<p>^ Dwight, you’ve expressed your point well but I still am not convinced. Three factors lend me to believe that that there is not a direct one for one correlation for each spot at Harvard. These are the 29,112 applicants for the class of 2013, the secret number of waitlisted students each year, and those applicants who were accepted yet turned Harvard down. The last two are most pertinent. Every year, Harvard admits with the understanding that a certain percentage of acceptees will be rejecting them. Therefore as they make their offers, they know that they cannot control exactly the makeup of the next year’s class. As for those who are on the wait list? Harvard has recognized them as applicants who could meld well with those already accepted to the incoming class or they would not even make the list. As for the 29,112 applicants, with that volume there has to be many others suitable. Sometimes it is just luck that determines which high scoring oboe players get reviewed first or has a better advocate as an AC.</p>
<p>As my daughter’s mother, I of course think the world of her but I realize that had she not been admitted to Harvard’s class of 2013 (or had she turned them down), Harvard’s world would not have ended. Some other talented young person would be there in her stead. If I am willing to state this about my own child, then I should be allowed to unfortunately extrapolate that had Eric not been admitted and someone else had, the class of 2013 would still be an outstanding group (please everyone understand that this is no judgement on Eric, I do not know him). </p>
<p>I am sure for you Dwight that the experience may be little different from the rest of us. I am assuming that, since you are in the same class and same dorm, you likely know Eric and the idea of his never being admitted and being someone you never knew is a difficult one. For those of us who have no personal connection, he is just another applicant like any other.</p>