<p>Hi guys :) As the title reads, do adcoms trade lists of admitted students? Would being accepted at a rival institution confer someone even the slightest advantage, lending the applicant credibility? Even out of curiosity, I'd just like to know, because my counselor told me that adcoms do exchange notes about applicants among themselves.</p>
<p>I was fortunate enough to be accepted Early at Yale and am unsure whether Harvard would have any official way of knowing, although my interviewer did and she may well have made note of that in her letter. Would this factor in at all? Thanks everyone!</p>
<p>I am not sure whether they would view it as a + or a - if the interviewer told them. I would suggest neither at Harvard (as they expect every student to attend regardless of where else they have been accepted…) but I think at a school thought of as LESSER than Yale, saying that you had been accepted there may make them wary of accepting you as they would expect you to not attend. No positive anywhere though imho.</p>
<p>Thanks for the input Idiosyncra3y. I’d be curious to know though whether the admissions offices themselves communicate between each other at all during the process, and exchange notes regarding certain applicants?</p>
<p>Again, 99% sure that they don’t. There was a scandal about people from Princeton hacking into Yale’s adcom computers… Legally they can’t I think.</p>
<p>Right. They legally can’t. And it doesn’t help them in any way. Your Yale acceptance doesn’t hurt you or help you (although I’m finding it amusing how many H hopefuls are Yale SCEA acceptees and would choose Harvard over Yale.)</p>
<p>I agree with the fact that they don’t. Aside from the legal reasons, it just doesn’t make sense for time concerns and that each institution is looking for different students than another. I think the main background to show that is how students that apply to a good number of HYPSM schools. It’s random as far as grouping goes. Other than the few students that get all or none, the majority seem to get any random combination that really shows that once you’re well qualified it goes beyond all the info listed here.</p>
<p>As far as mentioning a Yale acceptance, I don’t think it would matter much - either way. I mean, they want students who they expect will attend. At the same time, if they think you’re a worthy applicant they’ll still admit you because if they don’t you can’t possibly attend. (Though they would know that you’d still be going to a great school.) I mean, schools state they don’t track interest, but it just depends on the reader what they would think of it.</p>
<p>Right, having googled scuttlebutt I can return to this conversation :)</p>
<p>I would argue that it would be practical, especially amongst schools such as Harvard and Yale; it would keep their yield up (if harvard admits students that are not admitted to Yale, except for the few exceptional ones it REALLY wants which they can then fight over). They would then need less of a waitlist - less hassle later.</p>
<p>Of course, people with EA win heavily in this game, so maybe it is impractical for Harvard.</p>
<p>Ah well.</p>
<p>I still do not think that they do, scuttlebutt (cool word) or not…</p>