<p>How do some kids end up getting pre-paid visits, while my DS did not? I suppose it has to do with our zip code, but isn’t that a bit presumptive? My kids’ PSAT scores were as admireable as those who got their trip paid for, so obviously their decision to pay for the trip was not based on his scores.</p>
<p>BTW, applicannot, I take offense by your comment.
It may “feel” good to have college paid for in full, but please don’t offend or laugh at those who pay full freight.</p>
<p>I am not sure why anyone would take offense to the reporting of information or trips, but that is the way of CC, I suppose.</p>
<p>Trips are offered to entice typically underrepresented or particularly desirable individuals to consider schools they otherwise might not have considered. As Applicannot indicated, there are many trips directed towards underrepresented students; there are also trips for scholarship finalists or invitees.</p>
<p>My rising senior daughter was invited to apply for a trip to Harvey Mudd (presumably to gauge interest), and we are white and uppermiddle class. I assume she was invited because of some combination of her sex, her interest in the sciences, our location in the midwest and her PSAT/SAT/ACT scores. </p>
<p>She is not attending, because she wants to stay closer to home, but it was effective in getting her to think about a school she otherwise would not have considered.</p>
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<p>It’s a good thing I didn’t do that, then. I think you should read that again. I was lamenting that Bowdoin - a small school at that - spent $100,000 on new brochures in the blink of an eye.</p>
<p>I see where you may have been confused. I meant to write “to the Bowdoin counselor” but that was cut off.</p>
<p>According to your post, Applicannot, you made the comment about full pay students paying for Bowdoin’s brochures. I passed it over because your comments are usually well thought out.</p>
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<p>I don’t understand what the problem is, I guess. Can you explain it to me? Two students entire payment to Bowdoin went toward something fairly petty like brochures. I didn’t realize we didn’t universally agree that that is a problem (potentially wasted money).</p>
<p>I definitely did make that comment. I’d also make the comment that about two thousand (paying) students are paying for Stanford’s new concert hall. Spending hard earned money is worth comments. I think we have a miscommunication here, that’s all.</p>
<p>I think Washington University is infamous for this type of “recruiting.” My younger daughter was courted and wooed by Wash U. several years back. We seemed to get weekly mailings begging her to apply, informing her about how wonderful the school was, etc. … She applied … but was wait-listed. Despite her 35 ACT, 2900 SAT, 4.5+ weighted GPA, etc., etc. Figure that one out.</p>
<p>Like applicannot, ds is a URM. Being a minority male from the SW with good PSAT scores was no doubt attractive to Midwest and NE LACS, the schools that offered to pay him to come out, usually in connection with a diversity weekend. He only attended one. He would have liked to have gone to another, but he had a scheduling conflict and, geez, he couldn’t spend all fall flying from college to college, as much fun as that sounds.</p>
<p>The other school who paid for him to come out but then WL’d him was the school mentioned early in the thread, Rice. Again, I wasn’t that surprised because we are in-state for Rice, and in Texas there’s no shortage of bright, Hispanic males who’d like to attend there. In other words, he’s not the commodity in Texas that he is in Maine and Minnesota and Middle Of Nowhere. :)</p>
<p>Understood, Applicannot. The way it came across was different than you imagined. It came across as, haha, poor full pay schmucks, look where their money goes. </p>
<p>The disadvantage of not being face to face.</p>
<p>I remember BU doing this to me and sending me a rejection letter April 2008. I personally think it’s morally wrong to woo students and make them put all of their energy into a school that led them to believe they would accept them.</p>
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<p>No wonder I was so confused. I would have never said that. Heck, it’s the people who are full pay and who STILL manage to donate what they have left - well, even the wealthy folks - who have enabled me to go to school. I was thinking the opposite - there are two people pouring their money into Bowdoin to pay for brochures for students who probably won’t even attend.</p>
<p>I had a medical doctor tell me a story about being recruited by an Ivy League school as an athlete (undergrad). He was told to withdraw all of his other applications and then was not accepted. This was a few years ago, but it indicates that this is not something new.</p>
<p>Applicannot–I thought it was not a typical response from you. And speaking of brochures: I still want NYU’s printing budget.</p>
