My son gets letters from colleges all over the map saying something like “we think you would be a great fit at our school because of your academic record”. Some of these colleges include Harvard, Princeton, which I don’t believe my son ever even put on his Naviance or test scores or anything. My question is, do these colleges just send their letter to everyone? Or does the college board or ACT.org give them a list of kids who scored above a certain score?
The colleges purchase specific marketing lists but they are generous in how many such letters are sent. Many kids will get such mail from Harvard or Princeton without any chance of admission. If your Naviance profile strongly suggests against admission, don’t let these letters encourage an application thinking “College X” must really want me so I need to apply. The optimist says these letters reach kids who would do great and add to the class but may have never had that school on the radar. The pessimist says the more applications received the lower the admit rate and alumni like to think their school is selective and that makes them give more.
I noticed this too as we went through the college search process. When we got huge, beautiful glossy mailings from University of Chicago and Vanderbilt I said to myself, “Oh, so this is how their acceptance rate is so low. They are soliciting applicants from everyone and anyone.” I also decided it was a fundraiser looking for the $75 application fee. Personally I think it’s unethical practice. There are so many qualified applicants who get denied from these types of schools because they have solicited so many applications. I also think its unethical to encourage students to apply who are not qualified.
Often it is because he checked or didn’t check off that he would like materials from college when he took the PSAT.
Unless you have 800/800 on SAT, it is a ploy for Harvard and the like to target higher scoring kids so they will apply (better for admissions percentages) and pay the application fee (they make over $1million from that).
But some of it is useful and you may find out about some colleges you are not familiar with.
In our experience, it started coming after students’s first PSAT test in a sophomore year and continued on until the end of a senior year.
It just makes me wonder when they make claims like “because of your academic record…”, when I’m not completely sure if they really know what his record is.
A less cynical interpretation is that the colleges are sending these materials to any kid whose scores make them eligible/in the ballpark, because they might get a few that otherwise wouldn’t apply and have some awesome story or talent or whatever.
It’s pretty general marketing, not really a “we want YOU” type of thing, but they likely do screen by score. My D got some selective college mail that my S didn’t, his scores were lower.
Colleges can buy mailing lists for students who score above a specified score on the SAT or ACT.