<p>My dd is applying to schools this year and I have noticed that she has received considerably more mail from some schools on her list. Does this mean anything, or is it just indicative of differing practices? </p>
<p>thanks-</p>
<p>RL</p>
<p>In our experience last year it was just different practices from schools.</p>
<p>They want your application so once you express any interest at all they will start with the mailings.</p>
<p>We did notice last year that between January 15 and March 9, we received a lot of correspondence from the schools which ultimately sent acceptances, and little to no mail from schools where a waitlist/rejection was the result.</p>
<p>No, I don’t think it does. Some schools send a lot, some send very little.</p>
<p>OK, now I’m wondering if maybe I shouldn’t have shared that observation. It could simply have been a coincidence, and I don’t want to suggest another thing for folks to worry about during an already stressful time.</p>
<p>For our family, the school that sent the least amount of mail was the same school that sent the first offer of admission on M10. It was also the only school that I had written off (in my mind) prior to M10. It was such a nice surprise to realize I was SO wrong!</p>
<p>The school that sent the most mail, on the other hand, was the first school DC wanted to decline after revisit day.</p>
<p>The level of contact from the schools does seem to cause a great deal of stress for the parents during the admission process. One can’t help but try to second guess or read between the lines of each message the school sends. </p>
<p>It’s a tough process to get through. Try to breathe. I wish you all good luck and happy news come March!</p>
<p>Speaking of mail, I’m pretty annoyed with a certain BS right now who has been inundating my kid with emails about open houses, news, etc. two weeks AFTER he withdrew his app (unwillingly, long story). </p>
<p>But it’s like rubbing salt in the wound. Grrr.</p>
<p>All these non-substantial and unnecessary mails and emails have become, to be honest, a nuisance. First of all, as an applicant and parents, we take every one of them seriously, read carefully, and decide whether to respond. Sometimes I have to wonder who’s more insecure–schools or applicants?</p>
<p>booklady: One of those acronym schools sent my d mail, email and we even got a phone call, assigning her an AO. This happened in October of THIS YEAR-- my d is already a freshman at her chosen school, and the school contacting her was never even on our radar, for a number of reasons. We have no idea how they would have had her name (and contact info) on their list of potential applicants. I finally emailed the AO who wrote the letter, and he apologized profusely,and “We will not contact you further”. I thought the whole thing was really odd!</p>
<p>Booklady, I hope that annoying mail from school X stops soon. </p>
<p>DD has interviewed at all of her schools but her apps are not submitted. One of the schools she crossed off her list is inundating her with mail, while her favorite has been quiet. I will try not to read too much into this and stay cautiously optimistic. </p>
<p>thanks!!!</p>
<p>I don’t know which is worse: The full court press leading up to the application deadline or the radio silence that follows…</p>
<p>Again only a sample of one, but 2 years ago we found contact level from 3 school to be very indicative of admission chances (2 very enthusiastic>admits; 1 impersonal and cool>wait list). 2 other schools that offered very little in the way of communication during the entire process also led to admits. So I guess it really depends upon the school.</p>
<p>PelicanDad, was that before or after apps filed?</p>
<p>As an alum, I make calls/ write notes for Development (throughout the year) and make calls/ write notes for admissions January-March. As a parent, I’ve made calls to hopeful parents J-M, too. In many ways, all the correspondence is a school’s way of thanking you for your interest and acknowledging all the hard work that went into the application. Plus- all the schools are really amped up right now… holidays, last minute interviews, applications rolling in- Holiday cards and videos rolling out and the frantic calls from parents about applications or missing recommendations. Most admissions offices are like machines right now and will stay that way until the end of April.</p>
<p>Are there kids (applicants) on AO’s radars right now? Yes- absolutely. But that AO will have to find others on the team (who never met your child) to agree with them before a decision is made.</p>
<p>When my kids were applying, I enjoyed everything I received from admissions, but I didn’t read into who called or what was written in a note. That’s not to say I still wasn’t tempted- ( to be honest, I did allow myself to go there a few times), but that’s just me.</p>
<p>I remember taking a lot of long walks…</p>
<p>We were on the email list of the well known schools who communicated with us as if we had submitted an application. We never requested info from this school, I know why they were encouraging us to apply but it was odd when we got the information letting us know how decisions were going to be communicated. Someone did not scrub the list, and the message really started to feel impersonal near the end since the school was not on our list. Most of the other schools sent periodic info, nothing extreme. The information started flowing once the acceptance letter arrived. We got letters from current students, coaches, AO, and Alumni in the area. The acceptance package from the school where my son is now a student was quite impressive and filled with many personal notes from different people. I like the old way of sending the information in the mail, seems so much more personal than email.</p>
<p>One of my schools felt inclined to send me not one, but two copies of the viewbook! A few send letters from department heads or other cool notes to keep me interested, and remind me that they’re there.</p>
<p>This was this time of year–after interviews had been completed but before all application materials were submitted. Some of it was clearly just to encourage the application, but not in a personal way. Other communiques were highly personalized. DC was not an athletic recruit, but a high score tester and all schools were Hidden Gems, not “acronyms.”</p>
<p>I’m enjoying some of the mail. One school has sent long letters (not personal or personalized except in that they were clearly selected for our demographic out of an array of such letters) that hit their intended mark and made me feel much better about the school. And one sent cheerful Thanksgiving cards that dressed up our refrigerator. But I don’t read too much into the personal notes. Although I have noticed that my son gets more attention than his sister from several schools. I attribute this - perhaps wrongly - to his SSAT scores, which were high and have been reported to schools, while my daughter will be taking the test in January.</p>
<p>Two observations:</p>
<ul>
<li><p>Though 7D1 was 1 question away from a perfect score on the SSAT, the unsolicited mailings from schools not on our radar never happened (as has been reported by others). I am curious if this was because of her ORM status.</p></li>
<li><p>More important, IMO, than how much correspondence you get from any given school is the amount of responsiveness from schools when the applicant/family had a question pre-M10. The two schools to which 7D1 was accepted were very prompt…one even returning a call over a weekend. The one where she was rejected, they got back to us…eventually.</p></li>
</ul>