<p>It started after the PSATs sophomore year, continued after visiting a college fair, and resumed after the recent junior year PSATs. The mail is overtaking the kitchen counters, bedroom dressers, desks, and is piling up on the floor. We started filing the brochures into shoeboxes ... that lasted about a week. I remember when we felt like we needed an extension on our first tiny house for the Little Tikes play kitchen, but this is even more overwhelming. Is there a point to keeping the brochures and letters? And should D and S be consistently replying to every single college that they may possibly be interested in?</p>
<p>I still have the pieces that D received. Was going to sort, count, and weigh them. </p>
<p>Most prolific mailer: Washington U. St. Louis</p>
<p>Most missing the target: US Air Force Academy (D hates flying and isn't big on regimentation)</p>
<p>This makes me laugh. I was middle of the pack high school student back in the day, the only college mail I got was from like the community college and Bryant & Stratton type schools. LOL</p>
<p>The only school that's sent me a more massive amount of mail than Washington University is Cornell - and that's only because I requested their course catalog!</p>
<p>I guess it works, though, or they wouldn't be spending the money on it...</p>
<p>I've saved all of mine too. At a guess I'd say it's over 10 pounds... how crazy!</p>
<p>The most interesting mail was from Texas Tech - they sent me an envelope that was bulging at the seams, turned out it had a rather snazzy pen in it! Didn't quite convince me to apply, but my friends and I had fun as about half of us got the pens :P</p>
<p>I think my mailman is cursing Wash U already. No wonder tuition costs are so high!</p>
<p>Wash U has been consistently spamming me since my first AP test sophomore year. I hate them and their mail so much that I refuse to apply there. They scare me!</p>
<p>twinmom: have your kids throw out any mail from colleges they're positive they don't want. Some less reputable in-state schools and community colleges maybe? Then get a big folder (or box) each for mail from colleges they are very interested in, and ditto for the maybes.</p>
<p>Most of the stuff they send you doesn't matter anyway. Only keep what really seems important--like viewbooks and finaid info.</p>
<p>Donate it to high school counselors.</p>
<p>I heartily second Mr.B. My high school could've used all the materials that get sent out -- if it wasn't a California-funded school or military institution, they absolutely didn't have information. Just imagine what they could do with the view books, informational brochures, posters and videos that get sent!</p>
<p>Colleges seem to go through cycles when they boost their direct marketing budget. We kept a big box, with a section for those of interest and a big pile of everything else. I seem to recall Millsaps college as being an unusually prolific mailer a few years ago. Despite no expression of interest and no contact, the mail kept coming... and coming...</p>
<p>Of course, when a student is interested in a school, a deluge of cool materials is often welcome.</p>
<p>This amazes me. My two never get mail except if they request it from a college, then it turns out to be one piece and never more. Maybe it's the homeschooling thing that throws them off. And I know these mailings are really expensive for the colleges.</p>
<p>Reasonabledad:<br>
Did they check off the "okay to contact me" box on the PSAT?</p>
<p>I donated most of the brochures to the community library for reference materials.</p>
<p>Our mail champ from last year: University of Evansville.</p>
<p>Their school motto: Mail Early. Mail often. Never Give Up.</p>
<p>D gets mail every day that says,"since you have at one time expressed an interest in the (College at Sea , Bob Jones University, Las Vegas Community College) we are sending you this (comb with our college seal on it,mouse pad,real mouse, glow in the dark nasal inhaler) along with this (packet of redundant and/or self evident information). We hope to see you next week at our (tea,brunch,tupperware party,orgy) for Juniors at our campus a thousand or more miles from you." Well, hope away. Simply amazing.</p>
<p>The Army sent me a duffle bag....as if they were ready for me to pack up and ship off.</p>
<p>Ilcapo, now that's funny.</p>
<p>I've heard of the back-door draft but that's ridiculous.</p>
<p>Curmudgeon, LOL!!!</p>
<p>What you do is, save all the junk college mail and then stuff it into the postage paid return envelopes and send it back. Just joking.</p>
<p>It's true, D gets about 4-5 pieces of mail every day. And yes Washington U is the biggest offender</p>
<p>i remember getting so much mail when i was in high school from the colleges.. i put it all in a box and put it under my bed, because i was sick of dealing with it. My little sister has already started getting mail sent to her, and she hasn't taken the PSAT's or anything yet.</p>
<p>Our son threw his 24# box of mailings out as soon as he sent his deposit to RPI in. He to got tons of unsolicited stuff from Washington U. Other notables were Grinnell(several were student essay newsletters), Chicago(unique post cards), Rochester, Case and N'western(nice trifold about succeeding in college which I suggested he keep). His favorite-a CalTech poster(like he had a snowballs chance getting in there). Weird ones were Furman, St Scholastica and Susquehanna(which actually seemed quite nice).</p>