This past year, my mailbox was full of college mail. I held on to everything not only to satisfy my curiosity about how big the pile would grow (the environmental impact is astounding) but also to see what a student might learn from reading their mail.
How does this mail happen? A question on the SAT asks students whether they are okay with sharing contact information with colleges. There’s language about “scholarships” and “admissions opportunities”, making it hard for students to justify not checking the box.
Here are my takeaways after diving into the pile:
- College mailers can give insight into the workings of admissions offices. A brochure from Dartmouth College published “Why Dartmouth?” responses from recently admitted students. This gave a sense of the type of writing the admissions office expects. A mailer from UNC Chapel Hill highlighted what stood out from the admissions essay of a recently accepted student and showcased the extracurricular activities admitted students described on their applications - both lessons that could be applied universally to the college application process.
- College mailers may introduce schools you’ve never heard of but could be a good fit. Ever looked into Southern Utah University? I hadn’t, though it was kind of fun to learn more about them (located only 2.5 hours away from Las Vegas).
- College mailers might save you money. Several mailers offered a code to waive the college’s application fee.
- College mailers can be funny, both intentionally and unintentionally. I enjoyed the schools that didn’t take themselves too seriously. Some of my favorites included this quote in a letter from Macalaster College, “Dear student, blah, blah, blah, Macalaster College, blah blah blah, great academic match for your interests, blah, blah, blah, located in the heart of two great cities, blah, blah, blah.” And from Swarthmore College, “Greetings student, we have learned that you recently suffered the indignity of squandering several hours answering dozens of irritating multiple-choice questions. Sorry about that. But, as a result, we got your address and so are able to send you this cheerful letter.” And finally, from Harvard College, “Dear student, Have you ever considered Harvard?” Really Harvard? Really? While it made me laugh, it also made me mad. It felt like a fishing attempt for more applications.
Overall lesson to students: look out for that question on the SAT. And if you do get a lot of mail from colleges, read it - you never know what you might learn.
