<p>Does Swat send out likely letters? If so, when?</p>
<p>I'm sorry if this has already been answered. I couldn't find where.</p>
<p>Don't think so.</p>
<p>I think I heard somewhere that they do, but when I looked further into it, I couldn't find any information, so I doubt it.</p>
<p>Swarthmore usually does send out some "early write" acceptance letters, although I don't remember them jumping the gun as much as some of the other LACs.</p>
<p>At one time, most of the top schools had an agreement not to jump the gun.</p>
<p>I think they do, but mostly to highly desirable "diversity" applicants.</p>
<p>My son was accepted at Swarthmore but did not receive a "likely" letter. In reading many posts on College Confidential, I think Swarthmore does issue some "likely" letters.</p>
<p>Colleges use "likely" letters as a recruiting tool for students they have targeted. It could be for a variety of reasons. Diversity of building a class at Swarthmore can include academic excellence, geographic location, or special achievements.</p>
<p>I would guess that "likely" letters carry much less weight in choosing a college than financial aid or "fit", but it has to be fun to receive one!</p>
<p>=] ego boosts.</p>
<p>everyone likes to feel loved ;).</p>
<p>MY D got a likely letter 4 years ago.</p>
<p>I think the point of Early Acceptance is to make the student take a closer look at the school that accepts them, since these are going to be students with lots of options.</p>
<p>I remember somebody in a previous thread saying Swarthmore tended to send their early acceptance letters only to "diversity" students, but I also remember that there was a counterexample to that.</p>
<p>HisDudeness, you're definitely right. The early writes and likely letters are just more advertising to sway kids to matriculate. And, since we know small LACs carefully build their student bodies, the diversity factor undoubtedly weighs in.</p>
<p>Swarthmore in the past has sent out "early write" admission letters, as interesteddad has written above. They are not "likely" letters, they are genuine admission letters, but sent several weeks before the April 1 notification date. Our d got one 5 years ago, and she was not a diversity applicant.</p>
<p>can someone explain exactly what a "likely letter" is? sorry to be so clued out!</p>
<p>It is a letter of admission that comes few weeks before the official notification date.</p>
<p>Thanks! I thought maybe it was some communication that made acceptance sound likely.</p>
<p>SS1955, there are two types of letters which can be sent out early. </p>
<p>One is an "early write." Such letters constitute an official offer of acceptance. The other is a "likely letter" saying that based upon your application an acceptance is "likely" to be extended to you at the formal admission date. Here's an example from one posted by a prospective Rice applicant this year:</p>
<p>"While the admission committee won't meet to make final decisions until the end of March, I feel you would be a strong match for Rice. Based on your application, it is likely that you will be successful in gaining admission to the university." (That's the key part. The whole text can be read in post #13 here: <a href="http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/rice-university/462211-letters.html%5B/url%5D">http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/rice-university/462211-letters.html</a>)</p>
<p>My understanding is that likely letters are used by schools which have a common notification date which they must observe. The likely letter is a good way to work around that to let an applicant know that the school really wants them. Primarily they are used for athletes, but also for other applicants which the school very much wants. Here's a good article from the Yale Daily: Yale</a> Daily News - ?Likely letters? part of Yale?s admit strategy</p>
<p>Schools sending out early writes evidently are not bound to observe a common notification date, so can extend a formal offer of acceptance.</p>
<p>Whatever type of letter a school may send out, the most important thing to remember is this: most admitted students don't receive them. As always, CC has more than than its share of students who do get those winks and nods. It can feel like practically everyone is getting one to the student who hasn't received one. But for each applicant who does get a letter, there are far, far more who don't. There just aren't that many threads starting out, "Hey! I didn't get a likely letter today!"</p>
<p>Thanks, 2blue, and I think you are really right that all this has to be kept in perspective, as most people don't get these things.</p>