It's nuts.
I get a lot of them too. It may seem childish, but I take the application, rip it up and put it in the postage paid envelope and send it back. Occasionally I will stick a few paper clips in as well - but only when I am having a really bad day.
Way back when I was doing my masters, I had to travel alot and while all my expenses were covered for project related travel, I had to pay out of pocket and the cooridnator would square up with us every month.
I would have killed for a credit card, but there wasn't a bank that would give me one. Now they are so easy to get that its just a joke.
The punchline being, banks knowingly issue credit to the 100% unworthy, and then go crying in Washington when they default. They have forgotten about credit as a speculative investment.
I hate those checks they send. What if someone else gets my mail? Oh, and when they send those $5000.00 prewritten checks and all you have to do is sign them and cash them! Do people really do that!
It cheeses me off that the schools are the ones selling the cc companies student's information.
I usually get that many a day. My mailman said to open them and send all the junk back to them minus the actual application. Either that or send it to some other junk mail company.