Have your college acceptance letters come with warnings?

[Nicole M]

I was a bit taken aback by the tone of one of my son's letters. It came from the college where I am employed, and to say that I dislike the director of admission is an extreme understatement. So while I'm aware that I am biased, I also believe his influence colors the whole admission process in a negative way. He is just not a good man.

 

Anyhoo, the letter that came from this particular school was, first of all, twice as long as the other letters. It started with "We picked you above 6,000 others." Then proceeded to talk about how great the school was and how much the student would benefit from the experience, then warned the student to keep up their standards of excellence during this time of transition, or else the admission committee might review the student's file and decide to rescind the offer of admission.

 

My son received three other letters. They were short and sweet and amounted to: You're in! We're delighted! We think your creativity and curiosity means you'll fit right in! Can't wait to see you this fall! The letter that impressed me the most included a handwritten note from the counselor my son interviewed with, saying he enjoyed my son's essay and found it humorous and poignant, and clearly had actually read it, based on other comments.

 

I wondered if you noticed a difference in the tone of various acceptance letters, and whether a warning was included. Is the warning standard?

 

ETA: All the schools to which my son applied are small liberal arts colleges, so we're comparing apples to apples.

Edited March 21, 2010 by Nicole M

[mcconnellboys]

At several of our college visits to small, liberal arts schools, we were warned that because so many high school seniors in the past few years have decided to "take the year off" or at least let work slide during their last semester at school, more and more colleges are feeling pressure to issue warnings to keep up the good work. We've received several letters from most of the schools he's been accepted to thus far and I'd say at least one out of every bunch urges in some way that students keep up their studies. Tone is different with the different schools, of course. I think the sternest one has come from the only large public university he applied to.

 

I read an article just a few months ago about some ivy league schools even withdrawing their offers if students didn't keep up their senior year grades. It makes sense. Demand for entrance is at an all time peak this year, so why let in slackers when there are diligent students waiting in the wings?

[Nicole M]

 

I read an article just a few months ago about some ivy league schools even withdrawing their offers if students didn't keep up their senior year grades. It makes sense. Demand for entrance is at an all time peak this year, so why let in slackers when there are diligent students waiting in the wings?

 

Oooohhhh. At the school where I work, we've not been hit as hard by the economy tanking as other schools have, because we're not endowment-dependent. We are totally tuition-dependent. Curiously, we had more freshmen show up last year than ever before. We'd set this goal: X-number of first year students, or we are in deep doo-doo. And we had a hundred more than that number actually show up. So it would make sense that admission would want students to take this seriously so that admitting more students doesn't end up biting them in the rear, in the event that they've lowered their standards to fill the classrooms.

 

The tone of that letter struck me as somewhat rude and snobby. The whole admission process has been a nightmare. We had endless problems with the process partly because they still are using a home-grown computer system to handle their applications, all 6,000 of which, by the way, are all printed rather than read electronically -- this after selling itself as super "green" campus. When I described a sort of "who's on first" conversation I had with admission about our "lost" file, my supervisor, the director of the school of music, gasped and said, "It's as if they don't want students to come here!" It helps me to be more sympathetic about the whole business when I think about the larger picture, so I thank you for putting this into perspective.

Edited March 21, 2010 by Nicole M

[JudoMom]

Oooohhhh. At the school where I work, we've not been hit as hard by the economy tanking as other schools have, because we're not endowment-dependent. We are totally tuition-dependent. Curiously, we had more freshmen show up last year than ever before. We'd set this goal: X-number of first year students, or we are in deep doo-doo. And we had a hundred more than that number actually show up. So it would make sense that admission would want students to take this seriously so that admitting more students doesn't end up biting them in the rear, in the event that they've lowered their standards to fill the classrooms.

 

The tone of that letter struck me as somewhat rude and snobby. The whole admission process has been a nightmare. We had endless problems with the process partly because they still are using a home-grown computer system to handle their applications, all 6,000 of which, by the way, are all printed rather than read electronically -- this after selling itself as super "green" campus. When I described a sort of "who's on first" conversation I had with admission about our "lost" file, my supervisor, the director of the school of music, gasped and said, "It's as if they don't want students to come here!" It helps me to be more sympathetic about the whole business when I think about the larger picture, so I thank you for putting this into perspective.

