<p>I am wondering why does Harvard and Yale even bother mailing out unsolicited mailings? My son, who has monster SAT and ACT scores, got a mailing from both but his GPA and EC are not IVY caliber. Does H and Y really need to advertise and ask students to apply?</p>
<p>I was of the mindset that they had so many applicants that they couldn't possibly want more. But now I am thinking that the elite schools pride themselves on the small % accepted.</p>
<p>Same here. Those schools never crossed our minds but with the mailing my son asked if he could apply, then changed his mind. </p>
<p>The mailings will generate more applications which in turn will produce a more selective rating for the college.</p>
<p>They don’t need more applicants. That’s true.</p>
<p>These colleges say that they’re trying to reach out to highly qualified students who might not otherwise consider applying to elite colleges. And I’m sure that’s a significant part of it. But I don’t necessarily believe that’s all of it. I think the admissions offices experience a lot of pressure to tell the alumni magazine and the campus newspaper that this year’s entering class is “the most qualified ever” and that they had “a record number of applications.”</p>
<p>And higher selectivity means nothing- it is a stat that too many focus on but have little idea about the true meaning. It does not improve the quality of education at any top school. Many of these schools could easily pick a whole new 2000-3000 students to admit instead of the ones they originally chose, and nothing would change.</p>
<p>^ Exactly what the Dean of Admissions at Stanford once said, actually.</p>
<p>You misunderstood. If Harvard has 50,000 applicants and accepts 3000 one year and has 60,000 applicants and accepts 3000 the next year then they are more selective. The mailings generate more applicants.</p>
<p>Yes they could replace the group of 3000 with a different group of 3000 and their stats would basically be the same.</p>
<p>Some schools may send mail to certain areas that they have received less applications. They purchase mailing lists from test agents based on different criteria that match with the student profile database or score tier. I guess you are just in a geographic area that they want to have more applicants.</p>
<p>I hesitate to speak for another poster, but I would be surprised if PsychoDad misunderstood, kldat. My point–and, I think, his–is that Harvard and Yale are already so selective, and so famous for being selective, that they’d derive no benefit from being more selective. They won’t become any more “prestigious” if they admit 5.1% of applicants vs. 5.8%, and they won’t wind up with a freshman class that’s any better, either.</p>
<p>It’s a bit like the nuclear arms race in the cold war, one selective college increases its mailings and the others feel the pressure to keep up and do the same thing, which then leads the first college to do even more mailings ad infinitum. I think the solution is to limit the number of applications that students can submit through the common app (say to 10, which is a very large number, but would still cut the number of applicants on the high-end who without much thought decide to apply to HYPSM, Duke, Chicago, and the rest of the Ivy League).</p>
<p>I also don’t think they need to be more competitive (or look more competitive). They just want to have a well rounded class that has students coming from different area and have different background (and yet being excellent academically).</p>
<p>[More</a> applications not always better, officers say | Yale Daily News](<a href=“http://yaledailynews.com/blog/2010/01/28/more-applications-not-always-better-officers-say/]More”>More applications not always better, officers say - Yale Daily News)</p>
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<p>Here is the million dollar question. Why are they sending mails?</p>
<p>I come from a area from where I will be first to apply to any us university. I didn’t know anything about admission process. So when I got to see a website from these so called “need blind” schools, I thought if I can show my passion, I will get admission. This isn’t my words though and I am not bragging. At least 5 people told me this. But when I took a look at people who got accepted in these places. I am not saying all are same only MIT and Harvard. I’m not experienced with yale so not going to say anything about it.</p>
<p>They say we take a look “holistically” but is it really possible? Sorry to say no. How can admission officers from 21 hours distance say if I got an opportunity to showcase my passion? I guess interview. But what if those interviewers act partially? Yes, it is true. Here is the ugly thing I am revealing. I had to work 25hours/week and I was in IB level coursework. I have maintain straight As but not as many awards harvard or MIT would like.
