Terry Cowdrey is vice president and dean of admissions and financial aid; she reads every application submitted. Her two favorite days of the year are the day that new students arrive for orientation and graduation day. "If you’re even remotely interested in a school, take whatever action you need to take to stay on its list."

All Those Brochures: Why You’ll Get Them and What To Do With Them
By Terry Cowdrey
Vice President and Dean of Admissions and Financial Aid

They start to trickle in like the snowflakes of a mid-winter storm — and pile up just     as quickly.
From late January through March, high school sophomores and juniors begin receiving what may seem like a ton of unsolicited brochures, booklets and emails from colleges. Often, they — and their parents — have questions: Why am I getting this now? How did they get my name? What am I supposed to do with this stuff?
Students who take the PSAT or PLAN exam in the fall often fill out an optional questionnaire about their college choices and about their interests and academic performance to that date. Colleges all over the country define the types of students they are interested in and purchase lists of students’ names and addresses based on those criteria. The lists are sent to colleges and the colleges, in turn, send their brochures and emails to students — that’s why you will be getting them.

Here’s what students and parents need to know to help them sort through the heap and get a good start in the college search process:

Most of the mailings that you receive will require you to take some action — return a postcard, log on to a Web site and enter your e-mail address — in order to stay on that college’s mailing list. Don’t make the mistake of assuming that because you’re on a college’s mailing list now, you will stay on it through the search process. If you’re even remotely interested in a school, take whatever action you need to take to stay on its list.

If you know something about a school, you don’t need to spend much time on its publications. There may be others in that pile of “unknowns” that have just the setting or program you’re looking for.

Because you may need to respond by a certain deadline to stay on a mailing list, you should devise a system of organizing the pieces that works for you and stick to it. It will be easier to go through a few mailings every day than through a bigger pile every week.

Once you’ve identified the schools you’re interested in, take advantage of the college fairs that are scheduled in your area in the spring. At the fairs, which are attended by representatives from many different schools, you’ll be able to use your time efficiently, getting more information from places you’ve targeted as possibilities.

Just as you should notify schools you’re interested in that you wish to stay on their mailing lists, you should also notify schools you’re absolutely sure you have no interest in that you don’t wish to receive further mailings. You’ll ensure that you have a more manageable group of future mailings, only from the schools you want.  You will also help the environment!

Put the publications to good use, even those from schools you have no interest in — check to see if your high school guidance office or public library would like them.

Being on a mailing list is not a guarantee that you will be admitted to a particular school. Mailing lists are created from information volunteered by students, and admissions criteria are much more specific.

By dealing with the start of the college search in a way that makes it work for you, you’re laying the groundwork for making the rest of the process work well for you, too.