<p>Oddly enough, the reports of applicants getting nothing (or close to nothing), when juxtaposed against other reports of applicants who receive prolific targeted mailings, suggests there is some sort of intelligent decision making that comes into play in which some applicants get marketed and others don’t.</p>
<p>If a college sends copious mailings to everyone who has ever interacted with the admission office or if a college has an across-the-board policy of minimal marketing, it’s easier to avoid getting sucked in by uniform policies…compared to a college that sends waves of materials to only some of the prospective students. </p>
<p>Still, in the world of competitive college admissions, parents and guidance counselors (if not the applicants themselves) should have the experience and sense to know that it’s a mistake to read between the lines and interpret the volume of mailings and even the somewhat personalized nature of mailings as a reliable or credible indicator of an admission decision that has not, in fact, been made. If a mailing doesn’t make it plain, on its face, that the college intends to accept you (or your loved one), it’s just wrong to assume it’s something other than marketing. When a college wants to convey that message, they’ll be perfectly clear about it.</p>
<p>So, again, if it’s a communication before the application is complete, it can’t be an indicator of a future result where the admission process is holistic. And, by definition, communications sent after the application is complete can’t be luring in applicants. So, as to whether the post-submission mailings needlessly or recklessly raise the hopes of applicants, there needs to be some level-headed counseling from trusted adults if they see that college marketing materials are putting a little space between an applicant’s shoe leather and terra firma.</p>