<p>I can be as cynical as the next guy, but I will always be thankful that DD received a letter like this after taking her PSAT’s as a sophomore. My H and I have always worked in education/non-profits, so while we have advanced degrees, we are a middle class family. We knew that DD’s scores put her safely in the pool of kids who would have a real shot, but our DD never saw herself that way. When she received this letter, along with some others from similar places, she agreed to visit several of these schools. </p>
<p>She just finished up her sophomore year at Yale and she couldn’t be happier (not true last weekend when she was finishing papers/exams, but that’s another story). So, I know it is marketing, it is probably fueled in part to keep application #'s up, but sometimes those letters make a difference to a middle-class kid who thinks going to a school like Yale is as likely as being a starting b-ball player at Duke (or UNC).</p>