<p>“Clark, another obvious source of mail to ds was based on the scores on his AP exams. Did she take any of those?”</p>
<p>No, she only took the SAT once in Oct 09. I’m assuming the College Board distributed or sold her information to those schools that then recruited her. </p>
<p>Certainly the VIP Applications would not put any money into the school’s coffers unless she were admitted and chose to attend since the application fees were waived. Since she was already admitted ED to her first choice school, these solicitations were all worthless to us and to the schools. She received another email today, even though the Feb 15 deadline for applying has passed.</p>
<p>My oldest checked the box a the SAT’s and got tons of mail. My next child didn’t check the box and got no mail at all. With our third child, I contacted a few schools and that is enough volume right there.</p>
<p>We should all spare our poor mail carriers, and a few trees, and tell our kids not to check the box!</p>
<p>‘Certainly the VIP Applications would not put any money into the school’s coffers’
Yes, that’s true but VIP apps increase the number of applications which can, in turn, increase the school’s selectivity rating.
Also, expect another flurry next winter when transf apps are due. This did not happen when S ('11) was a freshman but did with D ('13) this year.</p>
<p>We’d been warned about this and had no interest in the junk mail, so my kids checked a box on the PSAT and SAT about not releasing their name/address for the purpose of mailing lists. Worked like a charm.</p>
<p>It is of no help to those already being inundated, but for parents of kids yet to take the CollegeBoard tests, it is an easy way to avoid the junk mail.</p>
<p>Some kids and parents like it – sometimes they learn about a school they weren’t thinking about already or it just puts kids in a college-search frame of mind, but we were pretty squared away already with that stuff and I loathe junk mail.</p>
<p>There was a post a few months ago that gave the website of the PR firm responsible for the “VIP” applications. They make it very clear that if a school hires them, their goal is to increase the number of applicants, thus lowering the acceptance rate, making the school look more desirable.<br>
I find this a despicable practice, as so many kids believe the baloney about being “chosen” for VIP status.</p>
<p>“There was a post a few months ago that gave the website of the PR firm responsible for the “VIP” applications. They make it very clear that if a school hires them, their goal is to increase the number of applicants, thus lowering the acceptance rate, making the school look more desirable. I find this a despicable practice, as so many kids believe the baloney about being “chosen” for VIP status.”</p>
<p>Well, we certainly didn’t buy the baloney about VIP status, though I immodestly beleive that my D would have been competitive for all of the schools that solicited her. </p>
<p>Do you happen to have the link to the post that gave the website of the PR firm?</p>
<p>Actually, the mail helped our family. It helped me with letting go – made college be more “real” and it helped the kids think about options. I do feel a bit guilty about the tree part – but, overall, it helped us all understand that there are many, many wonderful options out there.</p>
<p>I strongly suggest focusing on one’s list of colleges, research as much aspossible about them and not waste precious time on flood of letters and even calls from coaches and so forth.</p>
<p>My S2 did not check the box and still received tons of mail. Our solution was a box, he’d quickly sort and toss. The box stayed in the closet until mid-junior year. Then another sort and toss until his list was complete senior year. After that everything got tossed unless it was from a college he was applying to. He’s still getting a few phone calls and direct mail mid-senior year. The volume is distinctly higher and more geographically diverse with S2 than with S1 even though statistically they are/were identical.</p>
<p>VIP applications - As far as I know, they go to kids who are already screened. I haven’t heard of large numbers of kids being rejected from a VIP application. Sure, they are marketing tools - getting kids to apply is how you assure you have a good quality student base.
ClarkAlum - at many schools deadlines don’t mean much. You would be surprised how many colleges will accept applications (esp excellent quality) beyond the deadline. If they have space still available, even on May 1, they will accept your application.
Also, ED means nothing to many colleges - they don’t care or recognize it. </p>
<p>I agree with Olymom - my kids were not overly interesting in going through all the college stuff - but it was helpful in showing them what was out there.</p>
<p>My second daughter graduated in hs back in 2005. This was before most colleges moved on to email and she got boxes of college “stuff”. I would sort her stuff everyday and put it in a cardboard box. She did take the PSAT’s and SAT’s as a junior and that seemed to be when it started.</p>
<p>Spring of junior year, I was bugging her about colleges to visit. Finally I threw the boxes at her and asked it there was anything at all in that mess that interested her. It was sort of a rhetorical question since I didn’t think she had looked at any of it. Sheepishly, she said - there is one school… it was 600 miles away and she liked it because it was <em>different</em>. I had never heard of it, no one I knew had ever heard of it.
We visted at an open house that summer and she just graduated from there last May. She absolutely loved it.</p>
<p>My DD took the SAT in 7th grade and just took the ACT in early Feb as a HS freshman through NUMATS. She has received a few things from summer programs at colleges, but does anyone think this starts the mail flood earlier? Or does the flood start only after PSAT?</p>
<p>I’ve often wondered how they get the kids’ info…especially when they don’t check boxes and don’t send e-mails. I think it starts with PLAN and PSAT. PLAN is 10th grade in our district, sophomores do not take PSAT and even if they don’t “check the box” the schools might not have specific info, but they can target specific schools based on school/socio-economic demos. Again, I think the colleges are starting the process too early and it’s “hurting” the high school education forcing these kids to think about something that there is really no need to think about when they are 15 or 16.</p>
<p>While most of the mailings got tossed, I have to say that a few of the schools were put on our radar precisely because of the mailings, particularly the ones that came early on.</p>
<p>Bernese, ds2’s schools pays for them to take it as freshmen so he did. He’s already gotten college mail, not just summer programs. You’d think they’d screen for this but maybe they want to market to really bright freshmen. Waste of money if you ask me, though he is flattered.</p>
<p>Or maybe even “pre-approved” for this credit card, the card is yours if you want it! LOL…</p>
<p>We recycled what S did not want. Anything with his name and address on it had to be shredded, of course. As this was the 4th time around for us, I guess we were just used to the avalanche of mail. He did find the University of Chicago absolutely relentless!</p>
Maybe that explains why University of Chicago apps have shot through the roof with a 40% increase this year. It does work after all to recruit as many applicants as possible so the universities can boast a lower rate of admission.</p>
<p>One piece of mail came right out and said “we bought your name and address from CB for 18 cents,” or something like that. My kids had no time for this stuff, delegating to me to read and recycle. I wonder if direct marketers know how few kids bother, and if they target parents despite the name on the address label or email? </p>
<p>My attitude was, show me the merit money–those mailings I saved, and some of those schools I researched. </p>
<p>On the plus side, a couple of colleges’ mailings were so unique and well tailored that we did investigate further, although those places hadn’t initially been on our radar. But most mailings are so generic that they are laughable. </p>
<p>If colleges are going to put anything in my mailbox, I would most value a CD of their course catalogues. After it’s all over, I could tie them together and make novel window treatments.</p>
<p>I have the same exact problem - was about to make a thread about it, then I saw this!</p>
<p>Is it worth contacting, as a sophomore, colleges you’re interested in? The ones that direct you to a link or online quiz to do? My dad suggests I do, to “be on the radar”, and so if they announce activities or programs I’ll know. Should I?</p>