Prospective Cabrini College students lacking in admissions trend

CHRISTINA MICHALUK STAFF WRITER CMM736@CABRINI EDU

A new trend is making its way across college campuses. Prospective college students are sending thank you notes to admission offices after their admission interview.

Cabrini’s admissions office receives only a handful of thank you notes throughout the year. Very few are handwritten messages. Most thank you notes come in the form of e-mail.

“It’s a dying practice that should be reinstated,” Charlie Spencer, Director of Admissions, said.

Prospective Cabrini students may not be sending thank you notes, but Cabrini College’s admissions officers are making the effort to do so.

Staff are not only trying to attract prospective students but also their families as well. Students and their families make the effort to come here to take a look at Cabrini.

“We send out handwrit- ten thank you notes. It is handwritten so that it stands out to the student from all the other college mail,” Spencer said.

Other institutions may feel that this gives off an unprofessional look while Cabrini feels that it shows a personable side that will appeal not only to the students but to their families as well.

A Cabrini admissions counselor sees, on average, about 475 students throughout the school year. Some students may see the benefit of sending a thank you note due to the number of pro- spective students seen in one year.

“I never really thought about it. I only visited campuses and put in an application,” freshman, early childhood education major Caitlin McNab, said.

The admissions staff writing letters to accepted students does not guarantee that students will enroll, but it does help the admission’s staff put a name and face together. It helps the student become more memorable to them.

Currently, thank you notes are slowly increasing. High school guidance counselors are encouraging students to write to the colleges of their choice after their admissions interview.

Thank you notes do not guarantee an acceptance into a school. Admissions counselors still focus mainly on the high school transcripts as well as grades.

“The school will want someone who has better grades rather than someone who wrote a thank you, but they would appreciate a thank you note,” freshman, graphic arts major, Misha Kapadia said.