8filltheheart Posted November 20, 2014 Share Posted November 20, 2014 My insomnia is making me link happy. ;) http://www.washingtonpost.com/posteverything/wp/2014/11/17/dear-elite-colleges-please-stop-recruiting-students-like-me-if-you-know-we-wont-get-in/?hpid=z2 You seriously have to know that there cannot be a single tree lover in college recruiting. The rallying cry would be save a tree, don't recruit 1 student. Save a forest, cut our mailings by 10%. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
regentrude Posted November 20, 2014 Share Posted November 20, 2014 I think I posted when we weighed DD's box with the college mailings: 39 lbs. But the majority of mailings were from institutions we had never heard of. The top schools were a drop in the bucket. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sebastian (a lady) Posted November 20, 2014 Share Posted November 20, 2014 I'm pretty tired of the spammy emails. They have all the hallmarks of phishing except they have good spelling. What is especially provoking is when they badger as if my sophomore is delinquent for not responding. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SamanthaCarter Posted November 20, 2014 Share Posted November 20, 2014 That's disgusting. I hate the higher education industry. I would like to say my kids need to just opt out, but I'm too insecure for that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chiguirre Posted November 20, 2014 Share Posted November 20, 2014 JHU-CTY is looking for a 58+ in math or 56+ in reading to qualify for their offerings; looking at the PSAT percentile rankings plus the college mail should have encouraged the author to get moving right over to tutoring/study skills support at her high school, which would have helped her be in the top quartile at the end of jr year. She needs to be honest with herself, instead of labeling her classmates as 'over-acheivers'. She does say in the article that both her GPA and her SATs are better now. She obviously can write an engaging personal essay. I'm sure she'll get into a school that's great for her. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Granny_Weatherwax Posted November 20, 2014 Share Posted November 20, 2014 I think I posted when we weighed DD's box with the college mailings: 39 lbs. But the majority of mailings were from institutions we had never heard of. The top schools were a drop in the bucket. I've already recycled two boxes full and they are still arriving. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
snowbeltmom Posted November 20, 2014 Share Posted November 20, 2014 I don't remember the specifics, but there is some way to opt out of the college junk mail. My son has not received much college mail at all, and the vast majority of the mail that he has received is from colleges that he has shown interest in. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TranquilMind Posted November 20, 2014 Share Posted November 20, 2014 We are about to start that merry-go-round again. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Teachin'Mine Posted November 20, 2014 Share Posted November 20, 2014 The ones we found annoying are the ones we called to let them know that dd wasn't interested in attending, yet the barrage of emails and mail continued. These were not elite school but ones which were likely looking for high stats applicants to boost their ratings. Even then, with all that goes on in this world I'd hardly call these solicitations "disgusting". lol You can "recycle" the mailings by giving them to high schools where the students may not have access to these brochures. Pass it on. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MBM Posted November 20, 2014 Share Posted November 20, 2014 My son made NMSF and has good ACT scores so all kinds of stuff have arrived. Everything under the sun. Interestingly, one place that has not sent a single item or emailed is Notre Dame. Did any of you get info from them? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tsuga Posted November 20, 2014 Share Posted November 20, 2014 All I can say is... you'd be surprised, but they wouldn't send them if they didn't work. :( I work in higher ed and we don't send those out and we get slammed every time by people who point out to us repeatedly that yes people hate mailings, or so they say, but mailings and e-mails work. Is the writer's GPA out of sync with her SAT or have things changed? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jenny in Florida Posted November 20, 2014 Share Posted November 20, 2014 My son mostly got mail from colleges that made sense, ones with which he had some contact. What's irritating to me is that, even now that he's already almost midway through his freshman year, I can't seem to make the mailings stop. When he first started thinking about the college search during what we then considered his junior year, he/we requested in from a bunch of schools that caught his attention for some reason. Logically enough, we told them all he was a junior. However, he then decided to try and push through and finish his high school requirements that year so he could apply to colleges for this fall, magically transforming his junior year into his senior year. So, of course, most of those schools believe he is doing his applications now and have kicked the mailings into high gear. We get five or six pieces of mail for him every day, ranging from glossy, oversized postcards to multi-page, large-format booklets personalized with his name. We're even getting occasional mail from schools he applied to last year. In fact, a couple of weeks ago, I brought in a big brochure from the admissions