We tried to ignore them — but they took over. We tried getting rid of them — they popped back in greater numbers.
Each January and February, just as NYC high-school juniors are dealing with finals and term papers, our inboxes are engulfed by college-admissions marketing e-mails.
Crucial last-minute instructions about my Physics exam and the study guide sent by my pre-calculus teacher have gotten buried in an avalanche of college junk emails trying to dress up dreary college locations.
“Embrace Your Doubts… I’m interested in Rochester!”
“Live Like a Local… in Pittsburgh!”
When juniors take the PSAT, the test packets invite them to check a box for the “Student Search Service.” This gives the College Board permission to “share” their names and other information with colleges. They don’t explain that colleges pay millions for the information.
Of course, a few colleges you really do want to hear from take advantage of your drooling interest.
“Your New Year’s Resolution: Harvard” turns out to be an ad touting its pricey summer program for high-school students. They note how good it will look on next year’s college application — for some other school.
The dramatic ones promise a life-changing future:
“Zero boundaries. Infinite paths,” from Brandeis, a school with limited bus service.
“A degree in… life?” From Loyola Maryland, which offers a course on death — actuarial science.
If they’re gonna get in our face, they should at least know what’s on our minds, like two schools did:
“Students like you could get substantial scholarships at Pace,” the subject line said. I opened that one, fast.
And Tulane sent a recipe for the classic “Po’ boy” sandwich and a series of mouth-watering emails on New Orleans delicacies a trolley ride away in the French Quarter. Talk about a streetcar named “Desire.”
Students can “opt out” of the “Student Search Service” by filling out a form on the College Board website. But by the time they figure that out, their in-boxes are clogged.
Benjamin T. Shapiro is a junior at Stuyvesant HS in Manhattan.