Hell, I had to build my whole pc from trash as it would take so much money for my father at that time. But when I went to EducationUSA and interviewers from these two places, they said one thing. “You don’t have internationals? What the hell is wrong with you you want to study there?”</p>
<p>How will these people act impartially? If I had not known these people, well I would apply to HM and kept my hope up and would regret for my lost time. Because they will label me “unpassionate”
as I don’t have international awards.</p>
<p>Here is the thing, I will apply to some ivies because they provide good aid. And if the other school which is “inferior” to HSPYM, selects me, I will go there even if an ivy give me full ride. Only because I will get to know professors closely. And it is the learning that motivates me, not names. I didn’t even know there was a place called MIT before last year.</p>
<p>And for other thing, I don’t want to be in a place where I will be 2nd pool. Not 2nd 3000 and get into any of this because adcom feel sympathy for me. I am not known for blackmailing people emotionally.</p>
<p>So, again, million dollar question. Why they send mails?</p>
<p>Answes is simple. To keep their ranking up and increase “selectivity”. Only thing people care these days is ranking.
Another thing. They should not practice it. Because they need to reach those who can donate millions to them for research. And if they had applicant pool of only 8000 of those from whom they are choosing from, they would do much better job.</p>
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<p>This doesn’t make much sense. If boosting rankings were the goal, increasing selectivity would a very poor way to to go about it. For example, the most popular ranking is USNews, and in its methodology selectivity accounts for only 5% of the total ranking score. So even if you totally peg the needle on the Selectivity-O-Meter, (which Harvard and Yale have already done) its effect on the overall ranking is very small.</p>
<p>Ranking is just a byproduct of the quality of education provided by the school. It would be sad if a school is try hard to boost the ranking alone instead of the quality of education.</p>
<p>In addition to what Gibby cited in post #11, Yale is also cutting back on its mailings. The public is mistaken (IMHO) about the fact that HYP et al are trying to increase apps to decrease admit rate to increase selectivity.</p>
<p>People allege this is a active strategy by them. People even allege these handful of schools do this in order to rake in more app fees.</p>
<p>Some schools (UChicago) have gone to marketing themselves more aggressively and have been repaid in more apps.</p>
<p>HYP did not do more marketing but their apps doubled over the last decade.</p>
<p>Also, HYP don’t care what outsiders feel about their “selectivity” and have consistently acted in that manner. </p>
<p>What if they were to CUT BACK seriously from recruitment efforts? Then people would allege they aren’t trying to reach traditionally under represented populations and instead, favoring the traditional applicant sources. Darned if you do, darned if you don’t.</p>
<p>It’s up to the recipient of any mailer/email/info from a school with a less than 10% admit rate to correctly judge his/her actual chances. If that possible eventual rejection causes hurt feelings, I have no sympathy for them.</p>
<p>Another thing to consider is that each application is $75-85 depending on the selective school. Imagine how easy it is to have more, unqualified candidates applying. It takes an admission officer maybe 30 seconds to throw away a completely unqualified candidate with average sat/gpa and no ECs with a horrendous essay.</p>
<p>Here’s another must-read article on the topic: [Ivy</a> League Colleges Solicit Students Rejected for Stake of Selectivity - Bloomberg](<a href=“http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2011-05-13/ivy-league-solicits-students-to-boost-selectivity.html]Ivy”>Bloomberg - Are you a robot?)</p>
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<p>Gibby, T26, I’m afraid this looks like one of those times when you just can’t tell folks what they don’t wish to be told.</p>
<p>Haters gonna hate, I guess.</p>
<p>^ I don’t believe there is a way to judge actual chances at these schools. If you know please share. How can I tell my odds at a school with less than 10% admission rate?</p>
<p>You could try “Chance Me” threads. No, I kid!</p>
<p>Kldat, there isn’t a very good way to estimate your chances of admission at colleges as selective as that, except to say that nobody’s chances are very good.</p>