<p>redscarlett11-I was wondering the same thing about the “priority scholarship decision” indication in these letters. If they want to give my D $$, maybe she will consider one of these schools she may not have before. </p>
<p>Joan52, my son received some of the VIP applications also, but not as many as his GPA/SAT was not quite as high as my D. We always looked at the school website. After he received one, as an athlete he say the school had a D1 team, so he actually applied to one of those schools…he had never heard of it previously, contacted the coach…and was accepted and is now in his sophomore year on an athletic scholarship…so yes, from our experience it is definitely a GOOD thing. </p>
<p>As for my daughter, she also applied to two of these schools as a back up…and maybe she will get one of those promised “priority scholarship’s”. As I always tell my kids…it can’t hurt to look at a school you don’t know…</p>
<p>OP and everyone else
These emails are being sent out by Enrollment management companies, NOT the colleges. They are NOTHING more than an enticement to get your D to send in an application to a college.The GREATER the number of applications a college receives, the more $$ the enrollment management companies make.
NO ADMISSIONS OFFICER at these colleges has seen your D’s academic record OR PSAT scores OR ANYTHING ELSE about your D. So it is not they who are “impressed”.
These emails are nothing more than spam. Do you get excited or respond to every other spam email that comes you way?
Treat them as such.</p>
<p>My son is “special” in the classified sense and in the sense that he, like every child, is unique. However, given his overall GPA, etc., he is no more special than a million or two other applicants. My son may have some qualities that appeal to some of these schools and maybe there will be a match out there.</p>
<p>My D applied special priority to a school and was accepted. She was offered money but not enough to make it worth it over a SUNY. </p>
<p>I agree that these are all marketing techniques; I was just a little put off by the OP’s outrage over being contacted by schools she deemed beneath her.</p>
<p>“I was just a little put off by the OP’s outrage over being contacted by schools she deemed beneath her”</p>
<p>She WASN’T contacted by the SCHOOLS. She was contacted by an enrollment business whose sole job is to get kids to apply to the colleges that pay companies big $$ to find applicants.</p>
<p>OK, now I have my answer…they are basically identical because they are being sent by an enrollment company, and No, it has nothing to do with my D’s stellar performance either…but it made her feel a little better!</p>