<p>Yikes! I meant 2290 SAT! I think my daughter is quite exceptional, but not quite “2900” exceptional. :)</p>
<p>applicannot: I think I understood what you meant and I didn’t take offense to it.</p>
<p>Hindoo,</p>
<p>Was your daughter pre-med?</p>
<p>My D was a NMF, All-State athelete, +4.0, 2270 SAT yada yadda yadda and she was rejected by Wash. U. Wasted her National Merit first choice designation.</p>
<p>Really regretting the Summer Scholars experience. Cruel to bond with a school and then get rejected.</p>
<p>D. was pre-med and admitted it. Probably a bad strategy for a woman. Tell them you are an aspiring anything else, apparently they are awash in qualified female pre-meds.</p>
<p>Applicannot’s comment about the brochures was in the context of my comment about college’s expenditures being out of control. I think the response was very instructive. I implied that tuition is high because universities spend money on some things that I consider lavish, including visits for students who haven’t been admitted. In addition, there is a race to build a entire country club atmosphere and the compensation of some college presidents is way too high for non-profit institutions. One reason why they can do this (among others) is that people are paying $38000 a yr at many private schools.</p>
<p>One of the colleges which came up on the list is one to which I donate money. Very small amounts, but still, I will make sure to designate any future donations as being for scholarships.</p>
<p>Aplicannot, I too was confused by your post, since I think so highly of your usual comment. It’s just that I tend to get offended (easily) when I hear the money we spend for tuition might go to such a frivolous item like a brochure. I know there isn’t really a direct line from my tuition check to the printers or some plane fare. I hope there’s also some money directed to his education costs too, not just PR.</p>
<p>I like Copterguy’s idea about designating future donations towards a scholarship, rather than printing costs.</p>
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DaddyOh hit the nail on the head: college is like any other business that offers a product. The product happens to be education. Marketing is an integral part of the business plan.</p>
<p>Applicannot also has a point:
The appeal of certain universities is based on the selectivity of their product. Selectivity is based on attracting more applicants than those who can be admitted. Call it the “luxury” brand of education.</p>
<p>I should - I taught at one of the schools mentioned as being famous for handing out plane tickets and then waitlisting kids.</p>
<p>Here’s how it works - midwestern private wants to break into the ranks of the ‘elite’ schools. How do we attract upper tier kids and the prestige and dollars that flow with them? We change people’s perception of the school. (Old Spice is still the same cheapo product it was a few months ago - we just think it’s cooler because they have come up with a clever advertising campaign.) So first we get the board to loosen up dollars, and we hit everyone hard with a campaign to turn the school into “college land.” We tear down the standard dorms and create suites. We tear down anything that isn’t red granite and all collegiate looking. (this school even spent a fortune on faux stone signage because the real stone signage couldn’t be assembled fast enough) You jack up the tuition, raise the admission bar a bit (unless you’re a full pay) and bingo - you’re into the big time. You sprinkle in a few big name professors and suddenly you’re in the top 20 and you can charge $50K a year for the kids who didn’t quite have the chops for Harvard and Yale. From a development standpoint you’re in in the cat bird seat - certain to scoop up a ton of kids because those schools can only admit so many. Oh but wait - it’s the midwest and the campus is probably a dump in the minds of the east coast elite. Solution - send a free plane ticket to so you can set the hook - brilliant. The cost of that is peanuts compared to the $200K we get for each warm body over the course of 4 years. It’s like giving a kid a lollipop and then pulling it out of their mouth. And when when the expected tuition ‘discount’ isn’t quite what you expected, the college, who has cozied up with the banks, has this wonderful package all ready for you to sign to make your child happy again… And it’s all highly emotionally charged - schools know that parents will do anything to secure the best for your child’s future. It’s an awesome business plan.</p>
<p>Cynical and oh so correct DaddyOh…</p>
<p><a href=“Old%20Spice%20is%20still%20the%20same%20cheapo%20product%20it%20was%20a%20few%20months%20ago%20-%20we%20just%20think%20it’s%20cooler%20because%20they%20have%20come%20up%20with%20a%20clever%20advertising%20campaign.”>quote</a>
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<p>Oh, so that’s what the ads were supposed to do? They just made me think that Old Spice was a product for tools (sorry for going OT).</p>