<p>I know i have been reading a lot of likely letter things on this forum and for other colleges as well. I'm curious about what the letter actually says. To anyone who has gotten a likely letter, would you mind writing what the letter says (leaving out anything personal if that is a part of it...)</p>
<p>will they send it out this early? How many are sent for RD?</p>
<p>my parents took mine and framed it haha.
i'll try to find it later</p>
<p>What exactly is a likely letter? Is it only for recruited athletes?</p>
<p>i'm not an expert, so this might not be right. i've only heard of athletes getting likely letters. it's basically a letter from the college telling you that they'll send you an official acceptance with the rest of the regular decision applicants. it relieves pressure if you have other acceptances or coaches that want to rush you into a decision.</p>
<p>There are non-atheletes that get likely letters.</p>
<p>hey goolsci, i received a likely letter a few weeks ago. i've scanned and uploaded it so you can see what the real thing looks like. the first link is page one and the second is page two. make sure to enlarge the image so you can actually read what it says. </p>
<p>likely</a> letter 1.jpg</p>
<p>likely</a> letter 2.jpg</p>
<p>fyi: token89 is more or less right about the likely letters being for athletes. non-athletes can and do receive them, especially since ED is no longer an option. however, the overwhelming majority of the 80-100 letters that go out annually are reserved for athletes. not surprisingly, i am being recruited by a varsity coach.</p>
<p>I went to the Harvard Club lunch with my son last December. About 30 kids showed up, and only two of them said they got the likely letter and both of them are athletes: basketball and football.</p>
<p>That image of the letter was quite informative. I'm glad you blacked out your name before posting it.</p>
<p>Thanks Token89 and BigCat! Congrats on getting in!</p>
<p>Holy cow, just curious, what makes you so outstanding that you got accepted in like December! Did you cure cancer?</p>
<p>Congratulations!</p>
<p>(I think he already said he's an athlete.)</p>
<p>BigCat: </p>
<p>First, congratulations! </p>
<p>Something in your letter surprises me. The letter indicates that it was sent before Harvard received your SAT II scores. Is that correct?</p>
<p>Lol, what a dork. Clearly, I won't be getting in to Harvard. I see now he said that in his post.. thanks for responding though. </p>
<p>WJB: Thats what I was thinking too.</p>
<p>athletes with likely letters...ASSEMBLE!!!!! (blows horn)</p>
<p>wjb & stefanysoccer:</p>
<p>With regards to my SAT II's, the admissions office had received 2/3 scores by the time the letter was sent, and was scheduled to receive the last one a few days later. </p>
<p>An admissions officer told me quite candidly that anyone scoring above 600 on all individual sections of the SAT is more than capable of completing Harvard level coursework. For me, this reinforced the fact that the test is just a tool to help whittle down the number of applications that must be processed. This is why it’s not a huge deal if they receive the scores a little while after issuing the letter – they can always retract the offer (almost never happens) if the scores are abysmal, but chances are, you will at least continue to perform at your current level (which got you the letter in the first place)</p>
<p>The second thing she shared with me was essentially what Harvard looks for in a potential student. The two key points she made were #1: “Harvard does not reward you for past accomplishments,” and #2: “Our individual students are very lopsided, but our student body is very well rounded.” </p>
<p>What #1 means is, Harvard looks for applicants who can continue to contribute in their respective fields as soon as they set foot on campus. If you are a world-class curler who eats/sleeps/breathes curling, but Harvard doesn’t have a curling team, the adcoms will probably decide that Harvard may not be the best fit for you. This is why USAMO gold medallists, for example, are admitted at such a high rate relative to “regular” applicants. It’s not because Harvard feels that they “deserve” a spot for all of their hard work and enviable mathematical prowess, it is because they will be great contributors to Harvard’s math department. </p>
<h1>2 means that Harvard wants students who are passionate about one or two activities which they excel in. From these students, they attempt to create an eclectic mix of talents and unique strengths, thus balancing out the student body with these lopsided (not one-dimensional) students.</h1>
<p>As for the likely letter itself, keep in mind that this is more or less a generic letter designed primarily for athletes as a way of reciprocating the commitment they have shown to an Ivy. They go out as early as October, which is why the bit about SAT II's is included (many people haven't finished taking them by this time). Annually, coaches receive a certain number of “slots” for new recruits to their team. The athletes make a verbal agreement to attend the school if the coach can offer them a likely letter. If the coach decides that this athlete would make a good addition to the team and is capable of surviving the rigors of the admissions process, they request a likely letter from admissions. </p>
<p>N.B: Athletes aren’t just ushered through the back door. They must have impressive applications/recs/etc. and their stats generally fall within one standard deviation of the mean for all admitted students --unless they are “low-band” (low academic index) recruits for high-profile sports (read: basketball and football) in which case admissions is more lax with their scores.</p>
<p>Now, the letters aren’t given out willy-nilly; you must assure the coach that you are absolutely planning on attending next fall or he/she will normally not offer one. Having said that, receiving a likely letter and deciding not to attend, while not illegal, is an extreme breach of trust and is likely to burn your bridges with that coach and that team forever. So, don’t believe outrageous claims like “I got likely letters from HYP! Which should I pick?” People who post things like this are usually uninformed, mistaken, or telling an outright lie. That’s just not the way it works. </p>
<p>So remember, each letter is essentially a spot in the following year’s class, so don’t be discouraged if you aren’t surprised with one in your mailbox -they really are few and far between.</p>
<p>Thanks, BigCat, that was a very articulate explanation of how likely letters fit into Harvard's new single-deadline admission process.</p>
<p>how long did it take you to write that? it looks like a small essay.</p>
<p>haha, it didn't take too long, token89 (20 mins or so). once i got started i figured that i may as well share what i know about likely letters/admissions, since i had the chance to talk to an admissions officer on my recruiting trip (i'm sure you heard a lot of the same stuff on yours). i mean, virtually no one gets a likely letter (<0.005% of all applicants -most being atheltes) unless he/she is being recruited, so there is no sense in visiting the mail-box everyday looking for one...especially when it's this cold out :P </p>
<p>btw, i loved your anchorman reference...ron burgundy changed my life, lol</p>
<p>athlete with likely letter, present!</p>