Drexel U. Brings On a New Wave of Applicants Over the next few months, select high school seniors will be recieving "V.I.P. Applications" from colleges encouraging them, through a simplified process, to apply to their institutions. Colleges send out V.I.P applications to those students whose SAT scores fall within a certain range as a way of increasing their applicant pool as well as intentionally raising the average SAT scores of their applicants. Both these moves make colleges appear more selective. The other advantage to the college is that it increases their chances of yielding students from this targeted pool.

However, V.I.P. applications have advantages for the student as well. Typically not requiring a long essay and waiving the application fee, the V.I.P. applications don't take as much time to fill out. As an acceptance is not a binding commitment, for some students having an acceptance in their back pocket early in the application cycle can be a real confidence booster that also takes away the concerns of finding those "safety schools."

Of course, students should not be lured into completing V.I.P. applications to schools in which they have absolutely no interest. But, if the invitation comes from a school that piques their interest, students should take advantage of this opportunity.