<p>One of the top students in our high school ( a very competitive high school in Northern California) said that she has received a letter from Stanford inviting her to apply. </p>
<p>She never showed anyone the letter but she said the letter said something about how Stanford is inviting the best students to apply to.</p>
<p>From the letter, she has concluded that she is "in" already. Everyone is very surprised that she could be "in" already or that she has received such a letter because even though her GPA is very high (3.92 UW, 4.56 Weighted), her SAT scores are mediocre (CR: 580 WR: 690 Math: 800) and she has below average EC (no leadership positions).</p>
<p>Does anyone else know about this "letter" from Stanford?</p>
<p>Lots of people have these stories-- some mediocre person gets a piece of college spam and s/he tells all her friends that it's like a likely letter or something, getting them jealous and such.</p>
<p>Lots of kids receive these letters each year, including mine[ National merit, legacy, top student-rejected by Stanford]. It's just an invitation to send Stanford your $.</p>
<p>I think that must be what it is--otherwise, why wouldn't she show people her "invitation" letter?</p>
<p>It's really quite terrible in our high school at this time of the year. The tension level among seniors is so high that people are just flipping out right and left. Even the parents are flipping out!</p>
<p>I overheard this conversation between a parent and a counselor: The mother said, "My son deserves to get into Stanford because he has worked hard." The counselor said, "Well, we have a lot of hardworking students, but very few can get into Stanford. I really don't think your son has a chance at any of the top schools given that his GPA is only 3.4 and his SAT Critical Reading and Writing scores are only 580 and 640. You were dismissive about Berkeley and UCLA last time we talked. The truth is, he's not going to get into either Cal, UCLA or UCSD. We're looking at UC Davis as a match" </p>
<p>At this point in the conversation, the mother started screaming!</p>
<p>Incredible!</p>
<p>Later I heard through the grapevine that she was going to hire a private consultant for $10,000 and "show" the counselor.</p>
<p>In comparison, my parents are so laid back.</p>
<p>Suz: don't take for granted the lesson your parents are showing you with their calm and perspective. Just imagine the type of parent you want to be and what you want your kids to value (hint: it's not money and prestige). Best of luck to you. </p>
<p>(I'm envious of Stanford's weather -- I worked there one summer. Man it was sweet)</p>
<p>Yeah, I was wondering why Tulane University asked me to apply (for free). I got a 26 on the ACT and have a 3.2 W GPA... After weeks/months of confusion, I eventually realized that they were most likely using me to up their admissions rate. Although I don't HAVE to apply (and in this case, I will not), I think that's a little selfish--even unethical--of Tulane to ask people to apply when they KNOW the kids probably don't stand a chance of being admitted.</p>
<p>I think you're misinterpreting Tulane. I don't know why you got a letter, but it was certainly because your name was on a mailing list, somewhere. Tulane, like all schools, wants a large applicant pool because they want a lot of choice in whom they admit. That's natural and it's part of the business. Reducing admit rates has a negligible effect on US News rankings and little benefit elsewhere for the added cost of marketing.</p>
<p>I can't know for sure what's going on at Tulane, but I suspect that Hurricane Katrina has caused chaos, there. They probably don't know how many or what kinds of kids will apply, and are reaching out broadly because they don't know. If another hurricane hits New Orleans, they could see applications drop below what they need to fill their freshman class.</p>
<p>But an invitation to apply is not at all a promise of admission. It is simply an invitation to send in an application form and see what happens.</p>
<p>
[quote]
The counselor said, "Well, we have a lot of hardworking students, but very few can get into Stanford. I really don't think your son has a chance at any of the top schools given that his GPA is only 3.4 and his SAT Critical Reading and Writing scores are only 580 and 640. You were dismissive about Berkeley and UCLA last time we talked. The truth is, he's not going to get into either Cal, UCLA or UCSD. We're looking at UC Davis as a match"</p>
<p>At this point in the conversation, the mother started screaming!
[/quote]
</p>
<p>That mother is seriously out of touch with reality.</p>
<p>Suz, let your classmate enjoy her delusions while they last. Colleges specialize in sending marketing letters that do everything possible to imply you're a shoo-in without crossing the line and actually promising anything. Lines such as "you'd be one of our top applicants", "we encourage you to apply", "we are impressed with your accomplishments", etc. are common phrases. People read too much into them, exactly what the colleges are hoping for. These letters are sent by marketing companies hired by the college.</p>
<p>Colleges send these letters out for a variety of reasons. They can target people based on intended major, SAT score, self-reported GPA, minority status, demographics (eg. living in a rich zipcode), etc. They mean no more than the credit-card solicitations your parents get every month.</p>
<p>"But an invitation to apply is not at all a promise of admission. It is simply an invitation to send in an application form and see what happens."</p>
<p>Exactly. We had an experience similar to menloparkmom's. Princeton "invited" my d to apply, but she didn't get in, despite many factors that others might consider "hooks." </p>
<p>The letter from Tulane may be different. I seem to remember my daughter receiving offers to apply to certain schools for free, with a guaranteed answer within a short period of time. (UVm was one of these schools with "priority" admissions.) These are not come-ons. These schools are actively trying to attract better students and may offer merit awards to their accepted "priority" applicants. They simply want to make your decision harder in the spring.</p>
<p>Of course, if you wouldn't attend that school in a million years, then there's no sense in applying. But if you would consider it, then apply. It could take some of the pressure off the whole admissions cycle.</p>