April acceptance letters get makeover

Students accepted during the regular decision application cycle will be welcomed with a revamped acceptance package this spring.

A collaboration between the Tufts Community Union (TCU) Senate and the admissions office is seeking to enhance the percentage of accepted students who accept enrollment at Tufts.

The change in acceptance materials is part of a larger effort to increase the University's admissions yield which has decreased to 33 percent from 37 percent two years ago.

The package includes pamphlets and letters with more visuals than in previous years, centered around the theme of 'Are You Ready?'

Also included will be a letter from the TCU Senate, welcoming students to the Tufts campus.

The letter from the senate will "let accepted students know just how vibrant the student organizations at Tufts are," TCU Senator Rafi Goldberg said. "The huge emphasis on [extra-curricular activities] at Tufts is another major selling point for accepted students, many of whom were very active in student groups and community service organizations during high school."

New materials will also include a brochure called "Tufts Narratives," which will describe the accomplishments of high-profile former Tufts undergraduates.

"[The new package] is much more comprehensive and graphically appealing," Dean of Admissions and Enrollment Management Lee Coffin said.

Goldberg initiated the project last spring, after he found previous mailing material to be inadequate. He first presented the idea to former Dean of Admissions David Cuttino, who Goldberg said was not receptive to the project.

Plans were revived this year when Coffin took over as dean of admissions.

Increased awareness is a selling point that has not been communicated in the past, Goldberg explained. "This marks a dramatic departure from previous years, when the regular decision acceptance letter was accompanied only by a lackluster pamphlet about April Open House."

At least one prospective student finds communication from the school very important in making a college decision.

"You hear a lot of horror stories about students enrolling at what they thought were their first-choice colleges, and then having miserable experiences because they weren't aware of what that college's social life was like," high school and prospective Tufts student Andrea Schwartz said. "It's really tragic, and anything that can possibly help accepted students get closer to the real thing is almost necessary."

Schwartz's older sister, Beth, enrolled at Colgate University in the fall of 1998 and was "disappointed by the social scene, the lack of diversity, and the location -- all of which was poorly advertised in [the] acceptance letter."

Beth Schwartz transferred to the more urban New York University (NYU) after her freshman year at Colgate.

Goldberg and Coffin have already produced a draft of the Senate letter.

The letter will continue to be revised over the next few weeks, and will be ready for the acceptance package mailings in April.

There are also several other efforts underway to help increase enrollment percentage. Several senior members of the admissions staff are to accompany members of the Tufts faculty to receptions for nationwide services around the country in early April, Coffin said.

There are also plans to enhance the three-day April Open House, a time for any accepted students and their parents to get an in-depth look at the campus and make final decisions.

"This is Dean Coffin's first year on the job, and he is already on the verge of revolutionizing the way Tufts makes its case to accepted students. I am convinced his efforts will help ensure a bright future for the Tufts community," Goldberg said.