department of the college he's currently attending! He's also gotten letters from a couple of the schools he turned down feeling out whether he's happy where he is and offering to chat with him about transfer opportunities. Short of calling or e-mailing every school individually, I can't figure out how to cut off the flow. There are a couple that make me giggle. For example, he gets frequent mail and e-mails from Julliard. (He attended a college dance workshop a couple of years ago and took class from a couple of faculty members, which I assume is how he got on their list.) He also gets not-infrequent mailings from the U.S. Naval Academy, which is not something he ever sought out. One of his uncles recently retired from the Navy, and we sort of assume that's why he's on that list, but it's pretty incongruous given his personality and interests. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Teachin'Mine Posted November 20, 2014 Share Posted November 20, 2014 My son made NMSF and has good ACT scores so all kinds of stuff have arrived. Everything under the sun. Interestingly, one place that has not sent a single item or emailed is Notre Dame. Did any of you get info from them? We got brochures from ND but likely because we requested info. lol I asked dd to check off for no mail on testing forms and we just requested from the ones we wanted. Not sure how a whole lot of others got in there, but I would imagine that a bit of selling of address info goes on with regard to colleges mailings. I found the various college brochures interesting not only for what they said and showed, but for what they didn't say or show. I don't think that ND is concerned with mass mailings as they generally appeal to a smaller range of students. Their acceptance rate is higher than others compared to the stats of those admitted. I wonder if they do send mailings to students attending parochial high schools or indicating interest in Catholic colleges. Just looked up more recent stats and it appears that their acceptance rate has dropped a bit and their standardized test scores as well. Interesting. Then again I'm working from memory ... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Granny_Weatherwax Posted November 20, 2014 Share Posted November 20, 2014 My son made NMSF and has good ACT scores so all kinds of stuff have arrived. Everything under the sun. Interestingly, one place that has not sent a single item or emailed is Notre Dame. Did any of you get info from them? DS received mailings from ND. The school that was missing in DS's mailings was Stanford. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kathy in Richmond Posted November 20, 2014 Share Posted November 20, 2014 I recall my daughter getting a cardboard tube from Notre Dame with a huge poster of the campus rolled up inside. She checked the "Catholic box" on her SAT registration forms & received LOTS of mail from many Catholic colleges. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brenda in MA Posted November 20, 2014 Share Posted November 20, 2014 That's disgusting. I hate the higher education industry. I would like to say my kids need to just opt out, but I'm too insecure for that. I don't remember the specifics, but there is some way to opt out of the college junk mail. My son has not received much college mail at all, and the vast majority of the mail that he has received is from colleges that he has shown interest in. Yes -- there is a way to opt out on the PSAT & SAT registration forms. My first son signed up for the college search service, but I told him not to provide his email. He got a lot of paper mail from many, many colleges he wasn't interested in. It all seemed like such a waste because we had been looking for college options given many books and websites for a couple of years before he was ready to apply. He didn't find any new ones through the junk mail. So I advised 2nd son to not sign up for the college search service and not give his email address for that. I had him contact the colleges he was interested in directly and ask for information. So he only received mailings from the places that interested him, and he was none the worse for that. So if your child has a good idea where he/she might like to go, I really see no downside to opting out of all the mailings. Brenda Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sebastian (a lady) Posted November 20, 2014 Share Posted November 20, 2014 My son mostly got mail from colleges that made sense, ones with which he had some contact. What's irritating to me is that, even now that he's already almost midway through his freshman year, I can't seem to make the mailings stop. When he first started thinking about the college search during what we then considered his junior year, he/we requested in from a bunch of schools that caught his attention for some reason. Logically enough, we told them all he was a junior. However, he then decided to try and push through and finish his high school requirements that year so he could apply to colleges for this fall, magically transforming his junior year into his senior year. So, of course, most of those schools believe he is doing his applications now and have kicked the mailings into high gear. We get five or six pieces of mail for him every day, ranging from glossy, oversized postcards to multi-page, large-format booklets personalized with his name. We're even getting occasional mail from schools he applied to last year. In fact, a couple of weeks ago, I brought in a big brochure from the admissions department of the college he's currently attending! He's also gotten letters from a couple of the schools he turned