<p>I like truthful cynics, but I’ve gotten chewed out on here before when I said that higher education is a business that performs a public service. But the emphasis is on business. That’s why in post no. 47 I referred to ds as a commodity. 
He’s my wonderful, precious commodity, but we entered the college admissions season with a clear-eyed understanding of why he’s more likely to get in some places and less likely in others.</p>
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<p>Exactly. Internet communication definitely has its drawbacks.</p>
<p>I’ve gotten the customary “we wan you!” letters, but no attempts by colleges to make t seem like they’re courting me. I mean oter than sports it’s just been the old, respond for more info thing.</p>
<p>These days most upper middle class families with kids who are looking to go away to college are making college visits. High schools have college visit days. The problem is that college visits are expensive, especially if they involve plane fare, overnight stays. Low income and even middle income families are limited in providing this perk to their kids. </p>
<p>We have cousins who have a rising senior son. Just one child, both parents employed, but they make in the mid 5 figures. The only colleges they will consider and visit are ones that are a couple of hours from home. We live just a few hours away, so they came and visited us and looked at some NYC area colleges. No way are they going to look in the midwest or south or west coast or even New England. In fact, this young man is rather privileged in his high school in that most of the kids are going to be commuting to college or go to the state U. Maybe some are going to nearby smaller schools, and a precious few considering top schools. Cousin is a good student but not spectacular. The only way he and his family would even put a far away school up for consideration on their college list is if they did get an invite. </p>
<p>I guess if kids are in some program that indicates first generation to college, low income, family challenges, URM, or some special program participation, they do get invitations from colleges that are looking to recruit some more kids in these categories that they do not often get. </p>
<p>I remember being surprised at the interest and care given to a young lady in Buffalo who applied to UNCChapel Hill, UVA and a number of such selective schools. This was on CC some time ago. Yes, they flew her down there. </p>
<p>Though we did not get any paid offers to visit until after acceptances (and we did get some), there are many invitations to come visit a campus for special events during the year while the apps are pending. Perhaps those who indicate that they cannot otherwise afford a visit are given funds to join those who can afford to visit, but they are not guaranteed admission just as everyone else invited to these things are not.</p>
<p>We did not get any teaser come ons. Difficult though to explain to my high school kids that just because you get brochures, letters, invitations from colleges, it doesn’t mean they will accept you. It’s to get the application.</p>
<p>How about a federal law all colleges get to admit 50% of their class on any criteria they choose but the remaining 50% has to be strictly mandated merit admission. So many points for GPA, so many points for SAT, so many points for well established awards in EC’s not just participation, a nod for URM, etc.</p>
<p>50% of everyone plays by the same rules, not just adcom whims.</p>
<p>My D was invited to paid visits, and accepted to the schools she was invited too. Clearly diversity stuff based on her SAT’s. For at least one school it was not paid for, and yet a VERY good move, as she had never even HEARD of this school, or ANY LAC before, and she ended up falling in love with it. In the end, couldn’t compete with a school that did it even better. </p>
<p>High income ( especially newly minted) or not, I don’t think most URM families think LAC, or schools in places like Wyoming. All in all, made sense to me. </p>
<p>Weirder is a visit my son has been offered, and from a public school. He has decent SAT’s, but wait till they get a look at his GPA! Well, actually they won’t because he didn’t even open the brochure, and probably won’t read the email.</p>
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<p>You didn’t think that years ago with the old commercials? LOL At least now they’re trying to be witty by using parody. For years, they actually advertised Old Spice with a straight face. Heck, the new commercials are an IMPROVEMENT.</p>
<p>I haven’t notice the commercials, but I was REALLY puzzled when my son switched from Axe to Old Spice. That must be SOME commercial!</p>
<p>I don’t think I ever saw the old commercials.</p>
<p>Told my S that his grandfather had used Old Spice when I learned S had also switched form Axe to Old Spice.</p>
<p>I love the Old Spice ads – but I’ve always kind of liked the scent. :o</p>
