<p>This year Princeton decided to mail out the admission decisions by snail mail. WHY?</p>
<p>If you peruse the Princeton discussions you will find a FRENZY of literally hundreds of frustrated students waiting for their snail mail. A few east coast kids received their letters in the mail on Friday, (most from New Jersey). As of Saturday afternoon only about 30 more have received their letters. </p>
<p>What is the point of all this aggravation? It seems the vast majority of the applicants will have no news before Monday. Does Princeton really lack the technical ability to notify students via the internet or e mail? Are they purposely trying to intensify an already very stressful situation? Considering that the majority of their peers were able to notify applicants in a timely manner why has Princeton opted for a 19th century communication system? </p>
<p>Are there still a lot of applicants from other ivy league schools still waiting for their early decisions or is Princeton unique?</p>
<p>I thought Princeton always notified by mail. I know 2 years ago they did. Some schools simply prefer this way of notification. UChicago mails, too.</p>
<p>Heck, if it helps, it's not just Princeton. There are plenty of colleges who still believe snail mail is the way to go. So, just sit tight. You and your son will know soon enough.</p>
<p>Princeton notified by snail mail last year, as did MIT EA and Chicago. USNA, USAFA and USMA also send appointments by mail. Son will forever remember going out to the mailbox, opening it up and standing there in the middle of the road with his big tube from MIT, his very large packet from p'ton and his very, very heavy leather binders from the academies. Watching him opening them, very carefully and slowly reading the letters were worth the wait and the 12 years of watching him work REALLY hard.</p>
<p>Just my preference, but we did hang on to the original snail mail envelopes. The email ones didn't create the same memory. Whole family (lots of us) gathered round to participate. Wasn't as much fun as when he opened the email ones from penn, dartmouth, northwestern and others.</p>
<p>Ditto Alumother. The notification usually comes after HY. Gratifying, nevertheless, when it comes. Given their great financial aid, it's worth the wait.</p>
<p>Princeton's aversion to the use of electronic means of notification might have something to do with this episode back in 2002:</p>
<p>
[quote]
NEW HAVEN, Conn. -- The [associate] head of admissions at Princeton University was suspended after his office was accused of improperly entering a Yale University website where applicants can find out whether they were accepted.</p>
<p>Yale officials notified the FBI on Thursday about 18 unauthorized logins to the website that were traced back to computers at Princeton, including computers in the admissions office.</p>
<p>...
The website was activated in the spring so that undergraduate applicants could find out if they got into Yale. Applicants could access the site by using their Social Security numbers and birth dates. The site included links to admissions information and personal data about the students.</p>
<p>....</p>
<p>If a student was admitted, the site flashed fireworks and a congratulatory message. If the student did not get in, a message indicating that was displayed.</p>
<p>The site included a notice that only students, not parents or others, may access the site, and it warned that Yale would investigate and act on any unauthorized use. </p>
<p>According to Yale officials, Princeton admissions staffers accessed some applicants' files before the students themselves had seen them. When those students went to the site, they weren't automatically directed to the screen indicating whether they were accepted, because that screen only comes up at first login.
<p>Georgetown also uses regular mail and since we live in China it will be a LONG wait. But they will tell you over the phone on Monday if you haven't received your notice.</p>
<p>My daughter was admitted early decision at Amherst. We live in California and our letter came after others on the east coast had already heard. Yes, it was hard waiting a couple of extra days.</p>
<p>I was an ED applicant to Princeton, and I must say the snail mail thing was SO frustrating, particularly with many of my friends not only having a set date to go online and check, but a set time, too! </p>
<p>Even more frustrating: an automated message was put up in the admissions office within the last week stating that ED decisions would be mailed out this Friday, 12/15. We all accepted that as true, but then a couple of CCers said that the financial aid office had told them that the decisions had actually been mailed out on Thursday. I (and others) called the admissions office on Friday to ask if that rumor was true, and they said that it wasn't and that they would be sending the decisions out that afternoon. However, New Jersey CCers received letters that afternoon! I'm in CT and I received my acceptance letter on Saturday, so clearly admissions flat-out lied to us and sent out the decisions on Thursday. This really bothered me; why would they feel the need to lie to us?</p>
<p>Anyway (and probably because my outcome was good), I kind of liked the traditional "waiting anxiously by the window for the mailman to come" and then "big envelope/small envelope" thing. It was amazing to be able to run around my yard, screaming and waving the envelope in the air. I couldn't have done that if I got the decision online! I know it's a small thing, but it was kind of cool.</p>
<p>However, I do agree that Princeton should come into the 21st century, particularly for the benefit of those who are farther away and so may have less time to complete RD apps if they need to.</p>
