Thanks! We don’t take the first choice letter lightly so only sent one, after repeated discussions and long consideration. The one we sent to is daughter’s top choice from when she visited schools.
Is the first choice letter a new thing? I never heard of it last year on these boards.
There have been many conversations about first-choice letters here over the years, this one and this one for instance. The search function turns up many of them.
No. But it sadly seems to have become more common pre-M10 vs the traditional part of a wait list letter.
Before M10, would a first-choice letter even have an impact?
In my mind, no. But I’m seeing the same thing on the college boards where more and more people are sending in a LOCI pre-decision.
Its been a.factor in NYC Prep School Admissions (day schools) when we where applying 15 Years ago so Its seeped into otjerao Admissions games as well
If I were an AO, I would find them, as well as lots of follow up emails annoying and pushy.
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Is receiving no communication after sending in your application a bad sign?
No.
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@AnonMomof2 , me too!
But when I have spoken with folks in admissions, it is one of those "it depends " things. Where there are smaller baskets of students to fill - i.e., foreign students from xyz country, and particularly when they work through consultants the school knows, it can be helpful to everyone to know who really wants to attend and who was filling out their list. It may not mean that the kid who has another top choice won’t be given an acceptance, but it may mean that the school can assure itself of having a good student from xyz by admitting the kid who really wants to go. Athletic recruits might be in this group as well - no coach wants 3 top goalkeepers in one year. A kid who is a legacy at another school might want to do this.
My own hunch, though, is that these letters are unnecessary and won’t matter at all for the vast majority of applicants - who tend to be those represented on this board. As one AO at one of the most selective university said, “if you took the time to apply, we’ll believe you are genuinely interested and will give real consideration to an acceptance if we give you one.”
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I believe “No”. We applied to 3 schools; we did not receive any communication after all the online interviews, we had an outstanding application profile, full pay, good interviews, yet no communication from any of the schools
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