<p>I believe the Admissions Committee has said that it will finish its deliberations on March 21...but do you think that decisions are actually carved in stone by then? Or are the accept/reject/waitlist pile really shift right up to the last day? Will they reconsider someone in light of new information at this point? I guess I'm just a bit jittery about the 30th looming so close now.</p>
<p>Thoughts, anyone, on the questions above?</p>
<p>OH MY, I hope it's not set in stone, b/c I imagine you're in a similar situation as me. I haven't updated them on things yet (I know, bad move on my part). I imagine they'll be as fair and flexible as time allows! I have tons of accomplishments to update them on (some of them are other college acceptances and scholarships and whatnot). Good luck to you. I'll see if I find anything out!!</p>
<p>-Jon :)</p>
<p>actually, I HAVE sent in 2 update letters (one with supplementary materials, one single letter on my new and improved SAT scores from January), 1 more recommendation, updated activity log and award list, and one more essay (i hadn't done the supplemental essay on the Harvard supplement)...but I'm starting to think that I should send in--and by send, i mean FAX and mail for time's sake--what I think is my best piece of academic writing.</p>
<p>Maybe I'm just nervous, and if I do this, it'll give me my own piece of mind...but might it actually have any effect?</p>
<p>When my daughter called to ask about updating a week or so before early admissions ... they told her it wouldn't matter as decisions were done and final. As it turned out - she was accepted - but they hadn't even asked her name on the phone so one thing had nothing to do with the other.
If you are sending updates ... I suggest you send them immediately - don't wait!</p>
<p>i'm just getting an interview now! if decisions are done by march 21st, thats horrible......there was some mixup and they didn't get my stats to an interviewer on time...how bad is this going to be?</p>
<p>they definitely wont hold it against you, but if you do really well on the interview or something, they might not get it together to process it so it wouldn't help you. sorry for the awful wording, hope that's clear</p>
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<blockquote> <p>Or are the accept/reject/waitlist pile really shift right up to the last day?<<</p> </blockquote>
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<p>I don't know about Harvard, but an MIT committee member told me that at MIT there is "horse trading", with some applicants going on and off the admit list, right up until the hour that the notifications go out. It might be similar at many other schools.</p>
<p>^^i thought that ben said in his blog that MIT decisions were already done, and now they just had to put them all in envelopes^^</p>
<p>The MIT rep I spoke to (at an accepted students' reception two years ago - I can't say anything about this year) said that there were a few people who had their acceptance letters all written, signed and ready to go into the envelope when, on the very last day, someone else moved off the reject pile, so they got moved over to the reject pile to make room.</p>
<p>You can read about this same horse-trading phenomenon in The Gatekeepers.</p>
<p>I wanna read the gatekeepers, sounds interesting. tho it might be too late.</p>
<p>yay i won't listen to anyone who tells me "it's too late".</p>
<p>help help, </p>
<p>how do you end a very short update letter with a sentence indicating your PASSION for that school? help help. help help.</p>
<p>I want to demonstrate my passion, but have no idea how.</p>
<p>the best way you can indicate passion is to say that it is your first choice and you will def. attend if admitted (please only say this if it's true). Other than that, mentioning something specific to the school (such as a class or program) may also be sufficient.</p>
<p>stambliark, are you saying that I'm only allowed to say "you're my first choice" to ONE school? The truth is I have at least THREE first choice.</p>
<p>"I have at least THREE first choice"....so #4 has to take fourth place and no one gets the silver medal? Cruel.</p>
<p>IMHO, y'all are crazy. That's a good thing, because normal people are boring. But truthfully, the best thing to do right now is step back and relax. I wouldn't suggest sending in anything new. They have enough papers to sort through, people to deal with, distraught counselors and parents to soothe on the phone lines. I imagine Harvard receives many, many letters stating that they are the best school in the world and "I love, I love, I love you and never wish to be parted from you from this day forward." It wouldn't affect much.</p>
<p>Whether the decisions are set in stone by March 21 (my last day of being 17!) doesn't have any impact on our lives. We could do as much about those decisions as the ones that are officially final, which is next to nothing. Enjoy the world...the new season of Avatar starts tonight :)</p>
<p>no no no, tkm, my update is an extremely important update. don't ask what is but in my case, it's important.</p>
<p>"Extremely important updates" are excepted from my general "be cool" philosophy, of course :)</p>
<p>Is it bad that I'm writing the letter and sending a few supplmentary things (noting achievements/accomplishments etc..) now?? By the way, I was deferred. I've been told I still have a little time. Should I bother? It can only help, right? I was planning on recycling an essay that helped get me into other great schools (like Amherst and Williams). I got personal feedback from both schools (and NYU as well) about that particular essay, and I figure that it would do well @ Harvard!
Ok, this is what I'm planning on sending: a letter confirming my continued interest, a revamped (successful) essay, a brief update on my recent accomplishments (scholarships, college admissions, recognitions, etc.), 1 short rec. letter w/ snippets of input from 3 teachers, as well as a short peer letter that I sent out to all colleges (which was really well written and highlighted the stonrgest parts of my character).
Aside from that, I had something controversial I was considering sending.... but idk anymore. I feel a little adventurous, so maybe I might. Alright, while politically it's controversial, I was planning on sending this pro-life poem that I wrote. I'm in the process of getting it published. I figured I would send it under separate cover and ask them to send it to the Harvard For Life group to evaluate. I will give Admissions the option of reading it if they like, but I will respect their sensibilities by sending it under seperate cover. I've heard much input that my piece is strong and very moving. I'm thinking it can make or break my acceptance. Who knows? Only one way to find out I guess.
Does anyone have any input about the things I'm sending to Harvard? Please let me know soon, b/c I'm writing the letter today! Thanks in advance and good luck to those of you who were deferred!</p>
<p>I think that sending in a pro-life poem will make you seem like a kook. I don't know though.</p>
<p>It's toooooooooooooooooo late to send anything. Why don't you understand that??!!!!! They are already finished and are getting the packets ready. </p>
<p>By the way, do you honestly think a pro-life poem is going to do **** to help you? Come on, man. Seriously.</p>
<p>APDoolittle, by the time the letter, poem, update, rec letters and essay arrive at Harvard, they will indeed be concluding/have concluded the decisions. If you wanted Harvard to see all that, it should have been sent months ago.</p>
<p>But seriously, you were good enough to get into Amherst and Williams...I wouldn't freak about Harvard.</p>