<p>Okay, it’s a little late to be bringing this up, but this might have happened to others. Anyway, I got a phone call from some research company that claimed they were conducting a survey of college-bound seniors. Being my unsuspecting self, I decided to speak to the man, not wondering how he knew I was a senior in HS and college-bound. One part of the survey involved me reciting the schools to which I applied. It was night and I felt too lazy to say all of the schools. I left out a couple and one of them happened to be Brown. Surely enough, the man asked twice if I was sure I was done. I said yes. Then he said, “Did you not apply to Brown?” I finished up the survey, but was shocked. I looked up the name of the company he claimed to be from and it was somewhat legitimate (I can’t rmember the name right now). I wrote it off until I got a follow-up letter from the company (WBA Market Research) today. </p>
<p>It seems legitimate, but during the phone call I stupidly stated Brown wasn’t my top choice.
Will this hurt my admissions chances? How and why did Brown (I can only assume Brown gave my name up) release my information? Has this happened to anyone? Should I take action?</p>
<p>this may have something to do with the recent fiasco when Brown accidentally released (in a mass email) the names of like 3,000 applicants who had also applied for financial aid?</p>
<p>I haven’t heard of this fiasco, irunoninsulin, can anyone fill me in?</p>
<p>Technically, yes they did. Doesn’t it say when you fill out your info that this information will not be shared with anyone outside the admissions office?</p>
<p>Okay, I found three articles on the Brown University leak…
[RI:</a> E-mail error by Brown University leads to changes | Office of Inadequate Security](<a href=“RI: E-mail error by Brown University leads to changes”>RI: E-mail error by Brown University leads to changes)
[Brown</a> U. e-mail slip divulges financial aid roster | UWIRE](<a href=“http://www.uwire.com/Article.aspx?id=3870876]Brown”>http://www.uwire.com/Article.aspx?id=3870876)
[Brown</a> University Accidentally Reveals Financial Aid Recipients in Email](<a href=“http://www.theemailadmin.com/2009/03/brown-university-accidentally-reveals-financial-aid-recipients-in-email]Brown”>http://www.theemailadmin.com/2009/03/brown-university-accidentally-reveals-financial-aid-recipients-in-email)
the gist of the articles is that Brown accidentally leaked the names and e-mail addresses of some 1,800 financial aid applicants</p>
<p>BUT</p>
<p>both of those articles claim the leak happened sometime in March and say nothing about releasing phone numbers, whereas I got a phone call about 1.5 months ago</p>
<p>I think you can find more info about it here on cc…I think I remember seeing a thread about it. Below is a statement from the Yale Daily News on March 23rd, 2009. </p>
<p>“Too much information. In a series of e-mails sent to students on March 16, Brown University’s Office of Financial Aid accidentally released the names of 1,773 students seeking financial aid. What went wrong? The e-mails were sent via carbon copy instead of blind carbon copy.”</p>
<p>oh, I replied too late! Seems that the incident wasn’t exactly a fiasco, but a violation of privacy nonetheless. Don’t know about the phone numbers. Maybe the collegeboard released the info - since they had to send you SAT scores to certain schools, they know where you applied.</p>
<p>well either brown fu****cked up and gave up your information like the above posters said
or
brown is secretly affiliated with this company and the intent of the phone call was to probe you for some honest data</p>
<p>come on, who doesn’t love a conspiracy?</p>
<p>I dismissed the CollegeBoard as a possible source of my info. being leaked b/c the caller did not ask me about the other schools I didn’t list and many of his questions were focused on Brown. If the CollegeBoard had been the leak, I think that he would have known I left out more than just Brown in my list of schools.</p>
<p>I believe more important questions would be: why do you care so much, why bring it up so late, and why the paranoia about harmless questions that can possibly be beneficial?</p>
<p>Mayorbrown, I only bring it up b/c I got the follow-up survey in the mail form that company. I write it off, but I can’t get over the fact that the rep. form the company KNEW I applied to Brown. If he went to Brown and supplied them with my answers, which include my statement that Brown isn’t my top choice, I’m sure that could jeopardize my chances for admission. What if it were you? Would you not be furious?</p>
<p>I wouldn’t be furious… I guess more so slightly worried, but then again I wouldn’t have been in your predicament since Brown was my first choice. =P</p>
<p>It could protect Brown’s yield rate if anything, but I wouldn’t go that far as to think such information would be that detrimental to your application.</p>
<p>Too many if then conditionals and too many paranoid driven conspiracies. If Brown isn’t your top choice then that is something I believe Brown would like to know. However, Brown would already be well aware of students top choice depicted by their stats and possible desired schools. </p>
<p>If you are what the admissions department is looking for and are qualified enough then you will be accepted and/or waitlisted for yield protection.</p>
<p>However, another important question is: if Brown isn’t one’s top choice then why would one be furious?</p>
<p>Best of luck on your applications though.</p>
<p>Furious is a bit much, but I just do not like the idea that some company found out I applied to a school without asking me whether I applied to a school or not. And anyway, where ,other than from Brown itself, would some company know I applied to Brown. Assuming Brown gave up my info to this guy, why wouldn’t he give my answers right back. However they received the info., it is fishy and unethical b/c he was sure I applied, not that I had shown interest in or sent scores there but applied, to Brown specifically.</p>
<p>There’s no way that Brown is getting information from some third party about what your top choice is via this service.</p>
<p>In all likelihood, Collegeboard released the info or using your name from the Financial Aid list your number got picked up and used for a third party survey.</p>
<p>The most information Brown gives out about its students at any point happens only to current students and it’s that your name and campus mailbox are publicly listed unless you specifically go in and change that setting online.</p>
<p>You weren’t tested out by some clandestine Brown service to figure out your interest.</p>
<p>Well, wouldnt it mean you got in? The released names I would expect were the ones who got in, so those who got the call are sure admits</p>
<p>I got the same call today. The number that called me was based in Ithaca though, so I thought maybe someone from Cornell (where I got accepted). </p>
<p>Anyone know?</p>
<p>The Financial Aid leak is definitely unrelated and probably just a stupid oversight made by one random individual working there who was tired. Ever CC instead of BCC on accident? I know I sure have. It just meant that a chunk of us applying for Financial Aid with our last names in a certain part of the alphabet got to see those applying who were in the same part of the alphabet. I was one who had their info “leaked”–you just got to see the “To:” line. I don’t really know of anyone who was up in arms over it either. I didn’t see anyone on my brief scroll downwards who hadn’t already told me personally that they had or had applied for financial aid. </p>
<p>Also, thechosen1, I wouldn’t dismiss CollegeBoard. They’re prone to screwing up on a larger scale. And their questions might have focused on Brown because it’s an Ivy.</p>
<p>I’m a bit late to this messageboard, but I just got the followup packet in the mail from this company and started looking around for information about whether or not this is legitimate. The guy asked me about four times whether or not I had applied to Brown and not only have I not applied, I’m pretty certain I never even requested information from them. So even though I’m sure you have your admission decision by now, I’m not sure it was Brown’s fault that this company has our numbers. The marketing research firm may WORK for Brown, but not necessarily get their information from them.</p>