<p>We're deferred - so a few more months of waiting!</p>
<p>In the mean time, what are you going to do:</p>
<p>1) Apply to all/some of the Ivies, MIT, Stanford, etc . . . .
2) Send in an extra letter of recommendation, as stated in the letter.
3) Retake a test
4) Send in updates with some activities, awards, etc . . </p>
<p>It seems that a high number of people got accepted, and then many, many people were deferred, but no one was rejected. Also, once again, the decisions are all over the place.</p>
<p>It must feel awful to be rejected. At least with deferral, they’re still politely teasing us with some hope. Rejection is just outright brutal :(</p>
<p>Anyway, as a deferred, I’ll just keep working on other college apps. I won’t take any more test, nor will I put any more hope into Harvard. I believe if you’re deferred, you simple are not right for the school. Unless in the next two months you write an article that get published in National Geographic, then maybe.</p>
<p>“Also,once again, the decisions are all over the place.” </p>
<p>I disagree with that statement. If you look at the objective stats, like SAT’s and other test scores, then you might be right. However, the subjective stats are what separate the men from the boys. If you have 2400/36/4.0, but have no EC’s</p>
<p>I added a note explaining some special circumstances in my application in more depth. I did already explain them in my original application in a couple of sentences, but I think the admissions office may have wanted to know more in regards to them, so I sent a brief note (2-3 paragraphs) with more details. </p>
<p>Otherwise, I’m just going to sit back, relax, and work on other projects while I wait for the results of my RD apps to come in.</p>
<p>^Yeah that’s how I feel. I might win an award by Jan 20, but other than that, no major changes. Yes, the school will send the midyear report - are we supposed to send that separately? </p>
<p>Sending another recommendation letter - I have one, but its just by another teacher. Not sure if that is worth it. If I get the research award, I might send another supplement.</p>
<p>Still, I realized that Harvard isn’t my complete dream school by any means, and that I really would be happy at a lot of places, and delighted to get into them, so I’m not too upset. I would have loved to get in, of course, but I’m not going to agonize over this now.</p>
<p>Do you guys think it could help if I contact the admission office and ask them why I was deferred? And how I could be more competitive? Is that something people do?</p>
<p>I’m debating sending in an extra letter of recommendation. My subjective stats aren’t as bad as they look in the decisions thread (wasn’t too happy when I typed everything out), and after I really thought about what went in my application, I think an extra letter will help.</p>
<p>In the meantime, I’m applying to other schools (obviously). A Claremont College (preferably McKenna) is my first choice, but I’m still trying to get that Harvard acceptance!</p>
<p>I was planning on writing a brief letter basically reaffirming my interest in Harvard and all that, as many people and blogs say you should do, but I looked at the FAQ section on Harvard’s website about Early Action deferrals and one of the questions/answers is:</p>
<p>"Do I need to communicate directly with the admissions staff member who read my file?</p>
<p>Despite what you may hear or read, in public or private forums, no; this is wholly unnecessary. Our decisions are made by a committee of admission officers, including faculty members, no single one of whom is responsible for shaping the outcome of deliberations. As you can imagine, the admissions staff member who read your application will appreciate your patience and restraint."</p>
<p>I get the impression that they are trying to discourage any further communication–what do you guys think? Are any of you still going to write letters to the admissions officers?</p>