Although Teresa N. Allegretta was admitted to every school to which she applied, she didn't feel she was on firm ground until this month, when the last of her seven acceptances arrived. You always wonder what goes on in admissions offices. Then the letters go out, students see what choices they have, and the courtship changes. Admissions offices go into recruitment overdrive to increase the yield, Toor said. A common tactic is to invite accepted students down to campus for a day or two of lectures, tours, even banquets.
Some schools even fly desired students to the school.
Alonzo South was flown to Atlanta by Emory University, and to Washington, D.C., by Georgetown University. The University of Maryland didn't pay for his transportation, but did pick him up at the train station. South is particularly coveted because he is black. Schools go out of their way this time of year to court minority students, holding special weekend events just for them, in a bid to attract a sufficiently diverse student body, Toor said. The schools showered him with memo pads, pencils, stickers.