<p>Hi. A friend of mine is claiming she got into Harvard, but there are several things about her story that bother me. I was wondering if anyone on here with reasonable expertise about Ivy League admissions could tell me if her story seems legitimate or is fabricated.</p>
<p>On April 2nd, she apparently got waitlisted, as she made a huge deal about how upset she was about not getting into harvard. On April 4th, she posted on facebook that she is, in fact, going to harvard. She claims that she got off the waitlist, but that Harvard sent her an acceptance letter saying she has to go to U.Va for a semester, then she will be allowed to go to Harvard. </p>
<p>Is this a known practice of Ivy League Schools? Does anyone ever even get off the Harvard waitlist?</p>
<p>I honestly could care less, but some people I know who did get rejected from Harvard are pretty upset that she might be lying. Thanks for any insight y'all might provide.</p>
<p>I don’t think anyone has been taken off the waitlist yet. Typically, I believe they start the 1st round of waitlist deliberations around the 1st week of May.</p>
<p>How can anyone come off the waitlist yet when accepted students have until May 1 to notify Harvard whether they’re coming or not? I agree with SVM, she needs to fall in love with Mr. Jefferson’s University. It’s not a difficult thing to do.</p>
<p>I know some people who get off Brown’s waitlist have to wait a semester before matriculating. For instance, instead of being admitted to the class of 2014, they would say you are admitted to the class of 2014.5. So it’s not impossible that you could get in off a waitlist and have to wait for a semester.</p>
<p>^ Yes, I’ve heard of that too. However, I don’t think Harvard has this practice (the Harvard and Brown admissions policies are mutually exclusive), and it’s the UVA part that inclines me (and several other posters on this thread) to think that she wants to transfer into Harvard from UVA.</p>
<p>OP- Your friend is prevaricating (remember that SAT word?), i.e., making up a story. She is probably planning a transfer application for a later year. </p>
<p>Silverturtle- some colleges (not Harvard) do offer January matriculation to a few students who are not quite qualified for fall acceptance. The schools have space due to empty rooms from students studying abroad spring term, or dropping out.</p>
<p>Your friend sounds like she could be a Z-list admit. These candidates have STRONG hooks; development, super-legacy etc. but not the credentials. They are provisionally taken off the waitlist, told to go to take a year off, perhaps go to a school where they have already been admitted. Then they matriculate at Harvard as freshmen.</p>
<p>Sounds to me like she lied about getting waitlisted, and then made up another lie about Harvard’s telling her to go to UVA. She sounds like someone who simply can’t believe she was rejected, and now is assuming she’ll get into Harvard as a transfer. Pity her. It’s very sad when someone pins their self worth on getting accepted to a particular school.</p>
<p>This person is kind of the opposite of a z-lister; she has all the credentials but not a legacy, not a minority, and she lacks any strong hook.</p>
<p>Thanks for the insight. I agree it is sad, and the fact that she insists she got in is kind of upsetting to people who were rejected yet able to admit it.</p>
<p>I don’t know why the other rejected students should be upset over what she’s saying. She’s obviously lying, and is in fear that her lies will be found out, which is likely to happen. The other rejected students are in better positions than she is because they’ve moved on with their life, and she’s still desperately clinging to hopes of a Harvard acceptance.</p>
<p>Reminds me of Azia Kim, who was rejected by Stanford, but told everyone she was accepted, and then managed to live on campus for a few months before being found out.</p>
<p>"An 18-year-old Fullerton woman spent the past eight months posing as a freshman biology major at Stanford, buying textbooks, sneaking into meals and even moving into a dorm with an unsuspecting roommate. Because she never had a Stanford ID or a school-issued dorm key, she got in and out of her dorm by climbing through the first-floor window.</p>
<p>Her story started unraveling this month, and now the university — and her stunned circle of friends and dormmates — are looking back on how a woman described as a sweet student could have pulled off such a ruse. . . . Her story has set off a storm of reaction on campus, with some students disturbed by an apparent security lapse and others wondering whether the high pressure of academic achievement was a factor in why Kim sneaked into the elite university."</p>
<p>Now that you mention z-listing, I was actually thinking about writing my supplmentary essay to Harvard about wanting to be z-listed. I really value time because I started my EC’s “late.” By that I mean that if I started studying biology earlier, or started playing cello earlier, or started my playing my sport earlier, then I would have been amazing in high school. But no, I started studying bio in 11th grade. Started cello in 8th grade. Started my sport in freshman year. Now I’m just average, mediocre.</p>
<p>I wanted to z-list so I could spend a year developing skill in my EC’s and spending time away from studying. The reason I can’t just willingly matriculate is because my parents are against waiting a year before going to college. After a week of church mission community service (in which the mentor did allow year-long internship), I told my parents I wanted to delay my college for a year so I could spend a year doing community service + studying bio + practicing my sport + playing cello so I could be amazing in college. They said no.</p>
<p>I put in my sport instead of what it really is for the sake of anonymity.</p>
<p>I do have a friend who told me she was guaranteed a spot as a transfer to the class of 2014 next year. I’m inclined to believe her; she’s not the type to lie about something like that. Is this a common (or even real) practice in admissions, though? It sounds mightily similar to a z-list, though I’m not sure.</p>
<ol>
<li><p>Harvard does not take people off the wait list (including being offered a spot on the z-list) until after the May 1 response deadline.</p></li>
<li><p>Harvard does not guarantee a transfer from another college to anyone. Students offered a place on the z-list will be given a place in the class of 2015. They can do anything for the gap year other than enroll in a degree-granting institution.</p></li>
<li><p>Harvard will automatically permit a one-year deferral to anyone admitted (and will consider requests for longer than one year). Again, students who defer matriculation can do anything for the deferral year other than enroll in a degree-granting institution. “The Admissions Committee encourages admitted students to defer enrollment for one year to travel, pursue a special project or activity, work or spend time in another meaningful way - provided they do not enroll in a degree-granting program at another college.” [Harvard</a> College Admissions § Applying: Frequently Asked Questions](<a href=“http://www.admissions.college.harvard.edu/apply/faq.html#30]Harvard”>http://www.admissions.college.harvard.edu/apply/faq.html#30)</p></li>
<li><p>UVa is a fantastic school. I agree with the posters above that it is sad that she is not excited (and that she apparently does not feel lucky) to be admitted to UVa.</p></li>
</ol>