Forgive my laziness: C&P from another thread/same topic:
This is just my opinion but I think a FC letter has a desperate vibe . Let’s go through the steps:
You’ve researched and contacted the school for an interview and set a tour date. Then you’ve traveled (sometimes a long distance), interviewed/toured - maybe met with a coach or two, too- and hopefully (when you returned home) sent a lovely Thank You note to the AO and an email to your student tour guide. Check.
Next- you write your essays, complete the app and pull together all the recs. Parents complete their portion of the app, pay the fee (yay) and together you hit the submit button (hurray!)… and you need to send a FC letter on top of all of that? Why?
Whatever happened to having a little confidence in everything you’ve done up until this point? Isn’t a FC letter a little like stating the obvious? Overkill? Of course you want to go- who wouldn’t! If it’s a Top Ten School - the line forms to the left.
Why wouldn’t a supremely confident/ qualified applicant want to be a free agent- especially on M10? This isn’t ED -this isn’t even close to ED - these are (for the most part) 8th graders declaring their undying love via a FC letter because a parent ( I can almost guarantee you) thought it was a good idea.
If you want to show your hand ( with a FC letter) and help a school with their yield be my guest- but have you ever asked yourself: What’s in it for me?
I say keep your power ( and self-respect ) and save the FC letter if (God forbid) you’re waitlisted. That’s when you’ll need it and when it might actually HELP you.
( Disclaimer: This is not directed at anyone- Just throwing my two cents out there )
- Nicely done, @twinsmama ! :)