down feeling out whether he's happy where he is and offering to chat with him about transfer opportunities. Short of calling or e-mailing every school individually, I can't figure out how to cut off the flow. There are a couple that make me giggle. For example, he get frequent mail and e-mails from Julliard. (He attended a college dance workshop a couple of years ago and took class from a couple of faculty members, which I assume is how he got on their list.) He also gets not-infrequent mailings from the U.S. Naval Academy, which is not something he ever sought out. One of his uncles recently retired from the Navy, and we sort of assume that's why he's on that list, but it's pretty incongruous given his personality and interests. I very much doubt that the retired uncle has anything to do with the Naval Academy mailings. More likely it is scores and some perception that he fits the demographic of students who might be successful there, perhaps mixed with living in an underrepresented area. Geographic diversity is a very big deal for service academies. There are congressional districts who do not have very many qualified candidates or who do not have many students apply at all. There is a concerted effort to identify potentially qualified students in these areas. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jenny in Florida Posted November 20, 2014 Share Posted November 20, 2014 I very much doubt that the retired uncle has anything to do with the Naval Academy mailings. More likely it is scores and some perception that he fits the demographic of students who might be successful there, perhaps mixed with living in an underrepresented area. Geographic diversity is a very big deal for service academies. There are congressional districts who do not have very many qualified candidates or who do not have many students apply at all. There is a concerted effort to identify potentially qualified students in these areas. Anything's possible. He's not even old enough to apply, though, and he started getting the mailings over a year ago. And it's not like his test scores are especially stellar. He didn't participate in any extracurricular activities that seem to me like things that would make him look like a candidate. I admit to a certain amount of curiosity about how/why he would have been identified as a prospect. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Teachin'Mine Posted November 20, 2014 Share Posted November 20, 2014 Maybe his uncle thought it would be a good idea to fill out some info online for your son. You never know. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
StillStanding Posted November 20, 2014 Share Posted November 20, 2014 My son made NMSF and has good ACT scores so all kinds of stuff have arrived. Everything under the sun. Interestingly, one place that has not sent a single item or emailed is Notre Dame. Did any of you get info from them? We got mail from them. Maybe because we are hispanic (dd got National Hispanic Scholar) with high ACT scores. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hoggirl Posted November 21, 2014 Share Posted November 21, 2014 It's marketing. I don't get why this is a big deal. Yes, students may be too naive to realize this, but this is where parents should step in. The challenge is the lack of knowledge of the parents combined with the "snowflake" mentality that so many parents have about their children. For some reason, people just don't take the time to educate themselves about the eligibility to "purchase" college. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SparklyUnicorn Posted November 21, 2014 Share Posted November 21, 2014 Wowsers. I can see a way to reduce that though. Mail out a card with a link to all the info on-line. If someone still wants the printed info, mail back the prepaid card and they will send it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Catherine Posted November 21, 2014 Share Posted November 21, 2014 No kidding. My ds with a 3.0 GPA is not going to be going to Stanford, University of Chicago, or Brown, but that hasn't kept them from sending him totally unsolicited mailings, dozens of them. It's all part of their numbers game-boosting application numbers so that when more students are rejected, they look more selective. There was an essay on NPR on this topic in the past couple of years. They interviewed a young woman, an immigrant from an African country, who not only got a huge number of mailings, she was visited personally by an admissions representative from Harvard. And based on her description of her test scores and grades, she was not in the pool of students who are typically accepted to Ivies. After all the attention, she applied, and was rejected. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Artichoke Posted November 21, 2014 Share Posted November 21, 2014 Ds received the mountains of paper and a carload of college recruit packages -- t-shirts, pennants, notebooks, flash drives, and sometimes decorative metal boxes with school logos. Nearly all of it was unsolicited and unwanted. The sheer wastefullness was infuriating. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jenny in Florida Posted November 21, 2014 Share Posted November 21, 2014 Maybe his uncle thought it would be a good idea to fill out some info online for your son. You never know. That's more or less what we initially assumed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sebastian (a lady) Posted November 21, 2014 Share Posted November 21, 2014 That's more or less what we initially assumed. That's entirely possible. I think I misunderstood earlier. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JumpedIntoTheDeepEndFirst Posted November 21, 2014 Share Posted November 21, 2014 I think overall junk mail from colleges is down. I can remember in the days before internet receiving massive packets with paper application materials, full (book sized) course catalogs, and so on. But it must work or it wouldn't be happening. Sometimes just the memory of a name and positive image noticed in passing is enough to make a kid want to know more when they stumble on it a second time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
