<p>The letters sent out by Harvard are usually to broaden their application pool - in other words, the admissions office hopes that individuals who would not have considered Harvard as an option will apply. It’s true that some people who may be underqualified will receive the letters, but I believe that at the core of the recruitment effort is a sincere desire to make Harvard seem like an option for those who may not have considered it for reasons outside of their own control - I know the letter I received did that for me.</p>
<p>And I couldn’t help but comment on this:</p>
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<p>It’s not a marketing ploy. It’s absurd to reduce a college’s recruitment efforts to a desire to lower its acceptance rate. Yes, there are aspects of the admissions process that do have rat race tendencies, but one would have to be a fool to agree with your theory.</p>