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MaizeBlue
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Posted: Thu May 17th, 2007 09:24 pm |
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| When D took the PSAT, someone at the CB must have recorded her hotmail address incorrectly by substituting an adjacent letter for the correct one. D noticed this strange email address on a mailing many months later into her junior year. She then registered for that address with hotmail and found close to 100 emails from colleges sitting there. It's been 4 years, and she still checks it once in a while. She's amazed by the amount of junk that address gets. All courtesy of the CB.
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CarolynLawrence
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Posted: Thu May 17th, 2007 10:14 pm |
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HijinksAndSue wrote: Haven't gotten any calls but D noticed that she started getting a lot of e-mail from what she termed "cr*ppy schools" that she had never inquired into or shown any interest in and said she just figured out why yesterday ... because her PSATs were ... well ... not very good. (She has also been bombarded with snail mail from schools she would never be interested in).
Could that be right? Do some schools get a student's PSAT scores through CB or whatever and contact them based on those? Or is it just coincidence?
My son had very high PSAT scores (he's in the NMS commended range). Please tell your daughter that he has heard from hundreds of "cr*appy" schools, as did my daughter, whose scores on the PSAT were much lower. Let's put it this way: cr*appy schools need to work harder to get students in the door, so they market to everyone. This is NOT a sign of anything, just a sign that some enrollment manager somewhere is worried about filling seats at his college in 2008. 
(PS my son's personal favorite piece of junk mail so far has been an invitation to Notre Dame's seminary program. It came complete with a little prayerbook and a large poster of a kindly looking priest. If there is anyone who will NOT be joining the priesthood, it is my son.  )
Last edited on Thu May 17th, 2007 10:16 pm by CarolynLawrence
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CarolynLawrence
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Posted: Thu May 17th, 2007 10:20 pm |
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I wanted to add that the College Board is not the only way that colleges get student names and addresses. If you've ever registered to use the Princeton Review's counselor-matic or Fastweb, you're going to get mail. And, there's an organization called the National Research Council on Colleges and Universities http://www.nrccua.org/ that has convinced thousands of high schools that it is conducting educational "research." The high schools have sophomores complete "surveys" on their college plans, and their names are entered into a big database in the sky that is sold to colleges and other organizations for marketing purposes. The NRCCUA has been the subject of several FTC investigations in the past, by the way, yet most schools have no idea that it isn't just a "non-profit" organization like it claims.
So, colleges will find your kids, one way or another.
Last edited on Thu May 17th, 2007 10:23 pm by CarolynLawrence
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frazzled1
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| Location: | New York USA |
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Posted: Sun May 20th, 2007 12:47 pm |
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I've wondered through three kids' college searches what standards, if any, schools apply in deciding whom to add to their mailing lists. At our recent hs college night, one of the guest speakers was an adcom from Hamilton College, certainly a very selective LAC. She referred to colleges purchasing names from the CB based on PSAT results, and I asked her how many names Hamilton obtained each year. She told me 70,000 (kids in the approximate 92nd-93rd percentile, maybe?).
This surprised me a bit - I never really believed the recruiting letters and emails that refer to "your excellent performance on the PSAT" or "a successful student like you" or whatever. In fact, I thought that colleges recruited everybody, in an attempt to garner, and then reject, as many apps as possible. But my cynicism was wrong (at least as far as Hamilton is concerned), and indeed it would be foolish of colleges to waste postage and materials on students with absolutely no chance of admission.
But every time I see something from MIT in the mailbox, I think, "You guys have got to be kidding."
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CarolynLawrence
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Posted: Sun May 20th, 2007 04:19 pm |
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Frazzled, Most of the colleges also look at things beyond test scores and the self-reported grades on the PSAT/SAT. For example, they may focus their marketing materials on zip codes that have been identified as having certain income levels in order to attract more "full pay" students, or at least students who need less financial aid. That's one of the reasons why I kind of scoff at schools who claim to be entirely "need blind." They may be when it comes to the final decision, but if you focus most of your marketing on attracting higher income kids, being "need blind" takes on a different meaning. It has been very interesting to work in a local school serving low income kids and see how different the mailings they receive are from those that my own two receive. Of course, some schools are also actively recruiting minority students as well, and the mailings these kids receive often reflect that. Believe me, target marketing is alive and well among colleges.
