First Choice Letter
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Anonymous
| Why not a thoughtful email? I think with all the mail coming in these schools an email would be okay? No? What says everyone?? |
Anonymous
| We sent a nice email and followed up by mentioning it in person to the admissions director. The only thing I have noticed is that you may not get more than a cagey response and I think that’s because they don’t like to be too upfront about the fact that yield matters. |
Anonymous
| I suppose families needing financial aid to determine where they can go, are not in a position to write a first choice letter? Or are they? |
pbraverman
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It's still fine to do so. I would just amend the note to say something like, "If Mildred is offered a spot, we intend to accept it, assuming the financial aid situation permits us to do so." Peter _____________________ Disclaimer: The anonymity here makes me uncomfortable; it's easy to be uninformed, personal, or simply mean-spirited if people don't identify themselves. For that reason, I have an account so you know whose words you're reading. I have more than 20 years' experience as a teacher and administrator in independent schools, and I have counseled hundreds of students in finding their next schools. I hope I can be helpful to some folks. If you don't like something I've said, you're in good company — there's a long line of past students and parents ahead of you.  If you want to chat further, please feel free to contact me offline: peter <at> arcpd <dot> com
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pbraverman
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Don't overthink it. A thoughtful email is fine. Keep it SHORT. Peter _____________________ Disclaimer: The anonymity here makes me uncomfortable; it's easy to be uninformed, personal, or simply mean-spirited if people don't identify themselves. For that reason, I have an account so you know whose words you're reading. I have more than 20 years' experience as a teacher and administrator in independent schools, and I have counseled hundreds of students in finding their next schools. I hope I can be helpful to some folks. If you don't like something I've said, you're in good company — there's a long line of past students and parents ahead of you. If you want to chat further, please feel free to contact me offline: peter <at> arcpd <dot> com
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Anonymous
What if you checked the box saying you would apply for FA, but then after crunching the numbers/seeing the annual bonus/unexpected change in financial circumstances decide you won't apply for FA? Tell them or just don't apply for it and they'll figure it out? |
pbraverman
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Unless the two issues (first-choice and financial aid) must be conflated — such as an expression of a first choice that is dependent on financial aid — I would not put the two together. When a school examines its admission decisions, and then sends those decisions to the financial aid committee, they will see that you're not applying for aid. You could send the admission director a one-line note that says, "I want you to be aware that due to a change in our family circumstances, we have decided not to apply for financial aid" — but I don't think it's likely to make a whole lot of difference. Obviously I know nothing about your particular situation, but I'd encourage you to be sure you don't want to apply for aid. There are countless stories of families who said, "We'd never qualify" but who do receive at least small reductions in tuition. Good luck! Peter |
Anonymous
LOL. Go Peter! Still chumming to try to get clients on DCUM! Such creative marketing. Does it still work for you? |
Anonymous
Don't write it by hand. The last thing the admissions staff wants to do at the busiest time of their year is decipher your handwriting. Don't make it long, no matter how much time you've devoted to learning every last detail about the school. They don't really want to read it. Don't send it in the mail because you want to make an impression. Send an email. Be professional and to the point. Don't send flowers. |
Anonymous
+1 We're in 2018 folks. |
Anonymous
It makes a difference to schools if you are their first choice, because they want high yield. Between two similarly qualified candidates, they will take the candidate who indicates the school is their first choice. This is not about kissing ass. It’s about saying you’ve made a decision about where you’d like to go — given the option. It’s a very bad idea to lie about this, because admissions officers do talk to one another. If you indicate to two schools that they are both your top choice, that’s a good way to get rejected from both. Anecdotally, I know many families for whom a first choice letter made a difference, including mine. You sound rather new to and naive about the admissions process. |
Anonymous
A lot of families apply to multiple schools and will apply to Sidwel, STA/NCS, GDS, Maret, and Potomac. So actually first choice letters are pretty important to Sitwell and NCS/STA. I have it on good authority that the schools are swayed by such letters, because it sorts out who will say yes to that school vs. parents who are just prestige-shopping. |
Anonymous
Um, no. Snail mail handling during admissions gets absolutely crazy. Send a first choice letter via e-mail to all members of the admissions office. That way, you have the best chance of it actually being read and noted. |
Anonymous
How do you know that it was the letter that made a difference? It could just as easily be that whatever aspects of the school appealed to you also made your child appear to be a good fit to the admissions office. |
pbraverman
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Both of these topics have been covered in the past. I agree that indicating to two schools that they're both "first choice" is an error — not least because it's not honest. That said, I have done this work for 15 years with hundreds of students, and I have never encountered a single concrete reason to believe that admission offices speak with each other during admission season. On the contrary, I have had countless conversations that make no sense if they do. In reality the schools with the most competitive pools are far too busy during February to worry about what others are doing, and every admission director is aware that it is likely illegal to speak about applicants. If this really does occur in a town teeming with lawyers, why has nobody brought an antitrust suit? I do not know why this conspiracy theory persists; perhaps it speaks more to a basic human desire for rational explanations, even in situations where none may exist, than to real understanding of the process. Peter |