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.