Were you one of the many who made the terrible mistake of signing up for Student Search Service on the PSAT? It’s a tragedy that strikes countless hopeful students every year. One minute, you have a nice, tidy inbox—the next, you have 17 unread emails from Harbard University (note that it is NOT the ivy league) begging you to sign up for their toaster strudel info session. Most of these emails’ subject lines are boring and don’t deserve a click, but some stand out. So, here is my honest rating of 6 different types of subject lines and why.
→ The Impressively Generic
“Our University: A Community for All Kinds”
Rarity: Common / Rating: 1/5 Stars
The only two places where 500 words can amount to nothing are last-minute sophomore-year essays and college emails. Gee, I’m so intrigued by the “opportunities for success” I can find among my “self-motivated” and “driven” peers. Some of these emails are so pointless that I actually feel I know less about the school after reading them. I don’t really have much else to say, but I guess their marketing teams have even less…
→ The Event Invite
“Join us for our final Fall Open House on Nov. 11”
Rarity: Common / Rating: 1.5/5 Stars
These types of emails are just begging for your glorious presence at some event or presentation, often an open house. Not really sure why you want me so bad, but I’m kinda flattered. Unfortunately, some colleges that send these send them a LOT (like, 2-3 per open house) so it gets old pretty fast…
→ The “Look, We Have Diversity”
“Women's Ice Hockey at Our School”
Rarity: Uncommon / Rating: -0.5/5 Stars
Okay, I just had to include the above example because of how ridiculous it was. I am not a woman, nor do I play ice hockey… This genre of subject lines never hits the mark, because the only options are that it does not apply to me, or it does, which are both equally as bad. How do you even know my ethnicity and interests? Looking at you, CB.
→ The Clickbait
“Is this the right email?”
Rarity: Uncommon / Rating: 2/5 Stars
I’d be lying if I said I didn’t fall for these when I started to get them. These are really sketchy, and I’m not sure if I trust your college after receiving this from you. It really shouldn’t even be allowed for a college to email from an account that has a normal person’s name and uses a subject line like “RE: Is this the correct email address, Brodie?” But I have to hand it to them, I still click on them sometimes just to see what the contents are. Effective, but not in a good way…
→ The Good School
“Greetings from Stanford!”
Rarity: Rare / Rating: 3.5/5 Stars
I usually stop mid-scroll whenever I see an email from a college that has a good representation. Not only am I honored they’re reaching out to me, but I also get to learn more about admissions to and life at such prestigious institutions. Unfortunately, these schools know I feel that way, though, so the actual contents are sometimes pretty vanilla and don’t really do much to set themselves apart. These occasionally leech into the “impressively generic” category.
→ The Unique Factor
“What am I going to eat for four years?”
Rarity: Legendary / Rating: 4.5/5 Stars
These subject lines are actually eye-catching and usually deserve at least a genuine glance-through. The marketing team really gets what’s relatable or interesting, and is simultaneously not too general or specific. These are the kinds of emails that should be sent out: not just a generic tagline, statistic, or invite. Bonus points if they use a good emoji.
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