<p>I was talking to my friend about colleges and she told me that her siblings emailed colleges in advance to let them know they are interested. She told me that it lets you get your "foot in the door." Should I do this for all of the colleges I'm interested in? I am interested in Boston College, Georgetown University, University of Washington, Washington State and many more. Is it worth it, does it do much, and who should I send it to? Thanks</p>
<p>At his point, instead of sending emails, I would put your name on the mailing list of each of these schools. Right now I’m sure the admissions departments are busy finalizing their decisions for this year and they likely are not ready to hear from students for the following cycle. But almost every college has a place on their admissions website to sign up for their mailing list – this way they will know you are interested and you will get brochures and information etc. from the schools.</p>
<p>Like Happy said, get on their email list first. That shows interest. Then maybe in the summer after you’ve done a little more research, you could email the admissions office (in general) any questions you might have. Some (not most or all) colleges keep track of “contacts” as signs of interest. The Trinity University rep told us that it’s something they take note of. Ultimately, however, it’s highly unlikely that it’s going to be the deciding factor for school admissions.</p>
<p>It’s true this is a busy time of year for admissions offices, but they’re running relationships with current juniors and current sophomores as well. They’re <em>always</em> happy to hear from you especially if you’re a first time contact. That said, what they’ll do is put you on their mailing list, so doing what happy1 suggests is just as good.</p>
<p>Some colleges take demonstrated interest into account; you can find out by looking at their Common Data Set report. Getting on their mailing list is a start. Don’t obsess over sending an introductory email like its going to get you in if you do it or ruin your chances if you don’t. An intor email is at best a tiny factor at some schools, and something easily replicated by other approaches like getting on the mailing list, attending a presentation they give in your area, etc.</p>
<p>Oh ok thanks you guys! I just got on the mailing lists of my favorite choices!</p>