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DesperateDad
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Posted: Sun May 20th, 2007 04:57 pm |
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Carolyn:
Even if you ignore the marketing aspects of admissions, the simple fact that colleges love ECs is also a negative for low income kids. Working as a bagger at the corner grocery just doesn't have the same cache as volunteering with homeless, conduting research or submitting an Intel project.
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CarolynLawrence
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Posted: Sun May 20th, 2007 06:33 pm |
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DesperateDad wrote: Carolyn:
Even if you ignore the marketing aspects of admissions, the simple fact that colleges love ECs is also a negative for low income kids. Working as a bagger at the corner grocery just doesn't have the same cache as volunteering with homeless, conduting research or submitting an Intel project.
DesperateDad, I think you are right, although, hopefully, the colleges that are actively recruiting low income kids are also looking beyond the typical "laundry list" of EC's.
There's a flip side to this as well. In talking with admissions people, and following students through admissions, I think there is a growing "burn out" in admissions with middle/upper income kids who all seem to have similar lists of EC's. I think increasingly what admissions people are looking for are kids who haven't done the same sorts of "good for college" EC's, but have forged their own paths and have something new or fresh to offer. That may help some low income kids with "less traditional" EC's.
A bit off topic, but I recently talked to the President of a major fast food company. He said that many of his restaurant managers are having trouble attracting teen workers - one of their main labor pools - because they're all so busy with EC's that they think would look better on college applications. While we weren't talking about college admissions, he noted that if kids and parents found ways to tell colleges they were getting out of their jobs on their applications (for example, experiences dealing with diverse people, leadership opportunities, training in interpersonal skills, etc.), they'd probably stand out at a lot of colleges. I thought that was a very good point, especially given what I said above about admissions people looking for those who have something fresh or different to offer than the standard list of EC's.
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DesperateDad
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Posted: Sun May 20th, 2007 09:57 pm |
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Rhetorical Q of the day: If a school such as Williams is actively seeking low income kids ("low ec"), how can they claim to be 'need-blind'? Last edited on Sun May 20th, 2007 10:10 pm by DesperateDad
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CarolynLawrence
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Posted: Sun May 20th, 2007 10:58 pm |
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DD, I've had that same conversation with many people. I also think it's interesting that the percentage of students on financial aid, as well as those receiving Pell grants, seems to stay so stable year after year at need blind schools. If schools were truly "need blind" wouldn't the pendulum swing more? And, if one thinks about how financial aid is leveraged to attract the most desirable students in the admitted applicant pool, is that truly "need blind"?
Don't get me wrong. I understand why colleges do these sorts of things but I actually have a bit more respect for the colleges who don't pretend to be need blind and openly admit that they'll be need aware for a percentage of applicants.
Last edited on Sun May 20th, 2007 11:01 pm by CarolynLawrence
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hummingbird
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Posted: Thu May 24th, 2007 03:51 pm |
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So... last night at dinner, my son says he did his scheduling for next year (senior year) at school. He calmly says, "Mom, Japanese won't fit into my schedule." This is someone who only has 1 year of a foreign language at this point, and next year would be his 2nd. Not good.
He thinks he can take it at a community college instead. I think that strategy would be very risky: what if the class at the CC is full and he doesn't get in? Or it is cancelled for some reason? Is it wise to plan on taking a class two nights a week for the entire school year? It could interfere with his main EC (theatre) and a job. Not to mention a new driver, driving to and from in the dark on windy/country back roads. I just think it's a really bad idea, although in a pinch it might work.
He is going to talk to his counselor today at school and I will follow up. He didn't want me to call her first.
Also, he wants to have first period free for one semester. Does that look OK to colleges? He might be able to do independent study for a writing class and put the Japanese class in place of the writing class for one semester. Not sure what to do about the other semester. I sure hope the counselor can figure this out.
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CarolynLawrence
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Posted: Thu May 24th, 2007 04:04 pm |
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My son has a similar problem. His school has become very strict about not waiving graduation requirements, so as a result he HAS to take a fine art/performing art class next year as well as religion. That means he has to drop one of his "core" academic subjects unless he either goes to summer school (which means missing CTY) or takes religion in zero period.
Zero period starts at 7 am, and we have an hour and a half drive to school - we already get up at 5 am as it is, and, realistically, we are NOT going to be getting up at 4 am just so he can take Latin. He went round and round and decided to take Physics instead of Latin IV. We looked around for a college Latin course he could take, but the only options are offered in the morning, which, of course, won't work with his school schedule.
