<p>We visited several schools last month. Received form letters from the adcoms at two of the schools (including a letter from an adcom we didn't meet saying how nice it was to meet D.) </p>
<p>One school we visited impressed my daughter - even though it isn't exactly what she's looking for - because the adcom was very familiar with her high school and was able to ask specific questions about her curriculum and experiences there (her high school is something of a feeder for this college). He also mentioned the names of several students from her high school that are attending and when she recognized one of the people, they had a little discussion about him that made it clear the adcom wasn't just name dropping but really knew the person.</p>
<p>Today, D. received a handwritten card from the admissions counselor and the two tour guides. It was very personal (the adcom wondered if she'd been doing much horseback riding with the rain we've been receiving and mentioned when he'd be stopping at her high school, one tour guide mentioned the name of the friend that toured with us, the other tour guide included an email of his friend who is majoring in one of D's areas of interest).</p>
<p>Daughter was very impressed --- this is the first piece of marketing from any college that made her say "WOW!" I overheard her telling her brother that she could see herself going there, even if it is not exactly what she wants. Pretty neat.</p>
<p>Wow! I think I'd fall over if S received something like that! That is quite impressive, and it obviously made an impression on your D.!! ~berurah</p>
<p>Carolyn, that is so great! It is so smart of them to do this. It gives such a personal touch. And a kid loves it. It makes them feel wanted. This is a lot like the experience my D had with Smith. So much of this went on that it was very enticing (plus the school had lots of attributes that met her criteria and that is even with it being all girls despite her never originally wanting all girls). I think that the being wanted and all the personal touches was so enticing that she kept this school in the running til past the acceptances and it was hard to let go. It sounds like this other school is like that too that your D is connecting with. </p>
<p>Just to say that some schools really are full of those who reach out sincerely.....well, the Smith ski coach (one of many people at Smith who kept up such a personal type exchange) has seen my D every weekend at her college ski races with Brown (they race against Smith) and he has talked to my D and has even cheered her on when she is racing! I gotta meet him and I am going to her races in NH for the next two days and I think I am going to tell him what this kind of contact has meant to my daughter. </p>
<p>So, just like with Smith with my D, your D may want to look at that school some more even if it was not exactly what she was looking for. The whole process with them was a really good experience. </p>
<p>I assume that your D got such a personal note because she's someone the college is seriously interested in. Clearly, adcoms do not have the time to do such things to everyone whom they interview or who tours their campus.</p>
<p>Colleges that get floods of outstanding applicants, most of whom the college eventually has to reject for space reasons, would have no reason to add any extra encouragement for students who might misread such a note as an indication they'll be accepted.</p>
<p>S got a note from an adcom who visited his h.s. S's stats are well above the college's average. The college is trying hard to diversify, and clearly loves S's h.s. Only 2 students from S's h.s. bothered to attend the info session. There are alums from S's h.s. who go to the college, and they love it, so we're considering having S apply. Our hope is that he'd not only get in, but could get nice merit aid (as have others from his h.s.).</p>
<p>Actually, a lot of this marketing concerns me. I've seen kids being swayed by "being wanted" as opposed to being a good fit for the school. If a kid is being wooed by a school it means that the kid has something the school wants, not vice versa. It also means that the school typically does not draw the type of student they are wooing. There may be a reason for that, so I think kids need to be cautious. The admissions office is also not necessarily a reflection of the rest of the school. They have nothing to do with the student's education. What's important is what their relationships are going to be like with their professors and other students. </p>
<p>Despite being flooded by college mail, my kids got nothing from the schools that were the best matches for them. Most mail comes from places that would be a terrible fit for them. In fact neither one got any mail from any of the places they applied. Their on campus visits to the schools, sitting in on classes, staying in the dorms, talking to professors and coaches are what convinced them these schools were good fits for them. One of my sons actually fell asleep during the info session of the school he now attends!</p>
