FWIW, we ended up not writing a letter for Smith, but D17 was accepted anyway.
Smith also sends a great tshirt to early writes. They probably stalk FB pictures, or guess when you interview or visit, and write it down somewhere to guess your size.
I think the letter is just tradition. It’s a more personal touch, like the hand written acceptance letter. They told a very warm story about a father who felt his written English wasn’t good enough to write a letter, so he drove all the way there, and delivered his passionate letter about his daughter in person, as a speech. They remember that guy, they loved that guy, and he’s now a part of their community. So don’t worry about anything–write one if you want to, and if you don’t, your daughter is not going to suffer for it.
I think it’s wonderful. There were so many times during the application process when I thought “If they only knew how much my D…”, well, here is an opportunity to tell them just that! It’s optional, doesn’t count against them but can only help. I can’t imagine how anyone could complain about this.
I didn’t find Smith warm and friendly at all. My daughter was there for an official visit. No one from the school invited me to anything. I went on the tour they signed her up for only because she asked me to. I was told that there was no one for me to meet with or ask questions, that other students would interview and answer any questions my daughter had, but that parents were not involved ‘at Smith!’. When my daughter asked my opinion about Smith, I said I didn’t know anything about the school, other than what I’d learned on the tour.
She’s not at Smith. Other schools were nicer to her and to me.