<p>As a senior with fairly strong stats (1510 SAT, straight As, etc) I’ve been getting pretty much incessant mail from colleges, both in paper and electronic form. Recently, these have morphed from “Find out about our school!” to “Apply to our school for free!” deals. As an ED applicant to a school that can’t be considered a saftey for anyone, I’m pretty interested in hearing a positive response from at least one school, so that I can at least get the burden of knowing I’m in somewhere off my shoulders.</p>
<p>Has anyone had experience with these types of applications? Generally they claim that no new essays are needed, the application fee is waived, and you’ll recieve a decision within three weeks. It would seem as they’re only doing this to manipulate their stats, but since I’d probably be using them as safeties, wouldn’t that manipulate the stats the wrong way? Are they worth the time?</p>
<p>Thanks for any advice! :)</p>
<p>EDIT: Woah, sorry about that, thanks for catching my typo ilcapo235 ;)</p>
<p>Nobody can answer this in general terms. It depends on what schools are sending you the letters. I wouldn’t apply just to collect acceptances. If you have 1510 and the median SAT for these schools is, say,1100, why apply? I wouldn’t apply anywhere that you don’t seriously think you would like to attend. If you want to have one acceptance under your belt, try one…but don’t waste your time with many. Lots of kids are getting these same letters and , yes, I think they serve to boost the app rate…though they won’t do much for the yield. </p>
<p>My son has been getting the “we’ll waive your app fee if you apply” letters. The schools are respectable, so far.</p>
<p>The schools are definitely respectable, and if I did choose to do it, I’d pick one. I have a few other safety schools, but I’m unsure of everything at the moment and so it seems like something like this might just help me be less nervous about the whole process. I’m not interested in collecting acceptances, just making the wait less stressful (especially for my parents!).</p>
<p>Well, I can say that my son’s school coached all of the parents to try to get the kids to “get one acceptance behind them” early on…via rolling asmissions. They said it helps the kids to mentally know that they “are definitely going to college” and gets them in the flow of the process. </p>
<p>This usually takes the form of an app to UMich. I assume the schools you are considering for this are rolling…</p>
<p>My daughter’s counselor suggested this also. She has applied and been accepted already to our state uni and a small LAC that both use rolling admissions - these schools are also financial safeties for her - if I lose my job, or someone has a terrible accident, whatever, she has 2 schools to choose from.</p>
<p>It is a relief, and a confidence booster, but it also has a downside - she started out less than enthusiastic about this process, and this has taken some of the pressure off - now she has to remind herself “but,. do I really want to go to this school?!”</p>
<p>Snapple, I’ve received a # of actual acceptance notices & scholarship awards to colleges I’ve never applied to(& would never). These have definitely increased in number & frequency & size of offer in the last few weeks. I would never attend any of them – due to quality of school, location, size of school, etc. Maybe it has something to do with my NMSSF standing, or with (as you say) the ED-month factor. Can’t consider the offers “safeties” since I have no intention of going there. Too bad.</p>
<p>Classicist…are you kidding? You have received “acceptances and scholarship awards” to colleges you’ve never applied to…forgive me if I’m being rude…but I have <em>never</em> heard of an acceptance on the strength of NMSF standing only…can you (or any parents) elaborate?</p>
<p>I’ve never heard of that either. In son’s case, the fee waiver letters all mention that the offer is due to NM standing…but there sure aren’t any acceptances, let alone scholarships. How would they know he’s not a D student on suspension with a felony criminal record who just happened to score well on PSATs a year ago? LOL</p>
<p>My D received a pre-filled out, free app from a LAC she had visited in NC…preferential treatment because she did the tour and info session - no essay needed (a graded paper would suffice); she liked the school as her safety…it was a win/win as far as she was concerned, why not send her scores?, and she got ‘the fat envelope’ a week later - with merit aid! The advantage to the school is that they hope to be your sentimental favorite, by courting you early. The advantage to student is obvious. What could be the downside?</p>
<p>What a relief to have one locked up! Next answer comes Dec. 1st.</p>
<p>My S and I were chatting on the way to the polls (sigh) and somehow got to talking about last year’s admissions. He had gotten the early acceptance to UMich. I, of course, was telling him at the time to work on other apps in case his ED didn’t work out, but it turns out he had already decided he was going to UM if that happened; he loved it that much (and he hated filling out apps that much, too.) But I would caution not to use it that way unless you really do want to go there; it’s not the right place for everyone.</p>
<p>ckr1147 and momsdream,
One college is in South, another on West Coast, another in MidWest. (Only the one in MidWest am I interested in – it’s a match/safety, not my top choice.) My best friend & classmate just got an acceptance + huge merit scholarship to one in mid-Atlantic not applied to. Another classmate got the same acceptance to the W.C. college that I did, a couple of weeks earlier. (The 3 of us are approx. tied for 1st rank in class at very prestigious h.s.) About 15 yrs. ago my very bright cousin in the San Diego area received one or 2 unsolicited acceptances, my aunt told us, but those did not come with scholarships due to diff. finan. aid requirements at the time. (Parents being penalized for being “well-off” & those colleges did not offer merit s’s.) It seems that it’s not that unusual to receive these.</p>
<p>When DS was a senior he received those early application with no fee, no essay offers. He chose one and had his acceptance in hand before Christmas WITH a nice merit aid package. He also applied rolling admissions to another school and he knew about that one, also with merit aid, before Thanksgiving. It definitely took the edge off of the application process even though both of these were more or less safety schools (which he would have been fine if his higher choices hadn’t happened). We will encourage DD to do the same…one early application, one rolling admissions.</p>
<p>momsdream, about the question you raise (“How would they know?”). They would “know” that you couldn’t be a felon & D student if you were also ELC (which I am), unless your son was an overnight criminal & overnight D student. And ELC + NMS standing means you’d be in a pretty good position to become a Finalist, so the colleges wouldn’t be taking that much of a chance on the student, in my opinion.</p>
<p>Excuse me, I’ve been racking my brain, but I can’t figure out what “ELC” means in the context of a student’s high school record. Thanks for explaining the abbreviation to me and perhaps other onlookers.</p>
<p>tokenadult, ELC stands for Eligibility in the Local Context (for U.C.) It’s about their phony two-tiered system, i.m.o. If you’re a URM, you can have C averages & be admitted, depending on whatever. If you’re a majority race, you have to be top. Not enough top students in last several years, so UC system has started this brain-picking exercise & given it a long label. They choose particular (high-ranked) high schools in State, ask admins for top 12.5% of Seniors. From there, UC re-computes the actual top 4% of those schools, based on UC’s approved courses & the grades in those. I assume they don’t pick all schools, including lower-ranked ones, because many applicants from those schools will be URMs anyway, & that tier will already be represented.</p>
<p>ELC and NMS explains alot - I still find it very odd that a college would accept someone and offer him/her scholarship money virtualy sight unseen…</p>