<p>I am wondering, Cookiemom, how your kids filled out their forms when the filled out the SAT/PSAT info, which seems to be what is used when colleges buy mailing list.</p>
<p>While S has gotten some mail from places he has absolutely no interest in, he has gotten mail from colleges that definitely meet his needs, and where he seems to fit their admissions criteria.</p>
<p>When I applied to college, I also got mail from some colleges that clearly were looking for students like me, but that I had no interest in. However, I also got mail from colleges that I loved, applied to, and strongly considered attending.</p>
<p>I think it's important when considering the mail to realize that some students don't get much guidance from home nor are they able to visit colleges. Thus, the mailings can provide them with very useful info. This, of course, assumes that students can read well enough to understand that receiving mail from a college doesn't guarantee admission or the money to attend the college.</p>
<p>Northstarmom- Looking at my post I overstated a bit. They did get some mail from schools that would be good fits, but most of the mail was from places that would not be good matches for them. It is true that they go nothing from the schools that they applied to and are/will be attending. I must add, that the schools they applied to were all high profile, highly competitive schools that don't need to advertise.</p>
<p>Neither one of them even read any of the mail, except the letter from Harvard which S thought was humorous: Please dont forget us in your college search.... My older S said, "All of these schools look good in the brochures, I want to know what they're really like."</p>
<p>Cookiemom,
S has gotten a fair amount of mail from high profile colleges. This includes mail from Ivies as well as places like NYU. He also got a brief scholarship form from Rochester that said he could apply fee waived next fall, and would be considered for a $6k a year scholarship. </p>
<p>I get much more excited about the mail than does S. Funny, when I was a teen, I was happy to get mail of any kind, and was very thrilled about the college mail. My sons are not impressed as easily.</p>
SBmom- funny typo :D Seriously, I think the personalized note is a very smart idea. Look at the positive response it got from Carolyn's , SBmom's and fireflyscout's daughters. The applicants spend all of their time trying to stand out and be noticed-- it is clever for the schools to do so as well. After the many negative responses Wash U got to last year's flood of mass mailings (we got at least 5 or 6 from them and it was a turn-off to my s.) it is a wise marketing dep't who suggests the more personalized approach. After all, this is a business, and even though many schools have the luxury of being very selective, they still want to attract certain kids or types of kids, and have to "sell" themselves.</p>
<p>I think there is a big difference between the unsolicited mass mailing stuff that comes in the mail as a result of colleges getting the list of PSAT, SAT and ACT scores, and the personalized responses received after a visit. My s. wrote thank-you notes (well, emails- I hope that was good enough) to the professors that took the time to speak to him on college visits. To me, this is a little bit of a twist on the same courtesy, but especially poignant as the adcomms see so many students, it is nice that they take the time to do this. To you adcomms or former adcomms on the list, what are your thoughts??</p>
<p>And Northstarmom, I am with you! As a teenager, I used to get really excited when there was something in the mail for me!! My older s. was way too blase' in my book to a lot of the college stuff that came for him. I'd often fish things out of the pile of unopened mailings to find <em>large</em> scholarship offers the he wouldn't even look at! It still excited me, even though he couldn't care less. He was more excited when the montly Popular Science magazine showed up in the mail. (I am not kidding).</p>
<p>And soozieVT- that is a touching story! And very classy of the Smith ski coach. And to be remembered like that-- your daughter obviously stood out. She should be very flattered.</p>
<p>Cookiemom, I do agree that one needs to be cautious, and not read too much into ANY marketing. But, receiving a personal handwritten note from three people at this particular school did make her go and take a second look at their web site last night - she found a few things she didn't notice the first time, including a school run study abroad program that would be tailor made for many of her interests, a program in a potential major and a new honors program. If nothing else, she's now looked more closely at what this school offers than any other school on her list. </p>
