What exactly is a likely letter?

Applying to College
1

<p>Past the obvious - that you're likely to be admitted - what exactly does a likely letter mean, and how are people selected?</p>

2

<p>It means that unless something goes very wrong (you’re arrested or your grades dramatically fall or you drop out), you will be admitted. Usually, schools that offer likely letters (and a lot do) generally give them to recruited athletes and the TOP academic students (and/or ones they particularly want to draw in and keep interested).</p>

3

<p>BillyMc is 100% correct.
Its just a letter from schools to their top applicants that say they like them! It is generally considered an early acceptance letter, unless you do something seriously wrong.</p>

4

<p>Although specific to Yale, much of the info is applicable elsewhere</p>

<p><a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/yale-university/804816-quick-facts-about-likely-letters.html[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/yale-university/804816-quick-facts-about-likely-letters.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

5

<p>Don’t be at all worried if you don’t get them, though, because plenty of people who don’t get them are accepted and some schools don’t even send them.</p>

<p>They’re really just to keep the best applicants from taking money elsewhere before hearing from the school that sent the likely letter.</p>

6

<p>Oh, okay. Do likely letters come after one’s applied to the school? Or are they kind of a “we encourage you to apply” that comes after an admissions officer hears about you?</p>

7

<p>They come after you submit your application, but before they give you the official decision.</p>