<p>i cannot begin to express to you all how much this angers me. i'm a cornell transfer and i'm not directly involved in this situation, however this nonsense really strikes a chord deep within me. </p>
<p>for harvard to have the to do this is just beyond me. i suggest all of you applicants get on the phone with a legal representative immediately. i'm not a lawyer and i'm sure harvard is smart enough to cover all their bases, but maybe, just maybe this can be successful in court. yes, they are giving the application fee back, big deal. i also know that they have every right not to accept anybody if they don't want to. </p>
<p>BUT, they MUST HAVE broken some type of ethics statute of some sort by having the balls to announce this after everyone spent all that hard work and time on an application to become a part of their school. these snobs should be ecstatic that qualified students want to go harvard, not take a on their foreheads and waste everyones time. </p>
<p>this is a very sad day in higher education and an even sadder day for the ivy league. i can only hope those 1200 students get something out of this, more than their 75 bucks back (which probably wont even get to them for months).</p>
<p>i call on all of you to get your voices heard. don't let these pretentious imbeciles get away with murder.</p>
<p>while, again, I feel for all the potential transfers I must say that all this righteous indignation and overreaction needs to stop.</p>
<p>ajp why so quick to jump to litigation? Harvard made no promises to anyone, whether you want to admit it or not it is a privilege to be considered for admission to Harvard for the majority of the applicants the fact that they ended up not being able to admit anyone is a shame but they are completely in their rights as a private institution. </p>
<p>Most of you had no chance of getting in in the first place, which there is nothing wrong with applying but some of you need to realize that you aren't going to get everything you want in life. It's fine to dream but extremely childish to think that you should be able to sue a school because they couldn't admit you there.</p>
<p>I dont think ppl here want to sue (im not sure if they really mean it tho) not because they cannt be admitted, but because they cannot be even considered. It's fine to dream. Yes. Dreams somtimes come true, and Harvard inappropiately takes away those rare changes.</p>
<p>stone, did you even take a second to understand what this admissions committee actually did?</p>
<p>they encouraged over 1000 people to apply to transfer to their school. now, by even ALLOWING students to apply as transfers is proof that they were going to take at least 1 person. if they weren't going to take anybody, they wouldn't have had a transfer student section on their website with an application process, OR there would have been a clear message months ago stating "please note that there is a possibility that nobody will be accepted as a transfer student but we still encourage you to apply". there was none of this to my knowledge. That right there is leading a person to believe that they have a sliver of hope of getting in when in fact there was a 0% chance. that is a blatant lie and should be brought to justice for it. it doesn't make a bit of difference that harvard is extremely hard to get into. its the principal of the thing.</p>
<p>i, like every one of these harvard transfer applicants would take that sliver of a chance over 0% any day. THATS WHY THEY APPLIED!!! not a single one of those 1200 people would have applied if they knew this. </p>
<p>for them to come out with this now is completely unethical and perhaps unlawful.</p>
<p>The ethical issue here is not that Harvard isn't taking any transfers but that they announced this decision AFTER students have applied (thus essentially putting their energies and money to waste). Harvard could have made this announcement well in advance, upon foreseeing limited housing space. I didn't even apply to Harvard but could understand the magnitude of this irresponsible decision.</p>
<p>It shows a lack of preparation. To me it seems like the excuse they're using for not admitting transfers is something that could have easily been seen a while ago. I think some of this might have to do with their number 2 rank in us news top colleges. Princeton doesn't admit transfers.</p>
<p>I applied this year as a Transfer applicant to Harvard....I had everything betting on my acceptance. Harvard was my dream...I saved up money as often as I could to go visit...I was told I had a chance. And for this to happen is an absolute outrage. This has completely destroyed me emotionally. I cannot believe how disrespectful Harvard has been to me and the 1000 or so other applicants. I am FURIOUS!</p>
<p>And how dare people say we are overreacting. YOU spend as much time as I did on my application, SAT's, ACT's, SAT 2's, EC's, and schoolwork only to come home and receive an e-mail saying I have no chance...and to apply to the "Visiting Undergraduate Program" if I really want to go.</p>
<p>SO NO....I (AND THE OTHER PEOPLE ON HERE) ARE NOT OVERREACTING!</p>
<p>If anyone sue, they might become the new Jian Li. And I don't think people want that kind of attention. Some people will support them, and some will ridicule them.</p>
<p>Beside, I don't think you can sue. There is no legal ethical rule about this sort of thing. Jian Li didn’t sue, he filed a civil rights complaint, but did not actually file papers in court. The only thing you can do is condemn Harvard in the court of public opinion. But surely enough, thousands will still apply to Harvard RD next year.</p>
<p>Ultimately, this whole episode is not fair for those hundreds, if not thousands, of students who worked hard on their application for a shot, but ultimately everything was for nought. But that is the sad fate of the powerless.</p>
<p>I understand where all of you are coming from, and I as a transfer applicant myself would be furious if one of the schools I was applying to said they wouldn't take any transfers after I put my heart and soul into an application. </p>
<p>However, Harvard's announcement is the problem. I see this as them rejecting people regardless of their merit. They can't take people. This is the risk of applying for transfer. Harvard is becoming more like Princeton in the admissions process. If they took one person because that's all they could take, would that upset you? Is it all about the hope of going to Harvard that you want? </p>
<p>I don't think Harvard guaranteed you anything. I don't think their legally responsible. Some judge might beg to differ. I do think it sucks that they aren't accepting transfers. If I were in all of your positions, I probably would have applied. To find this out, at Harvard, which possibly could be my dream school, it would definitely suck. </p>
<p>Hope you find happiness somewhere else,
-Sachmoney</p>
<p>by holding a transfer admission process without any prior notification that they may not take a single person is definitely a guarantee. it makes absolutely no difference if they took 1 or all 1200. the fact is, not one of those applicants had a chance to gain admission. why in the world would someone take all that motherloving time to get recs together, write essays, etc. if there was a 0% chance to get in? just for s and giggles? i think not.</p>
<p>My point was just because they have the disclaimer on the website that says that the amount of spots available depends on the factors like housing etc. They don't have housing, so they're not taking applicants. They should have saved you guys the time spent on applications. They should have told you before.</p>