It’s odd how this column came about. Typically, the ideas generated that end up on paper come in a one-time nirvana moment. Someone says something, and I take notes, the headline jumps out at me, several examples present themselves, a logical conclusion evolves, and this all gets put down on paper. A week, two weeks or more intervenes, then I sit down at the computer and re-access the material and commit it to the computer screen.
This also occurs when an event draws my interest, something in the news stands out for a special reason, or a personal incident gets me thinking about the broader implications to society. In each of these situations though, it’s a one-time deal, and I immediately write key points down or they will be forgotten.
That’s what makes this one a bit different, because last week when I pulled our mail out, there were multiple letters, brochures and flyers for our younger daughter from colleges around the country. That’s okay. It’s good to see universities around the country seeking students.
At the same time, the amount of mail we get repeatedly from the same colleges is almost beyond belief. That makes their materials junk mail, in my opinion. They need to curtail this because it is a contributing factor to the exponential increase in the cost of higher education the past 30 years or so.
The over-mailing bothered me. It bothered me so much that I not only captured thoughts on it last week, but as I went back over old notes in my files, there was another entry with almost identical points about the waste of money and paper occurring with repeated recruiting materials distributed to potential incoming freshmen. Looking over the two notes in the files, it is remarkable how similar my complaints were.
We have three kids. This is our last child to look at colleges. The amount of these repeated mailings has increased with each child.
Multiply the figures from our family by the number of families with teenagers that are finishing up their senior year in high school, and have the grades and desire to go to college. Then count how many colleges/universities there are in the country. Presume they are all promoting their school this way. That’s a heck of a lot of resources going into brochures and letters that mostly end up in the recycling bin.
When I was a senior in high school, I looked at three schools: The University of Illinois (which I ended up attending), Purdue University and Bradley University. My memory says that I also got inquiry letters from Elmhurst, Milliken and Lewis College. I can’t remember getting a duplicate from any of them. They sent one invite to come visit their campus and that was it.
Now, students receive multiple mailings. How much labor goes into that? What’s the return rate on the letters? I don’t have answers, but if most families are like ours, unless your teenager’s curiosity in the college is immediately aroused, they don’t look at any follow-up information. They either want to go or they don’t.
Our older daughter, for example, got a tremendously well-written, thoughtful and amusing letter from a small Minnesota college that had her seriously thinking (and eventually visiting) about attending. She did not go there, but the writer of the material had a gift, and drew our daughter’s interest. More power to the writer who can do that, just don’t send 11 more messages to us over the following 18 months. That’s overkill.
The cost of higher education is off the maps. Curtail some of these mailings and at least it will be one step to keep those costs in line. Then we also might think twice about sending our kid to your school.
This also occurs when an event draws my interest, something in the news stands out for a special reason, or a personal incident gets me thinking about the broader implications to society. In each of these situations though, it’s a one-time deal, and I immediately write key points down or they will be forgotten.
That’s what makes this one a bit different, because last week when I pulled our mail out, there were multiple letters, brochures and flyers for our younger daughter from colleges around the country. That’s okay. It’s good to see universities around the country seeking students.
At the same time, the amount of mail we get repeatedly from the same colleges is almost beyond belief. That makes their materials junk mail, in my opinion. They need to curtail this because it is a contributing factor to the exponential increase in the cost of higher education the past 30 years or so.
The over-mailing bothered me. It bothered me so much that I not only captured thoughts on it last week, but as I went back over old notes in my files, there was another entry with almost identical points about the waste of money and paper occurring with repeated recruiting materials distributed to potential incoming freshmen. Looking over the two notes in the files, it is remarkable how similar my complaints were.
We have three kids. This is our last child to look at colleges. The amount of these repeated mailings has increased with each child.
Multiply the figures from our family by the number of families with teenagers that are finishing up their senior year in high school, and have the grades and desire to go to college. Then count how many colleges/universities there are in the country. Presume they are all promoting their school this way. That’s a heck of a lot of resources going into brochures and letters that mostly end up in the recycling bin.
When I was a senior in high school, I looked at three schools: The University of Illinois (which I ended up attending), Purdue University and Bradley University. My memory says that I also got inquiry letters from Elmhurst, Milliken and Lewis College. I can’t remember getting a duplicate from any of them. They sent one invite to come visit their campus and that was it.
Now, students receive multiple mailings. How much labor goes into that? What’s the return rate on the letters? I don’t have answers, but if most families are like ours, unless your teenager’s curiosity in the college is immediately aroused, they don’t look at any follow-up information. They either want to go or they don’t.
Our older daughter, for example, got a tremendously well-written, thoughtful and amusing letter from a small Minnesota college that had her seriously thinking (and eventually visiting) about attending. She did not go there, but the writer of the material had a gift, and drew our daughter’s interest. More power to the writer who can do that, just don’t send 11 more messages to us over the following 18 months. That’s overkill.
The cost of higher education is off the maps. Curtail some of these mailings and at least it will be one step to keep those costs in line. Then we also might think twice about sending our kid to your school.