What’s the point of this letter?

[Anonymous]

If accepted, would your kid attend the school? Is he positive about where he wants to go? Has he taken a tour yet? Where one spends four years of one’s life feels monumental to me. Maybe take the opportunity to ask any questions you have. I also think any interest in my kid is a good thing (or at least not a bad one).

I wouldn’t overthink it but gather some more info for a very important decision!

[Anonymous]

Alabama? Got the same thing and already applied.

[Anonymous]

Don’t admissions officers look for interest and engagement from the candidate? I would definitely write back. What is there to lose? Maybe your kid could ask a question or two.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Colleges, even highly selective ones, advertise to their applicants to improve yield. It's just spam. No need to get excited about it.

I’m not excited about it. I just don’t understand the point unless their goal is to determine interest by follow up—and posters are suggesting not to follow up. Weird.

Posters are suggesting not to follow up because they are totally clueless.

What is the harm in responding and visiting if you are able and/or interested?

This is a thing colleges do to increase yield.

[Anonymous]

Some schools (not many, but some) care a LOT about demonstrated interest. They have low yields that they want to increase by only admitting the students that really want to go there. Tulane is an example. If they say to reach out, I'd reach out.

[Anonymous]

NP. What if you get one of these letters/packets - AFTER you've visited, toured, interviewed, and applied? It doesn't make any sense. Unless it's just marketing mail they send to all college seniors, not related to who has already applied.

[Anonymous]

It’s just marketing. My DS has gotten several and from some where he already applied. Doesn’t mean anything — good or bad.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Alabama? Got the same thing and already applied.

Not Alabama, although he already applied there…along with the rest of the world.

Is AL literally every student’s safety?

That poor AL student from Maryland was just found dead off campus earlier this week. Doesn’t seem like a safe environment.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Alabama? Got the same thing and already applied.

Not Alabama, although he already applied there…along with the rest of the world.

Is AL literally every student’s safety?

That poor AL student from Maryland was just found dead off campus earlier this week. Doesn’t seem like a safe environment.

Seems like every lid I know applied to Pitt. Don’t know anyone who applied to Alabama.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Alabama? Got the same thing and already applied.

Not Alabama, although he already applied there…along with the rest of the world.

Is AL literally every student’s safety?

That poor AL student from Maryland was just found dead off campus earlier this week. Doesn’t seem like a safe environment.

My son's first choice is actually Alabama. He's applied, been accepted, and recieved a letter offering an excellent merit scholarship. So no, not everyone's "safety"--it's some people's first choice!

If you google almost any school, you will read about tradgedies.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:If it’s from William & Mary, it’s called a “likely letter” meaning you DC is likely to be accepted. I have no idea why they do it. Thanks f you google dcum likely letter you will find old threads in this topic. So I guess Congrats!

Likely letters make it much clearer that you will be accepted. And they generally arrive about a week before the anticipated notification date (or at least that was my daughter’s experience. Not with W&M).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Colleges, even highly selective ones, advertise to their applicants to improve yield. It's just spam. No need to get excited about it.

I’m not excited about it. I just don’t understand the point unless their goal is to determine interest by follow up—and posters are suggesting not to follow up. Weird.

If you think it is weird that they sent the letter as if they didn’t know he applied, it probably means the names don’t match perfectly. The letter is just advertising. Data isn’t as good as you think.

[Anonymous]

I’d discourage you from reading anything into such letters. After my son applied to Virginia Tech, a specific program invited my son to apply for a scholarship and requested/reviewed his portfolio. Then they called him on his cell phone to set up an interview time. The day before the interview he got a rejection notice.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I’d discourage you from reading anything into such letters. After my son applied to Virginia Tech, a specific program invited my son to apply for a scholarship and requested/reviewed his portfolio. Then they called him on his cell phone to set up an interview time. The day before the interview he got a rejection notice.

I'm sorry that happened to your son, I think I rememberyou posting that (but you ommitted the school name) a couple years ago. My son had something similar happen at a different VA public.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Colleges, even highly selective ones, advertise to their applicants to improve yield. It's just spam. No need to get excited about it.

I’m not excited about it. I just don’t understand the point unless their goal is to determine interest by follow up—and posters are suggesting not to follow up. Weird.

If you think it is weird that they sent the letter as if they didn’t know he applied, it probably means the names don’t match perfectly. The letter is just advertising. Data isn’t as good as you think.

To clarify: I think it’s weird that the point of the letter seems to be determining interest through follow-up yet everyone is saying not to follow up.

I also still think it’s weird to pay for mailing a thick glossy catalogue to someone they know already applied ED. The cover letter literally leads with “thank you for applying!”

Candidly, I’m so over all this college stuff. It was so much easier when I applied. I typed up my applications myself and simply asked my parents for a check for my 3 applications. I received my acceptance on Christmas Eve day (had applied in November). No drama. No real stress. And, my in state tuition was cheaper than my private HS tuition, so my parents were relieved.

There’s a part of me that would prefer to invest $200k for my kid or help them start a business instead of forking it over to a so-so college. Sigh.