<p>I agree…because at some point I think it can cross a line and seem downright predatory. It’s not a money-making scam…like all those “Who’s Who” opportunities that require students to pay cash money to receive recognition and affirmation, but you’re correct in noting that it still impacts young people who are vulnerable. That’s why many boarding schools agree to a “time out” which removes the pressure to market heavily to 8th-graders just to keep up with the other schools.</p>
<p>Still, I submit that learning this lesson about feeling sucked in, in this way, is a very low-impact lesson. It’s far easier to go through this than learning about the perils of direct-marketing when the pre-approved credit card applications hit the campus mailbox or the payday lender is offering instant “opportunity” right across the street. For most applicants, there are adults around throughout the application process who understand that marketing can be dressed up in personally-signed letters. Later on, if they haven’t yet learned this lesson – which has an incredibly soft-landing – things can get pretty rough if they learn it the hard way. So I’m not convinced that colleges really need to do nearly as much about this as the guidance counselors and parents.</p>
<p>[Edit: FWIW, my post #17, above, was in reply to #15. And this post is in reply to #16 and #18.]</p>