<p>Trust me....if you fill in the "request info" spot on the web site you will get MORE THAN ENOUGH mail from that college. Once you take the PSAT you will receive mail ad nauseum from places you have never heard of. You'll also get packets of post cards to request info (my daughter gets a bunch every week). If there is some college that you have a particular interest in, I suppose a personal note might be nice, but to be honest it probably won't increase your chances of admission to write a personal note asking for an info package. At DS's university, the folks who field the requests for info packs are work study students....not adcoms. Regarding when...you can request information whenever you want it. It will come quickly. Much of what you will get in writing is duplicate to what you can read on the websites.</p>