creekland Posted November 21, 2014 Share Posted November 21, 2014 But it must work or it wouldn't be happening. There are many students at school who find their colleges via these mailings when the fit is proper. There are also many who apply to schools they have no chance of getting into because they (and their parents) are certain they are being recruited. The latter is sad and I do what I can to combat it when I talk with students, but the impression is really solid. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Granny_Weatherwax Posted November 21, 2014 Share Posted November 21, 2014 I think I'd like to see the mail come earlier to public high school students, as they don't have sufficient guidance counselors and their school boards are not supporting them in the mission to be well prepared. I would love to have had cards stating the academic requirements at nonIvys to bombard the School Board with....these kids have no chance when their schools don't offer FL4, or science beyond gen ed. Some of them don't even have gen ed physics available. Kind of weird, considering some of these more elite schools offer programs in 'urban teaching' with the aim of equity...their graduates wouldn't even get hired here. Love this!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
teachermom2834 Posted November 22, 2014 Share Posted November 22, 2014 This is a pet peeve of mine. My guy is a good all around student and super guy with a 26 ACT. He gets mail from Brown, Wash U St. Louis, Tulane, etc. Seems the business is to actually spend money to recruit rejections. We are aware of what it takes to get into those schools but not everyone is. My ds has a teammate that has been focusing on Brown and Holy Cross. Come to find out he has a 23 ACT as a senior. They thought he was set because he got mail from those schools and he has one of the highest ACT scores at his school. Of course, parents and students are responsible to educate themselves and it is a "buyer beware" situation but I still can't help but feel annoyed about it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
creekland Posted November 22, 2014 Share Posted November 22, 2014 Seems the business is to actually spend money to recruit rejections. It is. In order to have their phenomenally low acceptance rates to remain super competitive, they have to "recruit" as many rejections as possible. In that aspect, parents are correct that their students are being recruited. :glare: It's totally appalling, but it's what happens. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Butler Posted November 23, 2014 Share Posted November 23, 2014 http://www.nytimes.com/2014/11/23/opinion/sunday/frank-bruni-promiscuous-college-come-ons.html?_r=0 This is timely for this discussion. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chiguirre Posted November 23, 2014 Share Posted November 23, 2014 http://www.nytimes.com/2014/11/23/opinion/sunday/frank-bruni-promiscuous-college-come-ons.html?_r=0 This is timely for this discussion. So it's getting easier to apply to lots of highly selective schools. Swarthmore is only asking for a 250 word essay in addition to the common app. Do they also routinely waive application fees? If they do, there's not much reason NOT to apply to a boatload of schools and then decide which one is the best fit. Back in my day (said in my best crotchety old lady voice) we had to type up each application and pay a hefty fee, so lots of people only applied to a couple of schools. If schools are willing to take an app for free and only require a short essay, why not go for it? Kids have very little to lose as long as they apply to a safety too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
momofkhm Posted November 23, 2014 Share Posted November 23, 2014 Yes, we have gotten unsolicited college mail. The one that irritated me though was when we got the general unsolicited type thing from the college who already accepted dd and that she had already said she was coming. When we get mail from them, we assume it's important. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MariaT Posted November 23, 2014 Share Posted November 23, 2014 I think those shorter essays of 250 words are much, much harder to write than the 650 word-essays in the CA. In the longer essays you have room to develop ideas. In 250 words, those ideas better be clear, concise and precise in every sentence. Instead of an intro paragraph, you have an intro sentence. Prepositional phrases such as "for example," were replaced with a colon. Those short essays are killers. Maria Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JumpedIntoTheDeepEndFirst Posted November 24, 2014 Share Posted November 24, 2014 There are many students at school who find their colleges via these mailings when the fit is proper. There are also many who apply to schools they have no chance of getting into because they (and their parents) are certain they are being recruited. The latter is sad and I do what I can to combat it when I talk with students, but the impression is really solid. I don't think college's are any more guilty of