 

I just wanted to say woo-hoo :party: on the acceptances!

[Nicole M]

I just wanted to say woo-hoo :party: on the acceptances!

 

You are such a sweetheart! Thank you. It's been a very wonderful, emotional week!

[creekland]

Yes, there have been warnings and yes they are fairly common among highschoolers where I work. I also know of a senior from our school who did get his offer rescinded from a choice school in a previous year (not Ivy or similar, but not low level either) due to slacking off senior year.

 

That said, most warnings come more or less as a friendly reminder after the congratulations, not as a true "warning" IMO. I'm not certain how I would take the letter you related. It does seem a little different.

[Kareni]

Hello Nicole,

 

I went digging through stacks of papers to take a look at my daughter's acceptance letters from last year. She was accepted at eight colleges and a number of the letters were purely congratulatory. Here is what three others said ~

 

College One: "Please remember that your admission to ** is contingent upon your continuing to achieve a record of academic excellence and good character. You are required to submit a final transcript to **. Should ** determine that you have failed to maintain the level of achievement and character upon which your acceptance was based, your admission to ** may be revoked."

 

College Two: "It is important to note that admission to ** is provisional pending successful completion of your current academic work at your present level of achievement or higher. We expect you will notify us if there is a change in your academic performance or disciplinary status."

 

And College Three (which happens to be the college where you work!): "We hope that you will continue to engage in your coursework and extracurricular activities as you approach the end of our high school career. We expect that all enrolling students maintain the level of academic excellence displayed in their applications. If there is a disparity between the work reviewed for the admission decision and the work recorded after the decision, we reserve the right to review and retract the offer of admission."

 

So, in her case, about half the letters carried an admonition to continue to do well or else!

 

Regards,

Kareni

[newbie]

Congrats on all the letters, we are still waiting, I always feel like I am last in line.

 

AcT all over again.

[Sebastian (a lady)]

I'm not up on the full packet that students accepting appointments to the Naval Academy have to return, but it does involve a form that is taken to the local police department for them to certify that the student has not been nor is now in trouble with the law. It used to also involve the preliminary form for a background check for security clearance.

 

But then academies are a bit more invasive and far more stern than the average liberal arts college.:tongue_smilie:

 

I'd wager that offers of appointment also warn students not to slack off. My standard spiel to students is that it is far better to work hard now than to have to work hard as a college student, when there will be so many other uses of their time.

[In The Great White North]

I heard stories of candidates getting their appointment rescinded way back in the 80's, so that's not new.

[Nicole M]

I heard stories of candidates getting their appointment rescinded way back in the 80's, so that's not new.

 

...way back? :svengo:

 

Just kidding. A little.

 

Kareni's quoted lines of admonition don't seem so bad on their own. But within the context of this particular letter, it seemed snotty somehow. And my personal baggage aside, doncha think it's within the realm of possibility that a warning could actually backfire? I mean, when I read that letter, I thought, shoot, if they're attracting the kind of slackers who would need that warning, is that really where I want my child? But then, we're a bit naive at our house, and the idea of slacking would not even have entered our pea brains. :D

 

Oh. And I love the idea of telling kids to work hard now because they'll have other priorities for their time in college!

[Halftime Hope]

My son received three other letters. They were short and sweet and amounted to: You're in! We're delighted! We think your creativity and curiosity means you'll fit right in! Can't wait to see you this fall! The letter that impressed me the most included a handwritten note from the counselor my son interviewed with, saying he enjoyed my son's essay and found it humorous and poignant, and clearly had actually read it, based on other comments.

QUOTE]

 

Nicole, congrats to you and to him! Yaaaay for you both! What a difference a week makes, yeah?!

 

I'm so happy for you all! :hurray:

[newbie]

YAAAY, we got an acceptance phone call. From Chatham in PA. DD is on cloud nine, now we are waiting for the rest. Havent looked at any letters yet.

