<p>FWIW my daughter has received some mail from colleges that she has never considered thanking her for her interest! She hasn’t applied to any common app schools so that can’t be the source. My guess is that most of this kind of mail comes from schools that are looking at standardized test data like CB’s Student Search Service. [url=<a href=“http://professionals.collegeboard.com/higher-ed/recruitment/sss]SSS[/url”>Recruitment & Admissions Management – Higher Ed]SSS[/url</a>]</p>
<p>Colleges understand that almost all students apply to more than one school. I think parents and applicants sometimes worry that if schools feel like they are regarded merely as safeties they won’t look favorably on the application. My guess is this is what leads to concern (over concern IMO) about colleges knowing where else kids apply. Even if schools do know where a student is applying (and again Tokenadult’s research shows us that they do not find out from the Common App or College Board) there’s a lot applicants can do to avoid creating the impression that a school is just a safety. My guess is that kids can help themselves by spending their time and attention learning about schools, expressing real interest, visiting and writing strong focused essays.</p>