So I was waitlisted. I am happy with the places to which I have been accepted to, but it never hurts to somehow try.
A short letter? Additional recs?
Think about something for a minute. Based upon your post history, you were accepted to Dartmouth, UChicago, Duke and Georgetown. Those are great schools and your common application worked just fine for them, correct? But, because Harvard receives more over-the-top applications, you came “this close” but didn’t quite make it. Harvard liked what they saw from your application – otherwise you would have been rejected. So, I doubt an extra letter of recommendation is going to make Admissions stand up and say, “Oh, by gosh we need to take @Aliiiiiiceee off the waitlist!”
You really don’t need to send in anything extra for Harvard to make their decision. And inundating AO’s with LOCI, additional recommendation letters, another essay etc might even work against an applicant, as it makes them seem “needy” and “desperate” – two things Harvard is not looking for!
gibby,
Rarely do we disagree. However, this time, we do. A short, to-the-point letter of continued interest is appropriate at this point.
^^ @notjoe: I agree. But, are you also recommending the OP send an additional letter of recommendation, or an additional essay?
Additional essay: no. Additional letter of recommendation: not usually, but there can be exceptions.
A letter of continued interest should be standard. But it should be brief, and express the wish still to go to Harvard.
Beyond that, other stuff should only be sent if really exceptional. Essays just about never fall into the “exceptional” category. Letters of recommendation might occasionally fall under that heading. Other achievements, the bigger, the better.