Just Write Communications
  • Home
  • Contact Us
  • News
  • Clients
  • Testimonials
  • Writing Tips
  • Weekly Chuckle
  • Meals We Steal
  • Bad Golf

Mail Raising the Cost of College

9/28/2015

0 Comments

 
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.
0 Comments



Leave a Reply.

    Archives

    February 2025
    January 2025
    December 2024
    November 2024
    October 2024
    September 2024
    August 2024
    July 2024
    June 2024
    May 2024
    April 2024
    March 2024
    February 2024
    January 2024
    December 2023
    November 2023
    October 2023
    September 2023
    August 2023
    July 2023
    June 2023
    May 2023
    April 2023
    March 2023
    February 2023
    January 2023
    December 2022
    November 2022
    October 2022
    September 2022
    August 2022
    July 2022
    June 2022
    May 2022
    April 2022
    March 2022
    February 2022
    January 2022
    December 2021
    November 2021
    October 2021
    September 2021
    August 2021
    July 2021
    June 2021
    May 2021
    April 2021
    March 2021
    February 2021
    January 2021
    December 2020
    November 2020
    October 2020
    September 2020
    August 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    October 2015
    September 2015
    August 2015
    July 2015
    June 2015
    May 2015
    April 2015
    March 2015
    February 2015
    January 2015
    December 2014
    November 2014
    October 2014
    September 2014
    August 2014
    July 2014
    June 2014
    May 2014
    April 2014
    March 2014
    February 2014
    January 2014
    December 2013
    November 2013
    October 2013

    Categories

    All

Proudly powered by Weebly