<p>Amherst, too, is colder in winter than Cambridge. Pomona, however, is located in sunny SoCal. But I know Filipinos and Hawaiians who have gone to college in the Boston area and thrived.</p>
<p>Uh, this might sound really stupid, but what exactly is a "likely letter"? I 've never heard of it before :).</p>
<p>
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..can you really say no to harvard?
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Yes. It is probably something you're reluctant to do at the moment as the good news is still fresh! Since you applied "just for kicks" it must be a shock to know you stand a chance of getting in and that suddenly "Harvard" is a very real option. </p>
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i wouldn't actually go there if i got in, i thought.
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I suggest you revist your feelings about the school. If you weren't interested in attending Harvard before, are you really interested in attending now? I might be a good idea to wait until you hear from the your other schools before you make any decisions though. A likely letter, whilst it is a "likely letter!!!", is still just that: a likely letter. In other words, don't count your chickens (acceptance, fin aid plans etc.) before they've hatched.</p>
<p>*A likely letter is a bit like a recruitment tool. It is used by several colleges to encourage students to attend. The way it works is essentially the way the original poster has described: you may not have really considered a school before and if you got in you wouldn't choose to attend because you have other top choices. But then you receive a"likely letter" before decisions are officially mailed in April. This warm letter is telling you that you stand an excellent chance of acceptance and you basically know early that you're in. Suddenly, you feel more ambivalent about the school and it may very well be the trump card that makes you decide to attend.</p>
<p>Maybe, just maybe, Amherst or one of the others might consider giving you more aid if Harvard gives you a really good offer but you'd rather go to a small school</p>
<p>likely letter?? :confused:</p>
<p>sheesh... some ppl got them upenn as well..... :(
do they send ot internationals as well?</p>
<p>one more thing, does harvard conduct selective interviews? cos according to harvard's site and their email list, they dun conduct in singapore...but there are a few kids (really gd academics/interestin hook) who had interview.. so it is selective??</p>
<p>I kind of wonder when people apply to harvard "just for kicks, even though I'd never deign to go there". . .</p>
<p>I kind of wonder if these people actually want to go there but are preparing themselves and the public for rejection, or if they really want to go there but don't want to seem like the generic student who applies to harvard, or if these people are trying to prove that they aren't prestige-whores, or if they're trying to defeat some perceived injustice or irrationality in harvard's yield rates, or trying to see if they're harvard material for a self-esteem boost, or what</p>
<p>so my point is, decide if you ever sincerely wanted to go there, and how it will be better than your initial first choice if harvard wasn't it, and then see if your conscience is willing to accept the reason why you want to go to harvard after all, even if that reason is name, name, name</p>
<p>What is the matriculation percentage for harvard, people that got accepted and actually attended the school? I'm thinking its gotta be over 80%.</p>
<p>say no to harvard!!</p>
<p>It is over 80%. I forget the exact number. </p>
<p>I've heard a couple of recent Harvard graduates say that the best thing about H was the students, that they're diverse, intelligent, and interesting. Both of these are academics, who after H College went to Princeton for Ph.Ds. They both said that classroom education at H is hit and miss, because of many detached professors, though they both also said that-- like anywhere-- if you find a mentor among the profs, you're set, and that the faculty is incredible if not always 100% involved in student affairs.</p>
<p>i have found that the true asset that these institutions have is to have the best possible people there and interacting</p>
<p>
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What is the matriculation percentage for harvard, people that got accepted and actually attended the school? I'm thinking its gotta be over 80%.
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</p>
<p>The yield (people who are accepted and attend) is 79% according to the Princeton Review. So, about 4 of every 5 students Harvard accepts decide to actually enroll. It might seem low, but Harvard's yield is one of the highest for colleges in the US.</p>
<p>At my daughter's HS, the top students usually apply to a couple of the Ivies/Stanford/Duke and other top schools, but only Harvard gets the " I thought I'd just apply for kicks" applications. When kids get in , most think they "have" to go because, after all, it's Harvard. Often the parents pressure them, and are all excited and tell all their friends, so what is a kid supposed to do?
It's no coincidence, then, that many of those kids don't like it all that much when they get there. It's not just the weather they complain about, but the students as well. " Too serious, too driven, too full of themselves, just too heavy", is what I hear from them. The few that really always wanted Harvard, however,and do get in and go, seem to be very happy. They know the what the atmosphere is like, and know they'll thrive there. The secret, I think, is to know yourself.</p>
<p>...what's a likely?</p>
<p>:(</p>
<p>a letter that suggests you'll probably get in, sent out to boost interest in the school and make yield better</p>
<p>hmmm my post can cover many topics...
Yes, you can say no to Harvard. One friend of mine turned down H to go to a more religious and cheaper school (BYU), another turned down H to go to a smaller school (Carleton), and the other turned down H to go to a more athletic school (Standford).
There must be people who apply to a bunch of college different from Harvard, because I did and I am not that abnormal. I applied to Amherst, Williams, Wesleyan, Carleton, Vassar, Smith, Kenyon, Wellesley... and then Harvard.
Which brings me to the next topic... I was one that applied "just for kicks." My counselor told me to apply there and I fell out of his office chair laughing, insisting that he was crazy. Then he gave me the application about a week before the EA deadline and told me that I needed to give it a shot and I did. I didnt tell anyone I was applying there, but when I got in everyone seemed to know the next time I was on campus.
But will I go? That same week, after a lot of coersion from my mom and counselor, I withdrew all of my other apps. It was very scary, as I have never visited the Harvard campus before and wont see it until I move in next fall. But my mom has worked just as hard as I have to get me here, so I think the decision was just as much hers as mine. Also, I am a person that I know can make myself happy wherever I go; I am a genuinely happy person. Plus, I am hoping to get a full-ride with this new financial aid benefit.
So there ya go. Although I feel as if I was reiterating what everyone else said, I hope I put it into some real-life perspective. Good luck to everyone!</p>
<p>Oh, and by the way, to those of you who fear rejection due to poor SAT scores... I got in with a 1280. There is hope in the college admissions process!</p>
<p>California Cutie, based on your posts here and on the Harvard admitted students board, I think you have a personality that will thrive at Harvard. My guess is that you will absolutely love it!</p>
<p>But I do share the concern that others have expressed about students going to Harvard for reasons such as coercion from a counselor or a parent or peers. Harvard is not right for everyone. For those that it's right for, there's no place better in my view. But for a student who finds the place too big, too intimidating, too intense, etc., it's easy to get lost and be pretty unhappy. As impressive as an 80% yield is, I often think Harvard would be better off with a lower yield and more certainty that its students are going there because they're sure it's where they want to be. And the depth of the applicant pool is so great that, if Harvard had to accept 3,000 applicants to fill its class rather than 2,000, it really wouldn't be sacrificing anything in terms of the quality of the student body.</p>
<p>Anyway, this is a long way of agreeing that yes, you can say no to Harvard. And you should say no if you decide it's not the right place for you.</p>
<p>P.S. to the OP: The myth that Harvard doesn't care about undergraduate education is, quite simply, false. What is true, however, is that Harvard does not do much hand-holding for its undergraduates (or any of its other students for that matter). But if you're pro-active about seeking opportunities, there's virtually nothing you can't do as an undergraduate at Harvard. As I tried to express above, it's really a question of deciding whether it's the right fit for you.</p>