So, He's already asked his Latin teacher, who will be writing one of his recommendations, to mention in her letter that he really wanted to take Latin IV but couldn't due to the school's grad requirements. He's going to ask his GC to say the same in her recommendation.
I think that will cover it. Colleges do understand that sometimes situations like this occur that are beyond the student's control. I can't do anything about it, so I've decided not to worry (too much) about it dooming his admissions chances. Simply put, we can't control everything, much as we might want to try.
If your son can manage the independent study, I think that will actually be a very good plus for his application. Many colleges appreciate students who have done independent study. But, even if that doesn't work out, don't stress!
Last edited on Thu May 24th, 2007 04:07 pm by CarolynLawrence
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hummingbird
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Posted: Thu May 24th, 2007 10:46 pm |
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Wow Carolyn, school is an hour and a half away??? And you drive him to/from? You are a saint.
Son talked to his counselor today and got it all squared away. He IS taking Japanese 2 next year. Whew.
He also has a free period for a semester. Bad? Good? I know he has to do an internship for a capstone project; he wants to intern at our local newspaper, so he'll need the time a free period could offer.
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CarolynLawrence
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Posted: Fri May 25th, 2007 02:51 am |
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hummingbird wrote: He also has a free period for a semester. Bad? Good?
How many courses in total is he taking next year? How many in core academic subjects? If he's taking at least five courses, and they're mainly in core subjects, I don't think a free period will hurt him. Glad he got the Japanese squared away!
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HijinksAndSue
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Posted: Fri May 25th, 2007 05:55 pm |
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My DD had a free period this semester because of a scheduling conflict, but worked as an aide for her theatre teacher and got SSL hours for it so that worked out okay ... next year she will also have a free period second semester but she planned that deliberately ... her school does not offer AP Music Theory which she really wanted to take, so her music teacher/band director has agreed to have her technically be aiding him that period and working with her independently on music theory/sightreading ...
Hopefully  by that point she will already be into the school she wants to attend, and they would have no problem with her studying independently in that area ...
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hummingbird
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Posted: Sat May 26th, 2007 12:24 am |
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He is taking AP Literature, Pre-calculus, Economics (1 sem), Health (1 sem), Japanese, Capstone, Writing lab (1 sem), two 1-semester theatre classes, and another full year theatre class. The free period would be all year but only every other day (they're on a block scheduling system).
His school grants special endorsements on the diploma if a student fulfills certain courses and a special project. He will be receiving a creative writing and a theatre arts endorsement, which is why he's taking all those theatre classes.
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CarolynLawrence
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Posted: Sat May 26th, 2007 01:37 am |
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| Hummingbird, Unless he's aiming at the Ivy League or Stanford, I'd say his senior year schedule is fine. The only thing I might consider is a science course, but otherwise, I'd say, let him have the free period. Sounds like he'll need it with all of that theater.
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hummingbird
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Posted: Tue May 29th, 2007 10:24 pm |
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| Carolyn, I spoke with my son about adding a science class instead of the free period, and (amazingly enough) he agreed. So he's taking Physics. He is very stressed out about his senior year; in fact, he had a big meltdown last night. Talked to my sister in law today, and her daughter (same age) is melting down, too, and has a bad case of senioritis already.
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CarolynLawrence
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Posted: Wed May 30th, 2007 03:57 pm |
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Hummingbird, good for your son. Physics is a good choice. If he's stressed about senior year, one thing you and he might want to do is get as organized as possible over the summer for college applications. That will help alot come the fall.
I wish my son showed any modicum of stress/worry about senior year and college applications. True to form, he seems to be taking his "what, me worry?" stance about it all. Which, of course, means Mom is left holding the heavy worry bag all alone.
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hummingbird
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Posted: Sun Jun 10th, 2007 06:18 pm |
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Senior pictures:
We got something in the mail the other day from a photographer. I guess we should start thinking about senior pictures? When are those usually done?? Seems like a long time ago since I was in HS, but I remember having my senior pictures taken in January of my senior year. At the time, I was also engaged to be married , and DH went with me and was in some of the shots, so they served as our engagement photos as well. I think I'd flip out if my kids got married that young. 23 years later, it's still working for us. Last edited on Sun Jun 10th, 2007 06:20 pm by hummingbird
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outwest
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Posted: Sun Jun 10th, 2007 07:47 pm |
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In our district senior pictures are taken the summer before your senior year.
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