<p>If I did not receive a likely letter from any Ivy, does that pretty much mean that I don't have a chance at all for Harvard? Is it common for Harvard undergrad students to receive a likely letter from at least one place? Thanks for you responses.</p>
<p>Likely letters are rare, so don’t sweat it. A majority of students who are accepted to great schools do not get likelies.</p>
<p>Oh okay. It just seems very likely that if a student gets into Harvard, he or she probably received a likely from somewhere. Anyone else want to share thoughts?</p>
<p>Even if, some people get LL’s from other Ivy’s and don’t get into Harvard. I got LL’s from Cornell, Dartmouth, and Columbia and I still don’t think I have a better shot. Every university has different ways of picking applicants. While it shows that you’re a really good applicant to receive ll’s or early writes, it guarantees nothing</p>
<p>Thanks for your input Toasty. Congrats by the way! I wish I could have those LLs. So do you still think I have a chance for some good schools if I didn’t receive any likelies?</p>
<p>Thank you. Yeah, if your stats are in line and you did the best you did on those apps, you still have a great shot. Likely letters are weird, but they are by no means the only people who get in places. I know of a person who got into every ivy but not ivy likelys. It happens. Don’t worry so much.</p>
<p>How the hell is Harvard supposed to know whether you received a likely from any of the other Ivies? More importantly, why would they care? If they want to accept you, they will, regardless of what their rivals do.</p>
<p>^he’s not saying the likely letter itself will make Harvard want the applicant. He’s asking if getting a ll, which implies that you are a super applicant, is at all clarification that he has a shot at getting into Harvard.
Basically, does the ll/lack of a likely show his potential as a good/bad applicant according to other schools of the same caliber?</p>
<p>lolToasty has posted that he is a URM, so his likely letters are a result of his particular democraphic. If you are not a URM, the absence of a likely letter is not an indication that you are not a viable candidate at Harvard or at any other competitive school. Harvard and Brown, in particular, only send likely letters to URMs and athletes (caveat - athletes who have an established relationship with a coach - these students have a “heads up” and they anticipate the arrival of a likely letter). Harvard does not send likely letters to other candidates no matter how qualified they may be. So, do not worry if you don’t receive a likely letter - likely letters are simply a “tool” used to draw in a very narrow group of students. If you are not in this narrow group, you should not expect to receive one!</p>
<p>^though, to be fair, I wouldn’t say that my ll’s come just because of my race. It’s a mixture of my race and my accomplishments.
That’s one of those misconceptions that I don’t like with the whole URM LL’s name.</p>
<p>If I am a URM and didn’t get a letter from Harvard does that mean I didn’t get in? Has Harvard sent LL to URMs yet?</p>
<p>Likely letters no doubt go to those for which the competition with other schools is most intense, such as highly qualified URM and qualified recruited athletes.</p>
<p>No, it doesn’t. Many don’t get LL’s. Don’t lose hope!
Yeah, they were sent as part of the LL waves from late 2011 to March 15th.</p>
<p>LolToasty,</p>
<p>Your likely letters were a result of your URM status (in your case, ethnic, not race) combined with your achievements. Students with similar achievements but without your URM status will not receive likely letters, but that should not be an indication of a certain rejection, either. Did you receive a likely from Harvard?</p>
<p>No, I understand, I just don’t want others to think it’s purely because of race.
No, sadly, I didn’t :(</p>
<p>GorillaGlue: unless you were sitting in the admissions office, how can you state so assuredly that lolToasty’s ethinicity was a prime factor in issuance of a LL? State clearly that it’s your guess. To do otherwise is nearing a line that I hope you don’t intend on crossing.</p>
<p>While lolToasty has an impressive record, his stats and other data are not remarkable enough to warrant so many likelies. In an environment where 2400 SAT + val + olympiad qualifiers are rejected ad nauseam, there is clearly no other explanation. I wish lol all the best in his final acceptances, but I certainly don’t want other applicants to feel out in the cold and unworthy - they should understand the facts on the ground. Please don’t argue that some schools solicit URMs this way - they do - and it in no way diminishes lol’s qualifications. Let’s just be clear and upfront with those who may not understand the process.</p>
<p>Has anyone gotten a LL from Harvard?</p>
<p>Perhaps my stats aren’t crazy like others, but I do come from a very bad background. When you take that into consideration and go beyond cold, hard stats, it is possible that what T26E4 is saying is true. You don’t know with absolute certainty that my race is the major reason for my likely letters. I don’t have amazing awards, but considering the school I attend and the history of the area around me, it is possible that my stats are very important in these letters.</p>
<p>Yes, many people have received LL’s from Harvard. I know for a fact a few friends of mine have.</p>
<p>Thanks everyone for your input! I was just feeling a little scared that if I didn’t receive a likely from anywhere, I wasn’t qualified enough for any top schools. However, this definitely makes me feel a little more confident even though I know how difficult it is to get into these schools. I wish everybody the best for the future decisions. Once again, congrats Toasty!</p>