<p>My daughter HATES most of the mail she receives from colleges - it's all pretty much been tossed into a big box in her bedroom without being looked at. Ironically, many of the mailings she's received have been from schools that could be close matches with what she is looking for but she is so turned off by all of the same-looking brochures and form letters that few have really caught her attention. One series of mailings that HAS caught her eye are from a college we visited last year that keeps sending monthly packets of simple photo's showing the actual students on campus, the way they're dressed, even how their backpacks are decorated. These mailings have very few words - just a lot of pictures that convey a sense of the student body that very much matches her own impression from when we visited.</p>
<p>I'll PM you privately Dstark - now that my daughter is seriously considering various schools I'm trying to be a bit more discrete about discussing things like this on the open board. </p>
<p>Whoops, I see you don't accept PM's - let's just say it was one of the schools we visited in Oregon in a city that daughter loved. :)</p>
<p>I appreciate Cookiemom's point, but when a school shows a consistent pattern of personal attention, I think that says a lot about the school as well as their desire for your child. My DD applied to Carleton, and because they waived the fee and took Common App, actually sent in her whole application before the ED results came out. Now we are a long way from there, so visiting was not an option, I would say that Carleton would be a good match for my daughter, but certainly her stats weren't so astronomical as to set them salivating! She would be geographic diversity. Anyway, she received a handwritten note from the regional adcom with info that fitted her interests, but what really impressed us was that after she was accepted ED, and withdrew her Carleton app, they sent her another letter, acknowledging her withdrawal, wishing her well, it was a form letter, but had a small addition from the admissions office and was personally signed - very classy.</p>
<p>Although not coming from an adcon, the "personal' touch is very wise. Wife and I donated to a campus based organization at our son's U. A month later I got a telephone call from a student who directly benefited from the donation by being able to go on a birthright trip to Israel. I was waiting for the next statement, "we could use more $$," but it never came -- it was just a genuine thank you call.</p>
<p>Smart, my wallet will open up again the next time I am called</p>
<p>My daughter received this treatment from Swarthmore and BC. Phone calls, cards from the admissions office.
BC in particular made several phone calls in the evening, I assume they were calling from home: we felt loved;) Ultimately my D had to decline because she had applied somewhere else ed and we were all sick about it.
Like some of the other posters, I think it may be marketing, but I believe there is good and bad marketing, and Carolyn, this is very good marketing.
I would take this to mean they would be concerned about your daughter even after she enrolled.
You must be on top of the world as a parent!</p>
<p>In fact, not knowing you or your child, I kinda of hope she attends this school in your favorite city in Oregon which will remain nameless.</p>
<p>Some of you will remember my "Planning WAY ahead?" thread. At the age my son now is, any contact with a college is ridiculously early, and I don't really expect colleges to open a file on him. And yet, I have to consider it pleasant that one college (whose regional information was one of many we visited this school year) put him on its mailing list, and another college sent a nice personalized thank-you-for-your-thank-you email to him after he emailed (rather late, I thought) with thanks for the info session. For all that, he has somewhat more interest in a college that has so far been aloof, but which put on a very dynamic information session. :) He isn't focusing on colleges yet, but I do try to spy on which ones he mentions the most in conversation.</p>
<p>I PM'd some of you earlier about Valentine's Day at our house: A package arrive from my son's college choice. Inside, a cute Valentine's card ("Be ours") with a hand written note from two Deans at the college. Also inside, a small box of candies. That got a WOW from all of us, and - although it wouldn't change a decision - it made us all feel like this was yet another indication that he made the right decision to go there.</p>
<p>I do recognize that it is marketing, but it's amazing how one personal note can go so much farther than many, many of the mass mailings he got from schools (most of which still remain unopened).,</p>
<p>However, without going into details, before our first visit to the campus, we had a less-than positive experience in not getting returned calls when trying to set up an appointment with the department. We found out later that it was a vacation period for everyone and somebody filling in for the department secretary (very part time) did not relay the messages. Once we arrived on campus, however, it very quickly turned into an extremely positive exprerience for our son.</p>