Highly selective colleges really want you to apply – whether or not you will get in. Why? Remember, that the lower the admit rate the more selective the college is.
Selectivity = # students accepted / # students applying
Driving up the denominator – the number of applications – makes their admit rate lower, and makes them more selective. And the more selective they are, the higher their ranking and the more prestigious they are in the minds of alumni, current students, and prospective students.
When you receive an email or a letter or brochure in the mail, it usually means they purchased information from College Board or the Common Application or some other service that they can use to screen for candidates likely to consider applying to highly selective colleges. Don’t be fooled into thinking that receiving that communication means anything about your odds of admission. It just means you are a denominator, and they want you apply.
Similarly, if they are “test optional” or only “recommend” SAT subject tests, make sure you really understand what their preferences are for students with your profile. In some cases these are really optional, in others they want to waive a requirement to receive more applications, but for many or most candidates, they really want to see the tests. If you’re an economically disadvantaged, first generation college, under-represented minority, recruited athlete or other “special” applicant they might be looking for a different standard than if you are a “regular” candidate coming from a high-performing public or private high school.
The same logic holds for “optional” parts of the supplemental materials on the application. Only wrote the main common app essay and don’t want to spend the time writing an optional supplemental essay? Sure, they want you to click send and add to their denominator, but they might also conclude that college isn’t enough of a priority for you to spend the extra time writing an optional supplemental essay just for them.