<p>Last year prior to RD results, NYU sent out some ambiguous postcards/letters too. My son received one from Stern. We weren't too sure what it meant either. My son called the school. Their answer was along the lines of, "We can't really tell you if you're in ... but you can expect some mail in the future that will make you happy." He did get a regular acceptance letter a few weeks later. (He didn't attend.)
This may or not be the case here, as ED is a different situation. Check out some of last year's NYU threads:
<a href="http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/showthread.php?t=160999%5B/url%5D">http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/showthread.php?t=160999</a>
<a href="http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/showthread.php?t=160130%5B/url%5D">http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/showthread.php?t=160130</a>
<a href="http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/showthread.php?t=158160%5B/url%5D">http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/showthread.php?t=158160</a>
<a href="http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/showthread.php?t=157401%5B/url%5D">http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/showthread.php?t=157401</a></p>
<p>^^^Still, I think being invited to what is essentially an accepted students' day is a bit different from the letter received by the OP's sister.</p>
<p>LURK - LOL love your name - and yes I agree - an invite to an accepted student's is definitely alot more promising</p>
<p>If it were me, I would get someone to call anonymously to ferret out some info, using a pay phone or something like that in case NYU has caller ID!</p>
<p>I think if NYU persists in sending out letters like that, it should expect to field a few calls from anxious applicants.</p>
<p>On the other hand one could wait a few weeks for the REAL letter.........</p>
<p>Why use a pay phone? It's not an embarassing question to ask. Especially if NYU has a history of gun-jumping.</p>
<p>What can happen? Someone will hint that it means good news, or they'll tell you that it doesn't mean anything, or they'll tell you that they can't tell you whether it means something. Big deal. No one is going to put a black mark in your file for calling about it.</p>
<p>I think schools should be more careful about the language they use.</p>
<p>Yes, it's definitely not the same thing. My point is that NYU is not too clear about their mailings ... therefore, some people choose to call and ask. Others choose to wait. Either way, you'll find out soon enough!</p>
<p>From the OP, I agree with Garland that it doesn't strike me as marketing language but then again I am not familiar with NYU mailings. Either way, good luck!</p>