Parents just need to tell their kids to either (a) opt out of the mailings when they take the test or (b) ignore all mailings from schools that they haven’t signed up for the mailing list. S19 got letters from all Ivies last year based on his SAT score. Give me a break. All of his friends got them too. S19 told all of his friends that they don’t mean anything! If schools can’t figure out how to reach out more specifically to kids they are most likely to admit, then they shouldn’t be reaching out at all. Sending mass mailings is just bad practice - getting hopes up for kids who just are not going to be admitted.
I also hate the practice of deferring ED or SCEA candidates to RD if they have no chance. i know a handful of kids who were deferred at places like Yale and they were never going to get in…yet they held out hope until late April for “Ivy Day” decisions.