It seems as if likely letters are becoming more popular

Colleges and Universities A-Z Harvard University
1

Does anyone else notice this? I feel like every thread I visit, Ivy League and not, someone is mentioning getting a likely letter. Maybe I’m noticing it more because I’m in the midst of the college application process myself (and naturally I spend more time here than I used to), but I feel like everywhere I go on CC, there’s talk of likely letters.

Also, out of the entire body of accepted students, how many people receive likely letters? I heard it hovers around 10%.

2

Are you talking about Harvard? I have only seen 2 students reporting that they received one, and someone else reported that a friend got one. 10% seems unlikely.

3

@Pinkwhitered: One reason it may seem that way is your obsession with likely letters, and the fact that you didn’t receive one despite being a female African American with a 100 GPA and 2100 SAT. I don’t think colleges are giving out more likely letters today than five years ago, but because of the massive amounts of publicity surrounding students like Kwasi Enin being accepted to all 8 ivies, I think there’s a greater sense of expectation that if you are a URM with top scores and grades, then colleges should be courting you. When they don’t, applicant’s keep searching for an answer. While all of that is perfectly reasonable, it’s not a productive use of your time. You will find out in a few days. While Harvard may not be among your choices, I’m pretty certain you will end up at a great school. Best of luck to you!

“Waiting is the hardest part”
– Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers

4

@gibby I personal messaged you, but I got a likely letter from one Ivy school.

5

Be happy with your Cornell likely message until Ivy results are out- you will probably have other acceptances as well.Good luck.

6

Since we’re on the topic of likely letters…Is Columbia the only ivy that offers likely letters to internationals?

7

To address the original question: I have no statistics on likely letters, but after having interviewed for Harvard for 18 years, it does SEEM like there are more likely letters being sent recently.

(This is not based on an analysis of the actual data, just what I’ve observed. Back 10 years ago, I don’t recall hearing about any in my immediate circle. The last few years, I’ve heard of a few. However, my data set is so small that I wouldn’t jump to any conclusions…)

8

@go4cornell, Harvard does.

9

No