Invitations to apply.

[ShadyDaddy]

I'm guessing I got them because I took the GRE and indicated an interest in molecular biology type programs. I don't know if ets is allowed to share your performance with programs who probably pay a lot of money for a list. It's a nice ego boost to get some of these emails, whether it's warranted or not, but when they say things like, "We were impressed with your academic history.", I have to think to myself, "How the hell did you get my academic history?".

Any one else have experiences with programs that invited them to apply? Most of these programs have websites that look legit but I have to wonder if it's a red flag in most cases. Still, I went ahead and applied to a couple of them; UAB and Penn State-Hershey.

[peachypie]

UAB seems to be a classic one.  Within a month of taking the gre they were also inviting to me apply.  I'd take it with a grain of salt.  In some cases you may be a great fit for them but in another scenario they literally are just getting the contact info of any of the GRE test takes who scored to a certain degree.  Judging by how many people post about UAB specifically I'd say its working in their favor!

[ballwera]

I'd imagine it was just like the SAT. If you get a certain score you get invitations from some schools. The most bizarre one I got was from King Abdullah University of Science and Technology in Saudi Arabia.  

[notsaxophones]

This has been happening a lot to me and other undergrads I know - it's definitely from the GRE. University of Florida is very persistent, they have called me and my roommate (who is also applying to grad school), and we have gotten emails and physical mail from them. 

[ShadyDaddy]

That is weird! It's like, "No thanks, I'd like to keep my basic human rights, and perhaps have an occasional beer!"

[Crucial BBQ]

On 12/8/2014 at 2:19 PM, ShadyDaddy said:

I'm guessing I got them because I took the GRE and indicated an interest in molecular biology type programs. I don't know if ets is allowed to share your performance with programs who probably pay a lot of money for a list. It's a nice ego boost to get some of these emails, whether it's warranted or not, but when they say things like, "We were impressed with your academic history.", I have to think to myself, "How the hell did you get my academic history?".

Any one else have experiences with programs that invited them to apply? Most of these programs have websites that look legit but I have to wonder if it's a red flag in most cases. Still, I went ahead and applied to a couple of them; UAB and Penn State-Hershey.

 

It is an ego boost for sure but these programs know nothing about me.  I don't know who would be more embarrassed if I applied; them or I.   Your program sent me an email encouraging my application.  You obviously got my email address from ETS.  As that may be, surely you also saw my really low GPA and horrible GRE scores. So here I am applying to your program.  Surprise. 

[gliaful]

 It is an ego boost for sure but these programs know nothing about me.  I don't know who would be more embarrassed if I applied; them or I.   Your program sent me an email encouraging my application.  You obviously got my email address from ETS.  As that may be, surely you also saw my really low GPA and horrible GRE scores. So here I am applying to your program.  Surprise. 

Cracked me up. The emails are always so flattering but also concerning. UAB sent me a dozen, Princeton sent me a few (after their deadline had passed, haha), and Pratt's english literature program has sent me 2 emails each week since August -- which is probably the most confusing one.

[Crucial BBQ]

Cracked me up. The emails are always so flattering but also concerning. UAB sent me a dozen, Princeton sent me a few (after their deadline had passed, haha), and Pratt's english literature program has sent me 2 emails each week since August -- which is probably the most confusing one.

Yeah, I get two or three emails from Columbia per week it seems--and have been since I took the GRE last year.  Dartmouth, USC, and Nebraska really took me by surprise as those emails "randomly" appeared recently.  I googled the topic to see what was up.  Apparently there has been a downward trend in graduate school applications/attendance--coming down from a ten-year high-- and these types of emails are part of a larger recruitment campaign for the individual "graduate schools".  What I have gathered so far is that the recruitment strategies are aimed more towards Master's degrees/programs.  Still, I cannot imagine those programs who have emailed me being desperate enough to do such a thing as all three, including Columbia, American, and George Washington should not have a problem attracting talented applicants.    

 

Graduate programs are getting contact information from the GRE and GMAT, which Noel Levitz (higher education consulting firm) cites as "GRE/GMAT name buys".