Class of 2013 Results: Celebrate, Discuss, Support Here - Page 4

jym626 · 12-06-2008, 02:27 PM

My son STILL gets mail from colleges and he is just about to finish his first freshman college semester !!! LOL!! Colleges have no idea where you are applying-- they will flood you with mail and calls and email, expecially if you (or rather, your son) is a strong student. It is flattering. I am assuming that is what you mean by being "recruited" -- not the sports recruit.

2boysima · 12-06-2008, 06:29 PM

debbs --
Is your son a recruited athlete for a partcular sport? (you mentioned a letter of intent...)

debbs · 12-07-2008, 01:31 AM

nope not a sports recruitment ... he says that Depauw was early action and the only ED was W&M .. he also says some of the other applications were for schools that have rolling admission, I do not know the difference between ED and EA. I'm sure many of you know more about what he is talking about than me but his counselors would not have allowed him to do anything unethical. He attends a very private school.

debbs · 12-07-2008, 01:39 AM

quoted from gym626: My son STILL gets mail from colleges and he is just about to finish his first freshman college semester !!! LOL!! Colleges have no idea where you are applying-- they will flood you with mail and calls and email, expecially if you (or rather, your son) is a strong student. It is flattering. I am assuming that is what you mean by being "recruited" -- not the sports recruit.

It is flattering and surprising, he is my only child so I haven't gone through this before and I may use unusual terminology but call it what you will ... recruiting for sports or recruiting because they are outstanding students is still the schools coming after him, thus it is a form of recruiting from where I see it.

jym626 · 12-07-2008, 08:40 AM

If you son checked the box on his SAT or PSAT to distribute his test scores to schools, you will be barraged with junkmail, emails, etc. It isn't recruiting, it is marketing. They want to encourage students to apply, to increase their applicant numbers, which in turn can decrease their acceptance rate. Of course it also gets students interested in their schools, but getting mail from a school has zero correlation with their chances of getting in. Both my s's got mail from schools like Harvard, Cal Tech, etc, but this does not mean they had much of a chance of admission (neither applied, so we'll never know-- but even though both were very strong students with good SATs and NMF's, they probaly were not in the Harvard or Cal Tech caliber).

And it is extremely important to know the difference between EA and ED. One is binding, one is not. They take that very seriously.

tokenadult · 12-07-2008, 11:54 AM

Here is a description of Harvard's student recruiting practices:

Online Extra: How Harvard Gets its Best and Brightest

Here is a more general discussion of the issue:

Maguire Associates - Services - EMPOWR: Optimizing Student Recruitment

LindaCarmichael · 12-08-2008, 01:38 AM

So is debbs' son expecting to find out if he got into ND next week? Or is he on the wait list?

It sounds to me as though debbs or the son did not fully understand the ED agreement. If debbs' husband has health issues and Social Security has not come through, then really it makes more sense for them to get all of the acceptances and financial aid awards and THEN make a reasoned decision based on all of the information.

Would W&M give any financial aid to an out of stater? Is it likely that the cost of another school, with grants or awards, would be less than W & M?

Quite honestly, even though it is against the ED agreement you and the child and the counselor signed, it just doesn't sound to me like debbs and the son fully comprehended the ED agreement and, as such, I think they should call or write W & M, explain the situation, and decline the offer of admission OR ask to be deferred to the RD pool.

Then, they can pursue all of the other applications, weigh the financial aid offers, and make an informed decision. It is possible that W & M will not accept him again, but it does not sound to me like the kid has his heart set on W & M. If he did, debbs would know it.

Bottom line -- it may haunt your high school if an ED kid backs out, but in the scheme of things, very few kids in Indiana from this one school will apply to W & M. And I just think being honest with W &M and with yourselves is the better way to go. And maybe with the health issues, it's best if the son stays closer to home. Just my thoughts.

Muffy333 · 12-08-2008, 06:45 AM

Any kid bright enough to get into William and Mary can understand an ED agreement. I know they make it really really obvious what you're committing to...some apps make you write out a paragraph stating the ED commitment, and applicant, mom and guidance counselor have to sign.

jym626 · 12-08-2008, 07:01 AM

In extenuating circumstances like debbs (I found the post in another thread where she said her s's father had complications form heart surgery and is not able to work at his previous job, but is weaving through the maze of disability applications, which, by the way, takes several appeals but usually will come through in a situation like his) anyway-- in those extreme circumstances, W&M *might* release him from his binding ED agreement, but (a) they should try first to see if he can get FA from W&M, because (b)renegging on an ED application is a bad thing to do and yes, they will likely rescind their offer, not just move him to RD and (c) it sounds like the kid is happy with W&M-- it is debbs who wants her s to go to Notre Dame

heyalb · 12-08-2008, 02:28 PM

::: shaking head in disbelief :::

This topic is a REAL thorn in my side. There seems to be a pronounced increase in the number of students (and encouraging parents) who apply Early Decision (yes, "the binding one") just so they can get an early reply, or because they think it's a good strategy to get them into a highly-regarded school.

WRONG.

Early Decision is binding. Read it again.

Those people who apply Early Decision, only to change their minds when/if something better comes along, smacks of selfishness and shallow egotism. It pulls the rug out from under those students who put a great deal of effort and consideration into their thought process for selecting their ED school. And if debbs' son goes to a "very private" school (what exactly does that mean??), it undermines the guidance counselor's and the highschool's ability to forge credibility with Admissions Offices at good colleges and universities around the country. Yes, that means you're screwing other students at his school who follow him.

Perhaps debbs is confusing Early Decision with Early Action, or even with the adverb "early"? All three were used in her various posts when describing how her son applied to W & M.

I would strongly suggest you review the application, and if you checked off "Early Decision", that is BINDING. You don't get to say "oops! We found something better! Never mind! Buh-Bye!!!"

missypie · 12-08-2008, 02:32 PM

I don't know that we know that debbs son did two ED apps. I bet that one was ED and one was EA. I didn't know the difference before I came on this board, so it makes sense that debbs wouldn't either. (I did have a minor attack when I was doing the final final proof of one of his apps and noticed that ED was checked instead of EA.)

missypie · 12-08-2008, 02:57 PM

Okay, I get it now...they might try to back out if he gets into ND.

heyalb · 12-08-2008, 03:04 PM

We already know that debbs' son did NOT do two ED apps. He only did one, and that was to W & M.

We also know that they are waiting to hear from Notre Dame before son signs agreement to W & M's BINDING acceptance, which he agreed was BINDING when he initially applied to W & M.

As much as debbs would like to call this "extenuating circumstances", it's actually known as "going back on your word and screwing others in the process".

CountingDown · 12-08-2008, 03:54 PM

Actually, if I were Debbs, I'd be concerned that if ND and W&M reps lurk here and figure out who her S is, he might get revoked/declined at both.

LindaCarmichael · 12-08-2008, 04:19 PM

I am not saying they are right -- I am just saying that a case could be made to decline ED on the basis of SSA denial and father's health and lack of financial aid.

I have heard that the ED kids' SSN and names get put on some list so the other schools know these kids are taken already. Can anyone verify this?