<p>I don't know if there's a thread for this or whatever, but I'm really excited about all of this so I wanted to post here, especially for the archives as I found nothing about UK applicants when I was searching before.</p>
<p>I received a small envelope today from Harvard. Expecting to find some lecture about how I had not yet submitted my financial aid tax return stuff, I opened it up to find a letter telling me that I will be receiving an admissions letter come April 1st. Obviously I exploded.</p>
<p>And hand-signed by the Dean of Admissions!
Much love to all of you on the forums who've been a great help. See those of you admitted in September!</p>
<p>^ Oh, so it was a likely letter. I see. I saw that term being thrown around a lot on the Ivy League boards recently, but I wasn’t quite sure what it meant…</p>
<p>Either way, OP, congrats again! I’m sure Harvard will turn out to be a great fit for you.</p>
<p>Sorry, but what’s a likely letter - i.e. is that Harvard saying you have an offer, or that you may just get one (if the latter, how is it determined if you do get a admissions letter)?</p>
<p>Well, if Harvard really wants you, they send you a letter saying, dont commit to any other place coz we want you here in September. They dont send you an official acceptance, but they kind of tell you in all so many words that you’re in!</p>
<p>I’d heard of likely letters when I received it, and I suppose that’s what it is. The term ‘likely’ is misleading, though; the wording is definite, and says that I have a place waiting for me.</p>
<p>As for my qualification for the place, I’m not one of those applicants who excels in everything. My SAT I is sub-2300, my extracurriculars kinda suck (I mean it) and I haven’t done any research or anything. My interview was awful. As a UK applicant, I’ve got very good results in our national examinations (A-Levels) and got acceptances to Cambridge and LSE, but a likely letter from Harvard was just completely out of my reality. I expected a rejection and thought I might just scrape one of the bottom-of-the-waitlist places if I was lucky.</p>
<p>My advice to everyone is don’t do anything specifically for university acceptance, I’m certain that they can smell it a mile off. I just did stuff I like doing (photography, parkour, producing hip-hop, playing saxophone) and got no certification or accreditation for any of them, and all were self-taught. No BS community service, no extra learning, no bands, no research.</p>
<p>I broke my collarbone at the end of last year and didn’t train for a while, now need to get to grips with the fact that I can’t complete many of my old practice routes until I rehabilitate :(</p>
<p>CONGRATS! I envy you right now as I’m an international applicant as well (in a similar situation - I’ve got an offer from Oxford back in the UK, but I don’t live in the UK), but I’m super happy for you as well!!!</p>
<p>Relish the moment, because you’ve just been picked from a pool the best of the best. That makes you the best of the best of the best. A commendable achievement!</p>
<p>Yeah mine says “Hope to see you at Harvard!” too haha. I suppose Mr. Fitzsimmons gets a stack of them and just goes through them all, but the hand-signing was a wonderful personal touch anyway.</p>
<p>Congratulations! That is a huge accomplishment! A likely letter from Harvard!
I am an international student too - hope to see you next year (if you matriculate!), because that means I got in too.</p>
I saw that term being thrown around a lot on the Ivy League boards recently, but I wasn’t quite sure what it meant…</p>
I don’t think it is, but you never know.</p>