How some colleges are like high school divas

Lynn O’Shaughnessey explains why schools such as Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute that send out flattering mail and applications to random students are just shameless flirts who have no real interest:

Getting love notes from a school … doesn’t not mean that a student will get in. Many colleges and universities send out flattering letters and/or applications to students that they have no intention of accepting. Why? The more students who apply, the more students a college can reject. And perversely these institutions will look more exclusive if they can turn away more teenagers.

About the blogger

Alex Friedrich

afriedrich@mpr.org

Alex Friedrich reports on higher education issues for MPR News. Among the stories he has covered: the fall of the Berlin Wall, aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, collapse of the I-35W bridge in Minneapolis, 2003 Moscow suicide bombing and 2004 presidential elections in the Republic of Georgia. He holds a bachelor’s degree in journalism from the University of Georgia and a master’s in European political economy from the London School of Economics.

Leslie Rule

There is also a $70 application fee per student. It adds up.
Anonymous

I wonder how much of the administrative cost that fee covers — and whether anything is left over.