In the past few weeks we’ve received a few bits of correspondence from colleges where our kid has applications pending, none of which were notably personalized or rose to the level of likely letters, but which struck us as odd choices for generic mailings too. (Other schools, by contrast, are absolutely stone silent right now.)
One long, detailed letter to parents touting the advantages/affordability of School A.
One email invitation to participate in an online forum to discuss school vibe at School B.
One letter highlighting the opportunities offered by the kid's intended major at School C.
Does anyone have any past experience with these that would suggest whether they could be read as signs of hope for a positive outcome, or just overactive marketing?
Why would they send marketing materials to a kid they know they’re going to reject … or do they not know yet or care … so long as they get it to all kids including those they ultimately accept?
Just wondering if there’s a pattern … or not.
Or maybe we’ll just have to wait to find out in a few weeks, but I’m curious what others’ experiences have been or will be.
Overactive marketing. It’s highly unlikely there’s any communication between admissions and the marketing team. They’re just sending these out hoping that they’ll build enthusiasm among whoever is accepted so the yield will be high.
It would likely cost more to do the analysis to whittle the mailings down to “likelies” than it costs to mail to all applicants. As you’ve seen, other schools choose to not do anything until decisions are sent out, then they will bombard the accepted students.
Yeah, I figured that was the most likely explanation, but still I’m curious. Perhaps I’ll check back when it all plays out and report on whether or not there was any pattern after all. Mostly just spinning my wheels while we all wait for answers.
Hard to wait! My older kid got mailings from LACs he had applied to, while we were waiting for decision, including mailings on his areas of interest and on financial aid. We chalked it up to “keeping us interested” during the long silence. By that point, he had decided on a flagship, so we didn’t pay much attention.
DEFINITELY not putting any emphasis on them. Chalked them up to pure marketing when talking with the kid. But still curious about possible correlation or lack thereof. Only time will tell.
@porcupine98 , if it helps take the edge off waiting, all of my D’s remaining colleges officially state Mar 31 as the notification date. However, there is a thread right now on CC, called Admission Notification dates 2016. It is pinned at the top of the admissions forum. According to this, at least 5 of my D’s remaining colleges are notifying earlier than March 31, some in just two weeks time. Have a look, because your wait might not be quite as long as you expect:-)