<p>If there's a particular school you want more information from, no need to wait to a "good time." Just fill in the online form on their admissions web site. If you really want to be deluged, register at the PRinceton Review site and click "send me more information" - you'll start receiving mail and emails almost immediately.</p>
<p>When your child takes the PSAT in October, they will have the chance to decline information from colleges or not when they fill in their info. at the test. If they say they want information, the College Board will sell their names and addresses to colleges and your child will automatically start getting materials. Most colleges buy names with some specifics such as test scores, geographic location, reported GPA, etc. so just because you haven't heard from a college doesn't after the PSATs doesn't mean you can't (and shouldn't) ask for info. if you want it. </p>
<p>As Dufus noted, schools do keep track of demonstrated interest, and SOME schools keep track of whether or not you respond to their mass mailings by sending back the BRC or signing on using the special code they give you in the mailing --- but mainly so they know which students are worth sending a second mailing to. When schools are making admissions decisions, however, I doubt if they are checking to see if you sent in the Business Reply Card to a mailing when they're looking at your file. </p>
<p>MAny schools, especially smaller and less selective ones, DO pay attention to demonstrated interest such as campus visits, emails to the admissions rep, and attendance at local presentations. And, that IS becomming a tipping point at some schools. </p>
<p>In general, I find the materials colleges send to be pretty useless. They all pretty much say the same sorts of things and have the same sorts of pictures. The only brochures my daughter really spends any time looking at are the ones from schools she's interested in in the first place. Therefore, it's not a bad idea to send for those.</p>