 

Just too elated for one. I feel like the wall flower and just excited to dance.

[Kareni]

Newbie,

 

Congratulations to your and your daughter! There is nothing quite like that first acceptance. Let the celebration begin ....

 

Regards,

Kareni

 

 

YAAAY, we got an acceptance phone call. From Chatham in PA. DD is on cloud nine, now we are waiting for the rest. Havent looked at any letters yet.

 

Just too elated for one. I feel like the wall flower and just excited to dance.

[Nicole M]

YAAAY, we got an acceptance phone call. From Chatham in PA. DD is on cloud nine, now we are waiting for the rest. Havent looked at any letters yet.

 

Just too elated for one. I feel like the wall flower and just excited to dance.

 

Isn't that the best feeling!!!

 

Hooray for you and your daughter!

 

:party:

[newbie]

Thanks, guys. Its nice to be in WTM college crowd.

[Halftime Hope]

I'm so happy for you both. Woo, hoo!!

 

How many more are you waiting for?

 

And a more pressing question, do you have any fingernails left, or are they all bitten off? :) Your batch of colleges seems on the late end of the spectrum, although many of the most selective ones are.

 

Best wishes!

[Nicole M]

I'm so happy for you both. Woo, hoo!!

 

How many more are you waiting for?

 

And a more pressing question, do you have any fingernails left, or are they all bitten off? :) Your batch of colleges seems on the late end of the spectrum, although many of the most selective ones are.

 

Best wishes!

 

Really? More selective schools are slower? I just thought we were late in getting our apps in! Seems like y'all have had offers in hand for months, and yes, I was losing fingernails and my hair was turning gray.

 

We're waiting on two more. One is a highly competitive school that is not really within the realm of possibility. We don't expect an offer. However, it is a school that is in the Pacific Northwest College Exchange program, so we would not have to pay tuition there. So we tossed them an application too, while we were at it. I heard that they just lost their beloved choir director of 25 years, so that makes the school a little less appealing anyway. We're also waiting on Berea. My youngest so is quite a little hippie and is positively on fire about Berea. My oldest, the college bound fella, is all about sustainability as well, but is slightly lukewarm about the school -- probably because it's hard to get a good read on their music program. And they were slow to respond to emails and calls (as in, did not respond). So we have in hand the most important yeses.

 

Now we wait for the word on financial aid. Does everyone else already have that in the bag, too? Or does that typically come in later, in April? (I seem to remember that is the case from last year when Kareni's daughter was applying to schools.)

[Halftime Hope]

although what I said *is* generally true in our region. Some of the more selective LACs and the flagship state schools have later notification dates.

 

It may just be the case that this is a regional thing though, and there will certainly always be exceptions.

 

:)

 

re. FA packages; we are just finishing up that round. Dd will need to choose a school in the next week or two.

[newbie]

I have a Q , after the acceptance, do you call each and ask what they can offer for financial aid? Or you narrow down to one and ask for financial aid>

 

How do you play the game?

[Kareni]

Now we wait for the word on financial aid. Does everyone else already have that in the bag, too? Or does that typically come in later, in April? (I seem to remember that is the case from last year when Kareni's daughter was applying to schools.)

 

Our experience was that merit offers typically came with the acceptance offer. The exceptions were when there was a separate scholarship event which the student attended; in that case, that merit offer came later.

 

Financial aid offers typically came in early April; one came as late as mid-April.

 

 

I have a Q , after the acceptance, do you call each and ask what they can offer for financial aid? Or you narrow down to one and ask for financial aid>

 

How do you play the game?

 

Typically, there is a box to be checked on the application itself by which the student indicates that financial aid is being requested. It's important too to look on the college's website for information specifically directed to those seeking financial aid. 99.9% of all colleges require that the FAFSA be filled out by students and their parents. (The FAFSA determines how much federal financial aid a student might get.) More selective colleges often require another application called the Profile. Some colleges also have their own financial aid application. The Profile might be due as early as November of the fall of your child's senior year if they are applying early. The FAFSA is available to be filled out on January 1, but might be required by a college by February 1 or March 1 or some other date. It's important to stay on top of due dates so that your child does not miss out on aid.

