<p>Every single person in the world thinks marketing doesn’t work on them, that it is for suckers. But I would say the expenditure of over $130 billion a year in the US on marketing wouldn’t occur if it wasn’t much more effective than most people realize. Ignoring U of C altogether, I would bet that around 90% of the information a typical student/parent uses to make a college decision comes from marketing materials provided by the college. You visit the college website, go on a tour, pick up brochures, go to the info session, interview with someone from admissions, and read their mailings. Accepted students days are also very much structured by the college to show you what they want you to see. Except maybe the overnight, so take advantage of that. 
And people feel really well informed after they do those things. But almost every single thing you saw and did there was scripted by the college. </p>
<p>You can get past the scripted side, but I really think very few people do more than a little bit of this work. They just trust in what the college is marketing and how it feels. And sometimes that works out, and sometimes it doesn’t. Just don’t think you are above being affected by marketing, because you probably aren’t.</p>