@gluttonforstress and @sovereigndebt - Am I missing something? What’s funky about the email? What’s wrong with the first sentence (the “(my name)” is the OP’s way of not including his/her name)…And what’s not to trust? The email simply describes the campus and invites the student to apply… There is nothing on that email that says “Please send us your SSN and $1,000 to apply”. It simply encourages them to learn about the school and apply (presumably through the normal channels).
Granted it makes it seem so personal, but lots of colleges do that — “We are looking for your application”, “You are the type of student we are looking for”, “Did you miss our deadline? We will extend it”, and other stuff along those lines. Perhaps misleading but not a scam.