My S did well on his PSAT and has started receiving a number of “Congratulations, you’re invited to this science/technology/math/government/engineering/etc event” letters from groups like National Youth Leadership Academy and National Council of Future Scientists and Technologists. All appear to be invitations to spend a considerable amount of money traveling to a long weekend event in other states. Are these worth considering? Or are they a pitch to get parents to spend money resume building for their kids’ college apps? Anyone have personal experience or insight…?
I told my kids not to check the box on the SAT that pertains to receiving informational materials. I think for the most part you can ignore the marketing that ends up in your mail box. It doesn’t mean much at all and if you have younger children, they can avoid the deluge by not checking the box.
I’d ignore them just like the most of college material that should be soon filling your mail box. Mostly from colleges you have probably never heard of. DS17 is currently receiving at least 1 or 2 a day… I just throw them away.
Yeah, my soph. D got that one too in the mail yesterday. Into the recycling bin. She is not interested in Science and Technology. She checked “Art” as her interest. Her score wasn’t even that great. Just an invitation for parents to spend a lot of money.
Invitation to spend money.
The only worthwhile ads are the ones where they say your kid can earn substantial scholarships due to the PSAT score.
@PurpleTitan Which ones are those? haha
Q: PSAT scores generating solicitations… are they worth considering?
A1: No
A2: Hell, no!
@PurpleTitan Oh, ok, I thought you might be referring to other ones than National Merit.
I sense consensus. Thanks, all!
“You’ve been selected to pay $4000 to send your child to summer camp.” YAY! 
We’ve thrown all of ours away. On round 2 with my DS now.
We’re getting those too. From a rented mailbox on Harvard Square. Signed by a former astronaut. Vanderbilt Summer program where they rented space at Vanderbilt and no actual faculty members at Vanderbilt are involved. Something at Brown that does not involve Brown. If they cost about $4000, they are probably not very selective. We are hearing daily from some decent universities for admission in 2016.
couldn’t disagree more with most posts…got a “solicitation” (offer of free application) to Tulane based on my son’s ACT scores at the end of his junior year… he applied, was accepted and received a generous scholarship…all in November of his senior year. 
^^^Yes that’s why I said we’re hearing from some decent schools. But we’re getting lots of those science and leadership summer camps that invoke Ivy League names complete with the school seals. They are the real heart stoppers. So the lesson is it pays to read the correspondence. Congrats to your son.
Oh got you…yep we got a bunch of those “camp” brochures but definitely a few legit in there, worth checking out. Thank you and good luck to you. This is a crazy process IMHO.
We are in VA. My son got a post card from his second or third pick state university yesterday.
Could they possibly have known he had a departmental tour and a cafeteria lunch with his tech club there today? He’s really happy. I’m so excited for him.
Be aware that a lot of those events and so called academies and conferences are run by for profit organizations just making a living on these things. They spend some effort appealing to your vanity.I would prefer one run by the actual college which have programs with good reputations. Or applying to the truly selective ones where admissions is like winning a prize/honor like TASP, MICA etc.
S did one of those-NYLF on National Security. Expensive, he got it more as a present, plus college credit. It was in DC which he had never been to, so that part was good. Different organizations will continue to hound you with all sorts of invitations that look important. Majority aren’t. The good thing is colleges will start noticing him and some will pay for kid to visit them and waive application fees. Be happy he scored well.
My son did a NYLF on National Security also. It was great. Expensive but great.
Might you disagree because that is not exactly what the OP wondered about? Among the legitimate PSAT list buyers, you have schools that get a jump on the application process. The question was --unless I missed it – about the glossy packages with gold seals that are invariably the domain of crooks, shysters, and thieves masquerading as benevolent organizations. The reality is that the sought-after and worthwhile programs are expecting people to find them by matching their interest. The ones that rely on mass-mailing and dubious tactics at the HS level are the ones that are easy to toss in the garbage can without hesitation.
Expect to find supporters among the ones who rather not admit they got hosed! Those four letters affairs are … well, deserving of four letters expletives.