Plainsman

Inquisitive Mom: Both parents AND students are customers. Parents are paying the tab. There is no way my kid could or would go to a college my wife are dead set against. It is simply not going to happen. Colleges know this, which is why parents get letters addressed directly to them from college presidents. My wife and I received SEVERAL.

But if you want to focus on the student, let me repeat: My D was blown away by the "Fearless" tag. She's the customer, right? She framed her entire "Why Oberlin?" essay around it. It might be the reason she was admitted.

"Fearless" impressed her so much she asked us for a visit. Remember, she'd never heard of Oberlin. How she interpreted the meaning of "Fearless" (fierce advocates for social justice) made Oberlin stand apart from other Top LACs that seemed so much alike. She can't be the only one in the crop of incoming freshmen who loved "Fearless."

Remember, the customers for marketing information are NOT the college's current students. They are the high school students the college wants to attract. If my daughter is an example, it worked. No marketing campaign including "change the world" will click with everyone. You've got to target your message for the type of person you want to attract. I can only assume Oberlin wanted to attract the type of high school students who would identify with or be inspired by "Fearless." It worked. What's not to like?