<p>The points about the business of college correct to a certain degree. But these are very strange businesses, and reputation is an odd commodity. For one, it outlasts the quality of an institution or department in academia. Plus you have a non-profit dimension and a development office or offices – not to mention the reputation of faculty. At most top research universities, faculty are there to improve the reputation of the institution – teaching is only a secondary concern. And the cynicism doesn’t account for the way budgets at universities are handled.</p>
<p>But even if we proceed with the business model and the association with marketing, the college visits for students who will not be admitted are wasteful and probably not worth the money. I mentioned this to a friend recently who didn’t even get an invite to campus as a graduate student admitted to an Ivy League university in the early 90s. So these invites at all levels are an offshoot of years when endowments were up and public systems were building (mostly buildings). I’ll be curious to see whether these visits continue now that many universities are feeling the economic downturn.</p>
<p>The new Old Spice ads are hilarious. (I’m on a horse.)</p>
<p>^^And you look fabulous–even backwards.</p>
<p>The rise of the various lists of college rankings seem to have played a role in this phenomenon. The various ratings include the ratio of accepted vs. applicants in their criteria. Certain schools have seen their rankings rise as they use this criteria. </p>
<p>As the schools rise in the rankings, alumni are happy and increase their donations. More students apply as the school gets a prestigeous reputation. And the cycle continues.</p>
<p>It is in the school’s interest to string along a borderline candidate until the last possible moment, get him/her to apply and their reject him/her. That rejection adds to the ratio of acceptances versus applicants.</p>
<p>Simple solution, tax revenue from application fees. Pro-rated for the ratio of acceptances.</p>
<p>Many times I have heard someone excitedly say that he/she was sent an application in the mail from Harvard, which was taken to mean that Harvard wanted him/her badly. I read a book by a former admissions officer at Duke University in which she described that colleges promote themselves and make everyone feel that his/her chances are great. The reason is that if more people apply, more revenue will be brought in from application fees, fewer people will be accepted proportionally (which will lower the admissions rate), and, because acceptance rates are significant factors in college rankings, that school will ascend the U.S. News and World Report ladder. It’s as simple as that.</p>
<p>So the simple and fair solution would be to remove acceptance rate as a criteria for ranking?</p>
<p>Perhaps a rival publication could rank without this criteria? Then see who sells the most college guides…</p>
<p>My DS is an URM and top 10% at his hs. He had a rejection from a top tier school this past spring that was particularily painful because of his history with the school. During his junior year he was selected to attend a summer program at the school that was highly selective and for which the school paid just about the entire tuition, housing and other expenses for my ds. Only 24 students are selected for the program which is business oriented. One focus of the program is to help the student gain admissions into the school and in fact the admissions people meet with the student while at the program. The school also waives their admission application fee for these students and makes a note that they attended the summer program.</p>
<p>My son did well in the program and was part of the team that won 2 of the 3 awards given out. The Dean of the Business school took a liking to my DS and wrote letters of reference for him for admissions and scholarships. The school was active in their communication to my son all year so we were pretty stunned when my son was rejected from the school. Interestingly, only about 1/3 of the students from the summer program were accepted into this school. My son and I couldn’t figure out why some were and others were not since the group seemed highly accomplished and good kids. </p>
<p>What was also interesting is that a state school nearby had heavily been recruiting my son (tickets to fly back, etc.) and the dean of the business school from the first school wrote my son a reference letter for a scholarship competition at this state school that my son was invited to apply for. My son ended up being one of the winners which meant he got a full-ride to the state school. Fortunately for me, he decided to take the state school up on their offer. We both felt than he should go to a place that wanted him all along and did many things to back it up.</p>
<p>It still stings when we hear of kids going to the first school but it opened my eyes that just because a school does things out of the norm and recruite doesn’t mean you will get into the school.</p>
<p>Which school is this “first school” that you have been referring to?</p>