 

Regards,

Kareni

[LBS]

I'm seeing some of the same diversity in acceptance letters, three so far, and not all one kind of school....interesting to see what comes next week for all.

 

One thing: I'm hearing stories of kids who called the admissions dept of a school or two to let them know they had to decline the invitation, and were given more money to make it work. I guess once you're admitted they really do want you.

 

Second thing: high school parents' information night included long talk about Facebook. It is high on the list of strategies for college admissions offices to use before awarding admission and scholarships. I've seen some bad stuff my son's friends have put on their Facebook pages. Kids seem to think that stuff is private???? Or just seen by sympatico buddies. Just a heads up, but colleges will google your child and use that information, rather than award big money and find out from the headlines, the next day, that their choice is doing beer-bong hits in Facebook pics....employers are doing the same.

 

Everybody may know this stuff already, but if one person gains awareness it is worth putting this here. Apologies to OP.

 

LBS

[Nicole M]

I'm seeing some of the same diversity in acceptance letters, three so far, and not all one kind of school....interesting to see what comes next week for all.

 

One thing: I'm hearing stories of kids who called the admissions dept of a school or two to let them know they had to decline the invitation, and were given more money to make it work. I guess once you're admitted they really do want you.

 

Second thing: high school parents' information night included long talk about Facebook. It is high on the list of strategies for college admissions offices to use before awarding admission and scholarships. I've seen some bad stuff my son's friends have put on their Facebook pages. Kids seem to think that stuff is private???? Or just seen by sympatico buddies. Just a heads up, but colleges will google your child and use that information, rather than award big money and find out from the headlines, the next day, that their choice is doing beer-bong hits in Facebook pics....employers are doing the same.

 

Everybody may know this stuff already, but if one person gains awareness it is worth putting this here. Apologies to OP.

 

LBS

 

Interesting about FB. I have a niece who I'm convinced will never get a job at the rate her photo albums are filling up with truly disgusting images. I'm pretty relaxed about that stuff, really, so if it's offensive to me, then she's doomed. :confused:

 

While I didn't know admission offices were using it as a filter, I did know that they are using FB as a tool. I had a cute "P.S." in a note from the counselor at the school that is my son's first choice. Apparently he, the counselor, was giving a talk or training session to other admission counselors about FB, and the image they randomly pulled from the web during the presentation was of an article posted on the university's FB page about sustainability. My son (and only my son) had "liked" the article. The counselor said that made him smile, since he'd just him and knew that sustainability was a high priority for him.

 

As for rescinding offers, we just had an appointment this afternoon with the counselor at the CC where my son takes courses. She mentioned that in the last three or four years more colleges feel that they can take back offers, because despite the economy, more students are wanting to go to (often very expensive) four year colleges.

[FairProspects]

I know that UW rescinded a few offers last year (around 8 maybe?) after some admitted student's Spring grades tanked and/or they did not graduate, so I'm wondering if other colleges in the region are following suit with their warning letters?

[momofgals]

I'm seeing some of the same diversity in acceptance letters, three so far, and not all one kind of school....interesting to see what comes next week for all.

 

One thing: I'm hearing stories of kids who called the admissions dept of a school or two to let them know they had to decline the invitation, and were given more money to make it work. I guess once you're admitted they really do want you.

 

Second thing: high school parents' information night included long talk about Facebook. It is high on the list of strategies for college admissions offices to use before awarding admission and scholarships. I've seen some bad stuff my son's friends have put on their Facebook pages. Kids seem to think that stuff is private???? Or just seen by sympatico buddies. Just a heads up, but colleges will google your child and use that information, rather than award big money and find out from the headlines, the next day, that their choice is doing beer-bong hits in Facebook pics....employers are doing the same.

 

Everybody may know this stuff already, but if one person gains awareness it is worth putting this here. Apologies to OP.

 

LBS

 

I've heard this, too. How do admissions offices gain access to the student's FB page? Does it happen when the student becomes a fan of _____University?