes.</p>
<p>Do you write the first choice letter immediately after your interview?</p>
<p>Generally, first choice letters are only if you got waitlisted. A letter could emphasis your interest in the school if you hope to be taken off the waitlist.</p>
<p>Should you send something after your interview? And saying what?</p>