300 ‘Likely Letters’ Sent to Class of 2015

Colleges & Universities Harvard University
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<p>

[300</a> ?Likely Letters? Sent to Class of 2015 | News | The Harvard Crimson](<a href=“http://www.thecrimson.com/article/2011/2/15/admissions-letters-letter-fitzsimmons/]300”>300 ‘Likely Letters’ Sent to Class of 2015 | News | The Harvard Crimson)
Build the tension up!</p>

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<p>Hmmmmm…I wonder what they consider “outstanding non-athletic attributes”- quite vague.</p>

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<p>^I suppose a couple each of people with excellent academic abilities (top in the country/world at something they really want) or personal qualities/life stories who they think will be vital to the community.</p>

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<p>IMO kids, MOPers multiple times?, Iphos kids, etc Siemens/Intel winners etc. Especially for math, many IMO kids are directly recruited by top schools to fill their Putnam team</p>

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<p>The super high achieving musicians are probably included in the outstanding non-athletic attributes group.</p>

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<p>Only 1300 spots left!!!</p>

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<p>Do international students get likely letters or just domestic ones?</p>

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<p>They do send out a few likelies to internationals.</p>

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<p>Harvard uses the likely letters as a recruiting tool. The athletes are obvious. For the most part, the likely letters I’m aware of to non-athletes are directed at very high-achieving students who are in demographic groups that Harvard historically has a harder time recruiting, including low SES, URM and under-represented states. The student mentioned at the end of the Crimson story linked above who received a likely letter this year is an African-American student who is valedictorian of his high school class in Atlanta.</p>

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<p>@Polyglot: Are you talking from personal experience? Also do they only send them by snail mail or do they send an e-mail notification also?</p>

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<p>Yes, I personally know two international students who received non-athletic likely letters. The letters were sent by mail last year; no electronic notification was given.</p>

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<p>Likelies get sent through March 15? Pretty close to decision day.</p>

<p>@CoolRunning Actually about 1900, because H accepted 2205 last year.</p>

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<p>Well really more like 1700 because you’ve got about 150-200 from last years application cycle (those who decided to take gap years and then z-listers).</p>

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<p>z-listers? As in irrelevant celebrities?</p>

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<p>z-list = People offered admission, but not for the next September’s entering class, i.e., a mandatory gap year. Harvard is the only college that does this, to my knowledge. Not certain how many people – 50-100/year? Reputed to be for the well-connected who are deemed not ready for prime time yet.</p>

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<p>Has anyone received one yet?</p>

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<p>I know of 1 and he was a very poor URM. I think Harvard only sends likely letters to URM’s to convince them that Harvard is very affordable and to draw them away from other options early on.</p>

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<p>^^^ oh I never knew that Harvard does that.</p>

<p>^ URMs definitely aren’t the only ones to get them.</p>

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<p>^Yeah, a wide range of people receive them.</p>

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<p>One guy here claims to of received a likely letter from yale and harvard </p>

<p>I feel so rejected already that I haven’t received one, despite they only makeup about 15%!</p>