<p>My son received a letter from Princeton urging him to apply. It was addressed to "Dear Student" and said they got his name from the collegeboard. He did well on the SAT CR 770, Math 690, but has only a 93 unweighted average, average ecs, good community service, part time job, middle-class URM.
Is this just another form letter, getting kids to apply to boost their rejection rate even higher?</p>
<p>Geez there are many answers to your question. Another letter to generate applications....YES. Did they know his test score when the selected him for the letter.....YES. Do they know his grads=NO. Does this letter mean they want him to apply=YES. As to whether they solicit kids who they know they will reject? Who on the adcom can read the future? Nobody that I know of.</p>
<p>I guess I just want to know how common it is to receive this type of letter from a school of Princeton's caliber. His SAT is good, but certainly not as high as very many posters on this board. Is this a standard letter that you get if you score over 1450? Maybe they just assume his grade would be high as well (I wish!). I guess I don't want him to waste the application fee if this letter means next to nothing. I was just wondering if anyone elsewas familiar with this particular letter.</p>
<p>yes, it is a standard letter. They usually have a cutoff SAT grade...if your indicated that he wanted to receive mail from colleges and scored above a cutoff grade, then usually collges will send him letters, even ones like Princeton. While this isn't a recruiting letter, he still should apply..you never know.</p>
<p>I got the same thing in the mail today, so its probably not that special.</p>
<p>thanks all</p>
<p>A URM with a 1460 and top 10% status would have an excellent chance at princeton</p>
<p>are you black?</p>
<p>lPuerto Rican and Irish American</p>
<p>^ Yeah, good shot.</p>
<p>omg i despise it when people exaggerate URM chances</p>
<p>Those kinds of letters are sent out, like someone pointed out, to people who have reached a certain cutoff in PSAT's/whatever, for the sake of generating more interest in the school, thereby increasing the applicant pool and decreasing acceptance rate, which makes the school look more selective. They have in no way evaluated any of your son's information, so don't take this as a serious reflection of your son's chances of getting into Princeton. I'm not saying your son has an excellent chance of getting in or a poor chance, I'm just saying a letter of this sort can't be taken as an indication of either of those...</p>
<p>Xanatos thanks. I just didn't know what to think, so I'm glad I posted the question. Now I know how to evaluate it</p>
<p>It is not common to get unsolicited mail from Princeton. However, some of the ivies will send literature to any URM's with SAT's over 1200/1600. A 1460 might be in the range.</p>
<p>He has a chance of getting into Princeton and similar schools, but (as is the case of all other applicants) should not pin his hopes on getting in.
Make sure he has match and safety schools he'd love attending.</p>
<p>My S is a URM with higher scores, lower grades who got letters and even calls from places like HPYS. He has 0 chance of getting into schools of that quality. Your S has better chances, though it's by no means a sure bet.</p>
<p>Before he got the letter he had not considered applying because he thought he did not have a chance. From all the responses here it seems that the letter is a standard letter and therefore, he chances (slim to none?) have not changed. I doubt if he will apply, unless I decide to just consider the application fee the same as lottery tickets.</p>
<p>Wen D was a senior we got weekly letters from Harvard including invitations to various events they were having in our area and special on-line chats. While yes it does feel flattering to feel as if your child is being shown love by the school, it did not mean that the school was any less of a reach (and the odds were over 90% against her being admitted just like they are for every applicant).</p>
<p>It piqued her interest for a moment but after visiting she followed her first instinct and did not apply because she felt it was not the place for her.</p>
<p>"From all the responses here it seems that the letter is a standard letter and therefore, he chances (slim to none?) have not changed."</p>
<p>Virtually every applicant's chance is slim to none when it comes to the most competitive colleges. </p>
<p>It's not a lottery. The colleges are looking for certain things including creating well rounded, diverse classes.</p>
<p>If he applies, he has no chance of acceptance. He has nothing to lose but time and a few bucks by applying. If he applies, however, he should take the application seriously, not do it as a shot in the dark venture.</p>
<p>He also should pin his hopes on his match and safety schools, something that's good advice for anyone applying to a place like Princeton.</p>
<p>The letters are not sent out by the admissions office and have no connection to admissions. At every college I know, one office is in charge of generating publicity, while another is in charge of selecting students (admissions). They usually have no communication with each other whatsoever. Take the letter, therefore, not as Princeton asking you to apply, but as an outside observer suggesting that you might apply to Princeton. Personally I'm a fan of the lottery ticket idea if you have a little extra money.</p>
<p>I myself got a similar letter from Harvard and Johns Hopkins last year. I have great ECs and a solid GPA but other than my 750 in CR, my math and writing scores weren't that great. Oh well, I'm still going to apply.</p>
<p>Also, you can find out if something is hand-signed (and not copied) by licking your finger and running it over the writing. If it smudges, it's not from a copy machine. It's useful sometimes.</p>