Did you recently receive a cryptic but super exciting video from the University of Pennsylvania? On March 4th, students who applied to the University of Pennsylvania and stood out as especially exceptional in the pack of applicants received an email communication from none other than the University of Pennsylvania’s Dean of Admissions Eric Furda with a link to a site featuring a video.

Said Furda in the video, “You’re among a small group of students who are designated as likely candidates, meaning that on March 30 you’re going to be admitted to the University of Pennsylvania.” It marked the first time the university had informed applicants of their “likely” status by a video. As it turns out, some applicants to Penn were skeptical of the link’s authenticity but Furda soon posted a note on a college admissions forum that the video was indeed authentic.

This video tipping off applicants to Penn of their “likely to be admitted” status continues the trend of Ivy League schools informing applicants early on that they stand a good chance of admission. It is the hope of the Ivy League colleges and other competitive universities to use these notifications as a way to lure the students to matriculate to the college and steer them away from the competition. As they see it, the earlier they tell students they want them, the more likely these students are to fall in love with them back. It all traces to the Primacy Effect of social psychology.