When colleges start spamming your kid ...

[SansSerif]

I know that as soon as a high schooler takes their first PSAT, they end up on college mailing lists. But I'm wondering ... do colleges simply email everyone (or everyone in a regional area or at specific feeder schools) that took the PSAT? Or do they have access to the scores and aim for the ones that seem promising/fitting?

I'm just wondering because my daughter took her first PSAT in October. She hasn't received a score yet. But as of last week, she's getting inundated with random college email. I would love it if they actually used the score to determine whether to bother ... that would mean she did okay. lol

[SteveMA]

When the kids take the PSAT some of the questions they fill out relates to potential majors, types of schools, etc. Eventually they use score, more so with the ACT/SAT though. My DD so "kindly" used MY email address because she thought I would want to see all of that . I've been spending a lot of time unsubscribing to these lately as we are done with the selection process.

It's been interesting to see the emails come. DS had an ACT score 2 points higher than DD and while he got all the emails/mailings she go, there were several that he got that she did not. Both are STEM kids.

We are getting bombarded with these emails the past couple weeks. I would suggest that you unsubscribe as you go along through this process and cross schools off your list. We get about 20+ emails/day per kid right now--YIKES.

[Agentninetynine]

We've been getting mail since DD began college tours last spring, but just from those she visited/showed interest at college fair.

Since she's our eldest, we don't have much experience here, but from what other CCers say, many schools do spam hoping to increase their selectivity by marketing to kids they know would never apply and then promptly denying them.

[siliconvalleymom]

I think the PSAT score cutoff for the junk mail lists is a low bar. At one point, half the mail in our mail box was for our high school student, who had yet to officially request any information.

[SansSerif]

Good to know about them trying to increase their selectivity. Okay, I won't read anything into what her score could be then. lol

[jandjdad]

Some colleges email everyone and others have a cutoff. My sons are a year apart and one did much better on PSAT/SAT than the other. while they both got emails and snail mail from many colleges, only the higher scoring one got the junk from Ivy and Ivy-type schools....
Not that it meant anything other than to increase their applications and decrease their acceptance rate...said my cynical senior to be.....

[reeinaz]

SansSerif ... I wouldn't be so quick to think they mean absolutely nothing. Sure, they don't mean much, but my son got zilch in test related spam from any hyp type or other highly selective school.

[LeftyLou]

It's helpful to have a second email address just for college spam.

[reeinaz]

Oh, and even though my son signed up for University of Chicago's mailing list, he never received anything other than an occasional post card from them. So I do think that there's "something" behind the mailings.

[SansSerif]

Oh, she's not getting any hyp stuff. She just feels like she totally bombed the test, and I'm hoping it's not as bad as she thinks.

[SteveMA]

There is no "bombing" the PSAT, either your score is good enough for National Merit or it is not. After that, it just doesn't mean anything to anyone for college selection purposes.

[SansSerif]

I know it doesn't count. But it is an indicator of how you might do on the SAT and shows your strengths and weaknesses.

[psych_]

When did colleges start spamming HS students? I don't recall getting any college-related emails (graduated HS in 2006), although I got a *ton* of college-related snail mail. I actually enjoyed reading it, too.

[boysx3]

Colleges can buy various packages of "names" from College Board

[MomfromKC]

It's helpful to have a second email address just for college spam.

this ^^^ My son gave them my e-mail because he hardly ever checks his. Next son will get dedicated college e-mail. I can't stand all this junk in my in-box.