<p>My kid got an email from one of her top choices:</p>
<p>"I am currently reading your application and I am so pleased that you chose to apply to XX! I particularly appreciate your passion for XX and I can see you becoming a really vibrant and wonderful member of our XX community!" </p>
<p>etc.</p>
<p>It was from an admissions officer -- is this just normal marketing stuff? It's got our hopes up pretty high, so would love to hear from some of you more experienced parents.</p>
<p>To me it reads like the preamble of a rejection letter that is followed up with something along the lines of “Unfortunately, we received applications from many such students this year and cannot offer spots in our freshman class to all of these wonderful applicants.”</p>
<p>^I don’t think that is the case since it was sent as an email…I don’t know why they would bother if they were going to reject my kid at a later date? But you may have some experience with this? If so, could you please share? Thanks.</p>
<p>It sounds like a likely letter to me. Did you read Gatekeepers? I think they do that because they really want her, and want to get her excited about them and not commit elsewhere yet.</p>
<p>Gatekeepers is a book written by a journalist following an admissions rep at Wesleyan and a handful of students for a year. Great insight into how it all really goes down.</p>
<p>I am a cynic about these things. Could be a “likely”, or could be marketing to encourage your D to NOT accept some other school’s offer yet. Doesn’t cost them anything. FWIW, D attends a school that in prior years was infamous for sending likely letters. She did not receive such a letter, she was admitted and enrolled. It all works out. IMO, nothing matters until they actually say “Admitted”. Everyone gets to stew in their anticipatory juices until then. Good luck!</p>
<p>I agree that it’s a positive message. But it could just be a friendly, positive message from one reader, and it may or may not tell you what the result will be. Getting it is certainly better than not getting it, though.</p>
<p>It’s not a “likely letter”, because it stops far short of saying that the candidate is likely to be admitted, does not come from someone authorized to say that, and does not have the few caveats a likely letter would have.</p>
<p>On the other hand, it’s hardly an “unlikely” letter, either. It would be a horrible idea for admissions reps to send e-mails like this to people who would ultimately not be admitted. That would engender confusion and ill-will. I have heard (third or fourth hand, maybe it’s just urban legend) about kids being rejected or waitlisted after getting a letter or e-mail like this. But not very often. The reader who sent it believed that the addressee was going to be admitted when the dust clears, or it would not have been sent.</p>
<p>And it IS marketing. They are trying to get a leg up on other colleges who may accept this student. Works, too.</p>
<p>Ok…I will play devil’s advocate here (because I am bored at work…)</p>
<p>The letter is definitely a positive sign, and like the other posters, I cannot imagine a rejection after such a letter…</p>
<p>But, keep in mind, this admissions officer may or may not have to “sell” your daughter to a larger committee who may or may not have other institutional priorities in place for admissions…</p>
<p>It happened to my daughter in 2008; highly encouraged by her regional rep to be eventually waitlisted in committee…did not accept the waitlist…</p>
<p>lexmom1993, to me it sounds like an opening play in a potential exchange - an invitation for your kid to respond in kind, thereby “demonstrating interest.” Admissions reps, particularly regional reps, go to bat for certain students, and if you are on that list, you do have an advocate! It might be that the rep is hoping to get a confirmation from your kid that this school, indeed, is one of their top choices. So I would just suggest an enthusiastic email response from him/her, and perhaps a question or two that will help to create a dialog between the rep and your kid. An excellent sign!, but not yet conclusive.</p>
<p>I’m not sure whether this is a message that was sent to all applicants or only selected ones.</p>
<p>I suspect that this college competes for students with other colleges that send out acceptances earlier than it does. The admissions officers may know that some of the applicants have already received acceptances from competing schools, and they may want to make sure that applicants are still keeping their school in mind.</p>
<p>I think hanaviolet has a good idea, though – sending an enthusiastic reply e-mail couldn’t hurt.</p>
<p>Wow. If my kid got an e-mail worded like that and was ultimately rejected, that rep would be hearing from me, higher-ups at the school and the GCs at our HS, and everyone on CC would hear about what a lousy thing this school did. If they are not intending to admit her, don’t bother sending that!</p>