I just found out a few hours ago that a short story I wrote has been selected for publication in a teen literature magazine in New York. I was wondering whether or not it was worth it to contact undergraduate admissions about this so late in the game?
Didn’t mean to start two separate threads
Congratulations! I’m not sure how much an update letter might help, but I would go ahead and FAX Admissions. Don’t send an update through the portal, as it may take weeks for Admissions to read a portal update.
Your FAXed letter should include the letter or email of notification, as well as the short story itself. At the top of the letter, be sure to include your legal name, date of birth, high school, and Common Application number, Something along the lines of . . .
Depends on the magazine maybe.
Honestly, I would call admissions and ask. But don’t talk to a student answering the phone 
I think that is the most courteous and considerate thing to do, given that it is already mid-March.
I think faxing all those pages might actually be counterproductive unless admissions says they welcome them. I doubt they will welcome much at this point, honestly.
Also, did your application or recommendations show evidence of interest or talent in writing already? In other words, is this addition redundant?
Congratulations on your story being published. No matter where you go to school, I hope you continue to develop your writing. Of course you don’t have to go to Harvard to grow as a writer
@gibby Thank you for the detailed advice! But at this point, what exactly is admissions doing? Are they done reviewing applications?
@compmom I’ll contact admissions tomorrow. And what exactly do you mean by the “type” of magazine?
^ I’m assuming that’s like, if it’s The New Yorker: very impressive. If it’s an online-only literary magazine run by high school students who accept anything that gets sent their way: maybe not so prestigious.
@bodangles I see. Thank you! Either way, it was quite exciting for me, as I’ve never had anything published before
Definitely! May it be the first of many!
My guess is that next week (March 21-24) is the last week of full committee meetings where regional admissions directors are presenting their top candidates to 40+ staff, half of whom are senior Harvard teaching faculty. The following week (March 28-30) is probably when the financial aid committee is meeting to calculate financial aid for every admitted student who applied for it.
IMHO your published short story would have to appear in a noted national publication, such as The New Yorker or The Atlantic for it to have any effect on your application. If the publication is not of that caliber, I wouldn’t even bother phoning Admissions about it, as I doubt you could even get an Admissions Officer on the phone as they would be in meetings all day long.
I had to send in an update with a new test score about a week ago, and when I called them, they told me that they would like me to send the test score through the portal rather than through fax. So I don’t know what you want to do.
@PartyNextDoor I’ll try calling tomorrow, as I don’t really like the idea of faxing unsolicited information. @gibby, what do you mean? This might be a stupid question, but I always thought that it wasn’t the admissions officers themselves answering the phones? Couldn’t the update just be added to my file without first going through an AO?
You are correct. AO’s do not usually answer the phones, Harvard student’s on work-study do. Which is why @compmom suggested you not speak with a student, but ask to speak with an AO. What I’m suggesting is that AO’s will be too busy next week for them to take your phone call after you speak with Harvard student who initially answers the phone.
When a student makes an update, the information is brought to the attention of a student’s regional admissions committee, so an Admissions Officer may reevaluate an applicant’s file. What good would an update do if it were placed in your file without anyone looking at it?
@gibby I do appreciate the fact that the AOs will be extremely busy this week, and I didn’t intend to ask to speak to one when I called tomorrow. I just want to add this to my file, as although it may not be extremely significant, it’s important enough to me for me to make the effort. Thanks again for all of your advice!
Unless this is a very prestigious publication, I think it may be too late to make this effort.
I would not ask to speak to anyone involved in final decisions at this point, though there may be some staff available Perhaps whoever answers the phone could ask for you- again, only if the publication is impressive. I would ask general questions (anonymously) about how to best update and whether it is too late to do so.
PartyNextDoor already called and was told to use the portal. Was this a work-study student who gave this response? When you say you are adding it to your file, do you mean the portal? Or are you going to leave a message by phone or fax?
I would let it go if it is not a nationally known publication, honestly, but understand your desire to include it: it is a genuine reason to be proud
Again, congratulations and continue to write no matter where you land!