The adcoms obviously send out likely letters only after they’ve reviewed your application, right? But wouldn’t they know right after reading your application whether you’ve been rejected or not? If so, what’s the purpose of sending “likely” letters when they could just send an official acceptance earlier?
<p>mercy......</p>
<p>In some cases, the schools have specific dates when they will send acceptances, perhaps governed by unofficial or official agreements with peer schools. The likely letter is a way to help lock in an applicant by getting him thinking about the school before he's been accepted elsewhere.</p>