<p>Does Harvard only begin reading undergraduate applications once it is complete?</p>
<p>If I send in my personal application, school forms, teacher recommendations, SATs, but am missing the third SAT subject test, will they wait until the result before reading my application?</p>
<p>I suspect that you will need all three SAT II subject tests, as well as the SAT I, so the assistants can formulate an overall “score” for the folder. This has been described in admissions books- some combination of test scores, GPA, rank, etc determine a notation so adcoms don’t have to rifle through every detail of every app.</p>
<p>As long as you have the third score in by Dec.1 priority or Jan.1 you should be fine.</p>
<p>I am not sure how it works with the SAT scores, but I know they started reading my application before receiving my supplement (they sent me an email commenting on my application and asking where my supplement was). So if you’re taking the SATs in December and don’t get the score until later, chances are they will probably have started to read through your application even if it isn’t 100 percent complete. </p>
<p>Either way, it doesn’t really matter - you won’t have worse chances if your application comes in a few days later ;-)</p>
<p>From my experiences, they don’t start reading until the entire application is complete. After all, considering the volume of applications, it’s really inefficient to read an application that is not complete (along with the possibility that a full application is never submitted). Rather, I suspect that the mailroom saw your application as being incomplete and contacted you to make you aware of this fact to confirm that you have not submitted a full application, unless the comments on your application go beyond that fact, but from working in the office, it doesn’t seem time efficient.</p>
<p>^^
i would listen to huinsider
(mostly because he is a harvard insider)</p>
<p>^^
he or she*
sorry</p>
<p>Just asking the same question as the OP - </p>
<p>I assume that huinsider is correct that the adcoms don’t begin reading until the file is “complete” - but I wanted to clarify, </p>
<p>So they don’t begin reading even IF the missing item is a single SAT Subject score?</p>
<p>I’ve sent everything in, and it has all been received, however I sat my 3rd SAT II today (so it won’t be sent to Harvard until the mid-end January). </p>
<p>Would it be more logical to begin reading the file if 99% of the components have been received?</p>
<p>^Harvard has enough applications that it can use its time well reading completed applications before reading those from people who took tests in January.</p>
<p>Sure, but I was looking for someone who was actually familiar with the process. </p>
<p>Thanks anyway. </p>
<p>Either way, I’m not disputing or worrying about it, just curious. I know they accept Jan scores and it doesn’t disadvantage students, so its not a concern.</p>