Likely Letters

Colleges & Universities Swarthmore College
16

<p>SS1955, there are two types of letters which can be sent out early. </p>

<p>One is an “early write.” Such letters constitute an official offer of acceptance. The other is a “likely letter” saying that based upon your application an acceptance is “likely” to be extended to you at the formal admission date. Here’s an example from one posted by a prospective Rice applicant this year:</p>

<p>“While the admission committee won’t meet to make final decisions until the end of March, I feel you would be a strong match for Rice. Based on your application, it is likely that you will be successful in gaining admission to the university.” (That’s the key part. The whole text can be read in post #13 here: <a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/rice-university/462211-letters.html[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/rice-university/462211-letters.html&lt;/a&gt;)</p>

<p>My understanding is that likely letters are used by schools which have a common notification date which they must observe. The likely letter is a good way to work around that to let an applicant know that the school really wants them. Primarily they are used for athletes, but also for other applicants which the school very much wants. Here’s a good article from the Yale Daily: [Yale</a> Daily News - ?Likely letters? part of Yale?s admit strategy](<a href=“http://www.yaledailynews.com/articles/view/20938]Yale”>http://www.yaledailynews.com/articles/view/20938)</p>

<p>Schools sending out early writes evidently are not bound to observe a common notification date, so can extend a formal offer of acceptance.</p>

<p>Whatever type of letter a school may send out, the most important thing to remember is this: most admitted students don’t receive them. As always, CC has more than than its share of students who do get those winks and nods. It can feel like practically everyone is getting one to the student who hasn’t received one. But for each applicant who does get a letter, there are far, far more who don’t. There just aren’t that many threads starting out, “Hey! I didn’t get a likely letter today!”</p>