Quick Waitlist Question

[RicFlairFan]

Hi, guys!

I have a few questions about the waitlist. First, when does Harvard notify waitlisted students of their status? I’ve read conflicting accounts, some saying that applicants are told in June, others as early as mid-May. Does anyone the truth? If so, how? Also, do students admitted off the waitlist often feel like they don’t belong at Harvard? Or do they assimilate pretty well into the College? I know that even the formerly waitlisted students are still spectacular, or else they would have been rejected, but is it a psychological thing? Thanks!

[gibby]

Half of the Admissions Committee is made up of faculty members who are teaching full time. Therefore, the full Committee doesn’t meet when classes are in session.

The first wave of sifting through waitlist applicants usually occurs between Harvard’s reading period and exam period (when the faculty is not teaching). This year, the reading period begins April 30th, and exams end May 16th. My guess is that Admissions will start going through the first wave of waitlist candidates during that time – somewhere towards the end, as they need to wait about a week to 10 days for all applicants who snail-mailed in their decision.

After May 16th, the faculty is involved with senior graduation awards, parties and ceremonies. So, the second wave usually occurs after graduation and goes until the 2nd week of June. In the past several years, Harvard has closed the waitlist about mid-June and has sent an email to all students remaining on the waitlist that it’s now been closed.

Students taken off the waitlist are usually telephoned by an Admissions Officer, as the AO needs to gauge their immediate interest. As they only call a handful of applicants at a time, AO’s need to personally contact students, and if needed, give them several days to think about it.

No one except the Admissions staff knows which students were admitted SCEA, RD and off the waitlist – unless a student chooses to tell someone. So, every student is treated the same way, and all assimilate together. FWIW: I wrote the below on another thread, but it probably needs repeating:

Harvard has never published the number of students they have waitlisted, but Yale and Princeton have. In years past, YP have waitlisted about 2,000 students each. Of that number, about 1,200 to 1,300 students choose to remain on the waitlist at each college. I imagine Harvard’s numbers are the same. That’s for about 30 slots in a good year. You do the math.

There is literally nothing you can do – aside from remaining on the waitlist – that would increase your chances of being taken off the waitlist. That’s because Admissions has already built their class and IMHO will be seeking like-kind replacements – someone from a particular state/area/nationality, who is of the same gender and who has the same interests, so they can keep their state/gender/interest mix the same.

For example, if Admissions admitted a female student from India who declines their offer, they are going to go to the waitlist looking for another student from India who has the same interests and is of the same gender. In that case, if you’re a female international student from India with the same interests, your chances of getting off the waitlist are very high. But, if a female student who has an interest in Humanities from Texas (or any of the other 49 states) declines Harvard’s offer, your chances as a male international student from India interested in Computer Science are not good at all.

So, go ahead send a letter, tell Admissions what you can contribute to the campus, tell them what Harvard can provide that the college you are going to matriculate to can’t. In my mind, it won’t make one bit of difference, because now it’s completely dependent on who declines and if the stars are all aligned in your favor.

Send the waitlist update letter and then forget about Harvard. Waitlisted students must accept another college’s offer of acceptance, as Harvard will not start going to their waitlist until mid-May, several weeks past the deadline that every college has for accepting their offer.

Every waitlisted student needs to fall in love with a college that fell in love with them. If Harvard comes calling somewhere down the line, that’s great. If not, it’s their loss baby!

[arctoarcturas]

Would it be better to send in a " continued letter of interest " now or wait till mid or late April? Thanks.

[gibby]

Admissions won’t start reviewing waitlist applicants until after May1st. So long as your letter is on file before then, you should be good-to-go!

[hzhao2004]

Do you think an applicant deferred SCEA and then waitlisted has a slight better chance than just waitlisted?

[gibby]

^^ You were deferred SCEA, so they liked you. You were waitlisted RD, so they liked you. Who knows, maybe the third time is the charm! Or, maybe you’ll always be a bridesmaid, never a bride. It’s really anyone’s guess.