Moreover, in the COVID year, they sent out a mass wave of rejections on the first business day following the international deferment deadline.
The fact that this hasn’t happened this year indicates that they’re likely deliberating applicants right now.
Well, even if we don’t get into Harvard, we can officially say we achieved a sort of Harvard record, in a way by having the most posts in history about Harvard on a college thread 
Years from now, someone will say, look at the Class of 2029 thread! So much going on!
International students on the list would have to go through the long and backlogged process of submitting paperwork and getting their interview and visa. It would take a long time after admission for them to actually come to the U.S. that is if they don’t already have a visa here for different reason.
Yes, I agree. I don’t think students who haven’t obtained a visa yet have a real shot. I was referring more to individuals who’ve already obtained visas and would need to “transfer” that visa to Harvard using the pathway Mehdi29 outlined earlier.
This process has made me curious about which enrolling class of students had the most grueling waitlist experience. Could you imagine being a waitlisted student during WWII?
“President Roosevelt just announced a draft - expect waitlist movement?”
C’mon Harvard. Let us in! We are such a nice group and we already all work well together. Our waitlist group would make a great addition to the class of 2029
We could form our own rooming block in overflow housing.
I’m up for that. 
You know what? That’s actually not a bad idea 
. At this point, I’m starting to think they’re testing who is willing to stay on the waitlist the longest, like some kind of endurance game, to see who is truly determined to attend no matter what.
Especially when you consider that, whether we like it or not, there are international students on the waitlist, like me, who already secured their F1 visas through another school. That is not public information, but it is entirely possible that Harvard can check if we have an active SEVIS status through their internal systems. If that is the case, then maybe they have already done their research and are intentionally keeping certain students on the waitlist, specifically those who are logistically viable. After all, they could have easily rejected many of the internationals from countries where getting a visa is practically impossible. But they have not. That makes me suspect they are either taking a calculated risk by keeping us on the waitlist this long, or they have quietly filtered out the ones who were never going to make it in time and are now holding onto a mix of domestic students and international candidates who actually can enroll without issue, just in case something opens up.
Actually, the fact that Harvard has not proactively inquired about the visa status of the WL international students leads me to believe that they will most likely not draw from the international pool at all. At least they haven’t planned on it so far.
Also, I just asked ChatGPT about the possibility of Harvard having access to the the SEVIS status of students not admitted. It says it’s technically impossible🥹
Actually, while it is true that Harvard does not have direct access to SEVIS records for students they did not admit, that does not mean they are unaware of which international students are fully ready to enroll. Many international students, especially those who already received a visa through another school, would naturally inform Harvard that they are ready to go. It is just a strategic move. If I were in that situation, I would definitely make it known that I already have my visa and can transfer my SEVIS record immediately if given the chance.
Also, a SEVIS transfer is not as complicated as it sounds. If the student has not yet entered the United States, it usually just takes a request to the current school to release the SEVIS record and for Harvard to issue a new I-20. That can happen very quickly, sometimes even the same day. Once the new I-20 is issued and printed, the student is eligible to fly.
So if Harvard has kept international students on the waitlist this long, I truly believe it is because they see at least some of us as logistically possible to enroll. Otherwise, there would be no point in keeping us on the waitlist this late in the cycle.
Mehedi, which country are you from ? Because I just wanna see something
I think he’s from Pakistan judging from his name and time zone
Just got news from multiple people about to enroll Harvard that there is actually a overenrolled population right now. There is currently a overflow of students at Dewolfe. I’m not sure what this means for us. Given that Dewolfe is a Upperclassmen dorm, and there are freshman there, I would advise to keep Harvard in the back of your mind for now. I don’t intend to be cynical, just realistic. I will probably withdraw my application once I get home.
Thanks for the update. I guess game is over. Well, now I can mentally move on. Good luck to everyone and hope you are happy with where you’ll wind up!
Typically over enrollment for a upperclass wouldn’t matter. That is why almost every transfer student this year was waitlisted. If the freshman class is over enrolled then that is a different story. I doubt it due to the AO herself saying they are going to review applications after getting a final count.
Hey Jack, I have a few questions: When did the AO tell you this, and is this the AO that your counselor knows? If I remember correctly, you said that there was an AO saying that the Admissions Office was receiving a lot of calls from International Students who were deferring.
Also, aren’t most Harvard waves (with the exception of those who were one-offs) on a Thursday/Friday?
I heard it from my counselor on thr week of july 20th. The crimson published a article that harvard was getting a lot of calls about deferring.
Most waves are Thursday/Friday as seen in the past.