Can someone Explain the Deal Behind College Mail?

Copterguy
Sat, 25 Jun 2011 16:28:49 +0000

I don’t think any of these points about colleges trying to increase applicants, making $ from application fees, getting hopes up, etc. are cynical. A lot of money moves through these institutions, and that’s why some hire marketing companies to help with admissions and recruitment. At some universities the parking department is like a city trying to run up revenue. Isn’t Columbia one of the biggest property owners in Manhattan? And not to pick on Columbia, in a lot of college towns, the university is one of the (if not the) main employer in town.

My son got close to 30 lbs of mail - he looked only at about 1-2 lbs of it – and that’s environmentally irresponsible. Having said that, I’m sure that some of the colleges and universities have excellent environmental studies programs where they teach students the importance of looking out for the environment. Those two are not mutually exclusive. You can have institutions that care about providing a quality education as well as improving their reputations and moving up in the rankings. Admissions offices do not necessarily work with the academic side of the house.