marketing ploys than any other company. There is a certain level at which the consumer needs to be aware. I receive as much or more junk mail from credit card companies and I presume most folks get much of the same. No where does that mail indicate that the recipient is financially solvent enough to take on more consumer debt. I need to be smart enough to know what my credit limit actually should be just as a student needs to know that they are receiving an ad not being told they are qualified enough to be accepted. Are they taking advantage of the naivete of some families, yes. But no more so than dozens of other marketing schemes that will come their way. People need to be educated about that in general. Paying an application fee and not being accepted is both depressing and expensive. Giving money away to a "charity" that is fraudulent, ruining your credit rating, or being seduced into identity theft is far more damaging. What we need to do is educate students about unsolicited advertising in general. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tsuga Posted November 24, 2014 Share Posted November 24, 2014 "I don't think college's are any more guilty of marketing ploys than any other company." But most colleges operate as tax-exempt, even 501 © 3 status. Yet, they are not requesting that you make a $30-$100 donation to help them build a new football stadium. Instead they are purporting to offer you a chance to take advantage of a wonderful offer, the opportunity to benefit from the public service which they provide, a great higher education that will pay off with greater opportunities than it costs you to pay for it. But that's not the real reason they are asking you to apply. They are asking you to apply, though they know that many applicants have little to no chance of getting in, to raise money in fees and to make themselves appear more selective. That is disingenuous. As 501 © 3s, it is not right for them to take advantage particularly of the naive, the poor, and those outside of their circles. They have far more spots for children of alumni reserved, than they do for the poor (sometimes no spots reserved at all). But they are begging the general population to pay money to apply. Not cool. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JumpedIntoTheDeepEndFirst Posted November 25, 2014 Share Posted November 25, 2014 "I don't think college's are any more guilty of marketing ploys than any other company." But most colleges operate as tax-exempt, even 501 © 3 status. Yet, they are not requesting that you make a $30-$100 donation to help them build a new football stadium. Instead they are purporting to offer you a chance to take advantage of a wonderful offer, the opportunity to benefit from the public service which they provide, a great higher education that will pay off with greater opportunities than it costs you to pay for it. But that's not the real reason they are asking you to apply. They are asking you to apply, though they know that many applicants have little to no chance of getting in, to raise money in fees and to make themselves appear more selective. That is disingenuous. As 501 © 3s, it is not right for them to take advantage particularly of the naive, the poor, and those outside of their circles. They have far more spots for children of alumni reserved, than they do for the poor (sometimes no spots reserved at all). But they are begging the general population to pay money to apply. Not cool. You do have a chance at admissions when you apply. Depending on your grades, scores, etc. you might have really great or really lousy odds but even bad odds are a chance; just not one you should perhaps leap on just as betting everything you have on an empty hand in poker isn't smart. My point is that no school is offering a public service and yes, they all want you to apply. They want both the best possible students to enroll and a huge pool of rejects to enhance their status. Having more applicants is a win-win for them and that is why they spend tons of money on what is essentially junk mail. This is a business model used in many different areas of consumerism. University is not a public service, it is not part of the public school system. My point is that just as people are often wary of used car salesmen's promises, investment opportunities given in a phone solicitation, or offers for a new credit card they should view the sales techniques used by universities the same way. Their advertising is no more heinous than that of a credit card company or loan agent who could ruin my credit rating and destroy the future of my family for profit. Advertising is what businesses do to make money. A university is a business and they are advertising to make money. Consumers need to smarten up and play/understand the game. Yes, applications cost money. You need to be smart enough to budget your application fees to those schools you wish to attend and create a broad selection based on cost, chance of successful admission/graduation, subject to be studied, location, etc. The consumer needs to realize they are being courted to apply not being offered admission (except in some very rare cases when that individual is a stellar athlete, artist, or scholar-but I'm pretty sure they receive something more personal than a post card or shiny pamphlet). Yes, they are taking advantage of the naive and the solution is to smarten up the consumer because the business model won't change until it no longer works (or until its cost exceeds its return benefit). Whining that these institution are mean won't solve it, they are no more morally bankrupt than plenty of other companies that promise wealth, beauty, style, whatever. And in some cases-a post card will slide across the table to a kid informing them of a college they had never heard of and it will be the perfect fit-scholastically, financially, and socially. Use those mailings as tools of information and stop thinking of them as offers, promises, solicitations, etc. Chuck the ones you aren't interested in and move on. Caveat emptor. