<p>My sophomore DD took the PSAT and PLAN tests last fall and is getting bombarded with email and letters from college admissions offices.</p>
<p>Does anyone know what information these colleges have available to them? For example, do they get just information from the questionnaires? Do they get scores? Do they get percentiles?</p>
<p>She is getting letters from some very good schools that I can't see mass emailing everyone. Anyone know how the schools make these recruiting decisions?</p>
<p>Thanks,
Dave</p>
<p>Don’t read too much into the mailings. The colleges send out tens of thousands of these things. They buy lists from the College Board and the ACT, probably reflecting certain score cut-offs (e.g., a highly selective school might buy a mailing list of all HS sophomores and juniors scoring 200+ on the PSAT, figuring they’re the likeliest to end up with SAT scores in a competitive range for admission by the time they’re seniors), but that’s still tens of thousands of students above the cut-off. They don’t have time to go through any more detailed individual information than that on tens of thousands of HS sophomores and juniors who may or may not apply, nor do they (probably) have access to more detailed individual test score information until an actual applicant sends them an official score report. Some schools will also send letters making it sound as if they’ve culled through the 3 million or so students in your child’s age cohort and identified her as someone they’re especially interested in. Don’t buy it. Thousands of others are getting that exact same computer-generated letter. They want to be on her radar screen, in fact they want her to apply, but the most selective schools will reject the vast majority of those who do apply, including the many they’ve lured with letters and postcards and e-mails and glossy brochures. It’s just mass marketing, nothing to take too seriously, and nothing to take personally. But you’ll be impressed with the volume of mail your D will get, to the point that it may leave you incredulous that the Postal Service is in such dire financial straits given the volume of business the colleges give them.</p>
<p>My daughter, yesterday, got letters from Fort Lewis College in CO and from Cal Tech. I am assuming Cal Tech listed her for her math PSAT (along with everyone else above 70), Fort Lewis for her interest in sciences. She will apply to neither.</p>
<p>Two years ago, my oldest with much closer to average scores still got thousands of letters.</p>
<p>Thanks,</p>
<p>That is what I assumed. My DD also got one from Cal Tech yesterday (she will not apply there either) which is what prompted me to ask the above question. I didn’t think Cal Tech sent one to everyone nor did I think my daughter was special enough to be the only one. I was curious as too what information was available to them. Total scores, percentiles, individual section scores, interests, zip codes (she is getting a lot of regionals besides nationals)?</p>
<p>I think the standardized tests are what keeps the post office in business in Feb in a similar manner to what Christmas does for Dec (but maybe not quite as large since the college bound crowd is a bit smaller - they definitely get more per person though).</p>
<p>I have my guys look through them to see if they find anything interesting worth looking at more online, but I also caution them against thinking they are being “recruited.” They (personally) aren’t no matter how craftily the letter is worded. They are being advertised to. Nonetheless, they are shopping for a college, so the materials are worth looking at IMO.</p>
<p>ps Certain colleges will send you multiple, multiple, multiple mailings. It still doesn’t mean anything more than they are really trying to increase their apps. Top schools do this (as do some lower schools). I think our biggest offenders were Yale, U Chicago, and WUSTL (in that order). Middle son actually did apply to WUSTL - visited - was in their top 25% for stats, etc - and was waitlisted anyway. He opted not to go on the waitlist and I’m not sure he would have actually gone there if accepted in the beginning as he really likes where he is now (as do we), but it does show the mailings mean nothing other than fishing for applicants. ;)</p>
<p>This is like ANY OTHER MASS MAILING. The colleges buy lists according to criteria they want - scores above a certain point, regions of the country, whatever. There is nothing special about it. It is no more special than receiving a catalog in the mail or an invitation to try a new pizza place.</p>