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tsuga Posted November 25, 2014 Share Posted November 25, 2014 Yes, they are taking advantage of the naive and the solution is to smarten up the consumer because the business model won't change until it no longer works (or until its cost exceeds its return benefit). When I brought up their 501 (c ) 3 status, I was not saying they should be nice because I think people should be nice. They are tax exempt by LAW because they have duties by LAW. It's not that I don't like businesses--I just think if you're going to operate as a business, you should be taxed like one. University is not a public service, it is not part of the public school system. You are quite simply wrong about that. Public universities are a public service funded by the state for the state, and most private universities are tax-exempt based on their public service status. It speaks to the fact that they have failed to live up to their obligations that you could believe that they are for-profit: http://www.thecrimson.com/article/2009/5/21/harvards-role-as-a-nonprofit-harvard/ You get the tax break, you do the work. No social goal, no social good, no tax break. You don't hear me whining about University of Phoenix (not a 501 (c ) 3). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
creekland Posted November 25, 2014 Share Posted November 25, 2014 Whining that these institution are mean won't solve it, they are no more morally bankrupt than plenty of other companies that promise wealth, beauty, style, whatever. And in some cases-a post card will slide across the table to a kid informing them of a college they had never heard of and it will be the perfect fit-scholastically, financially, and socially. Complaining doesn't solve the problem, but it does help psychologically to vent about things that simply shouldn't be happening regardless of which particular issue we are talking about. And complaining can educate others as they read threads, so it does have value IMO. I don't have any issues at all with mailings sent to students who fit the profile of the college. Those are very worthwhile for many students. At selective schools some/many of those will still be rejected, but if they fit the academic profile, that's just part of the lottery system. When they never fit the profile to start with (and have no significant hooks), that's just wrong. I doubt one will ever find an acceptance from that pool. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flyingiguana Posted November 26, 2014 Share Posted November 26, 2014 I had one kid who took both ACT and PSAT -- tons of mail. Most of it from places that were not at all selective. Most of it not anything she would have considered. The second skipped the PSAT. Not nearly as much mail. So I would guess that the PSAT is what is triggering most of the mail. Because they figure the kids still haven't made up their mind at that point? Although, omg, University of Montana, give up already. If the kid has missed your "very last" deadline 5 times already, they really probably aren't interested. Don't extend the deadline AGAIN. And again. And again. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sebastian (a lady) Posted November 27, 2014 Share Posted November 27, 2014 I have encouraged my kids to check boxes to select info from schools after test scores. I figure that the time for them to hear about a raft of different schools in when they are in the information collection and sifting stage, not when they are seniors and are trying to finish the actual applications. But I've also encouraged them to go ahead and dismiss schools when they decide they are a bad fit. We also have taken some of the literature and discussed it as advertising, looking at what parts of it are strong hooks and where (especially in emails) there is high pressure sales tactics at work. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EmilyK Posted December 13, 2014 Share Posted December 13, 2014 Actually, this isn't the kind of issue that would cause them to lose their public charity status. In my neck of the woods, state schools only get like 9 percent of their budgets from the state. So they are very dependent on recruiting out of state tuitions for example. I don't like junk mail either, and I don't work higher Ed, so I don't have another agenda here. When I brought up their 501 (c ) 3 status, I was not saying they should be nice because I think people should be nice. They are tax exempt by LAW because they have duties by LAW. It's not that I don't like businesses--I just think if you're going to operate as a business, you should be taxed like one. You are quite simply wrong about that. Public universities are a public service funded by the state for the state, and most private universities are tax-exempt based on their public service status. It speaks to the fact that they have failed to live up to their obligations that you could believe that they are for-profit: http://www.thecrimson.com/article/2009/5/21/harvards-role-as-a-nonprofit-harvard/ You get the tax break, you do the work. No social goal, no social good, no tax break. You don't hear me whining about University of Phoenix (not a 501 (c ) 3). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.