Do “likely” letters and calls go out to all likely acceptances this month? Is the absence of a “likely letter” or call a tacit thumbs-down?
@HeliMom74: No to both your questions. Have a read here: http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/yale-university/804816-quick-facts-about-likely-letters.html
@T26E4 @IxnayBob Thank you both for your replies!
My confusion was definitely a consequence of the subjective nature of U.S admissions.
“Holistic admissions sadly, draws its roots from efforts to discriminate against Jews and gay men.”
Wow we really do learn something new everyday. I tried to look into this online but couldn’t find much; I’m curious to know more about the origins of the holistic approach - would you by chance have any sources?
What do you all think my chances of acceptance into Yale are?
ACT: 33
GPA Unweighted: 4.0, 1/196
GPA Weighted: 4.3, 1/180ish
Extra-Curricular Activities: Tennis, Marching Band, Concert Band, Math Club, NHS, Key Club, HOSA, Science Club, Scholars Bowl, History Club, Constitutional Club, Spanish Club, Independent Research
Independent research: Have completed two biomedical research projects. One of these projects I presented at two regional conferences.
AP Classes: 7 (My school is very limited in AP opportunities)
@adrianmcafee15 This is not a chance thread. In the future, post such comments here: http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/what-my-chances/
Hello everyone, RD class of 2019 applicant to the College here; hoping to major in Molecular/Cellular and Developmental Biology. Sorry I’m so late to this thread but I’m glad to join the party. 
And by the way, does anyone have any information or educated guesses on what pattern we might expect from Yale likely letter waves? I’m not pining or obsessing over the idea of getting one, but just curious. Okay, maybe that was a bit of a lie, but I know well enough not to expect or worry myself over one (let alone an acceptance) given the tremendous talent of the school’s applicant pool. I’d like to know nevertheless!
A batch of LLs went out to targeted STEM and top athlete applicants. That I know. Besides that, it’s anyone’s guess. I wouldn’t try to detect any patterns – it’s whatever the current crop of top applicants looks like.
@Melissawilliams I can’t imagine if I got phone call instead of an email. I’d be so nervous I probably wouldn’t be able to talk! 
I’m really bad at answering phone calls from strangers in general.
Do likely letters only go out to students in the US or can they be sent to international students as well?
Here’s one: The Chosen: The Hidden History of Admission and Exclusion at Harvard, Yale, and Princeton
by Jerome Karabel (2006)
Karabel is a sociologist who has served on the Berkeley admissions committee
This Publishers Weekly review on Amazon summarizes the point:
The emphasis in college applications on balancing grades and extracurricular activities appears benignly positive at first glance. Yet, as Karabel explains, the top Ivy League schools created this formula in the 1920s because they were uncomfortable with the number of Jewish students accepted when applicants were judged solely on their grades. The search for prospective freshmen with “character” was, with varying explicitness, an effort to maintain the slowly declining Protestant establishment. At one point, Karabel says in this stimulating study of admissions policies, Harvard codified a policy of accepting applicants with weak academic credentials who could better appreciate the school’s social opportunities, while Princeton promised to accept any alumnus’s son with even the faintest hope of graduation. Karabel, a sociologist who once served on UC-Berkeley’s admissions committee, extensively covers the “Jewish problem” at the Big Three colleges, but also tackles the cultural shifts that lowered the barriers for African-American students and ultimately led to the admission of women. The detailed analysis of the role of university presidents and other campus administrators in first stifling, then abetting ethnic diversity in the student body is so comprehensive, however, that his final remarks on the remaining lack of socioeconomic diversity feel like tacked on.
So so so unbelievably surprised and excited to get a call telling me that my likely letter would be in the mail soon, not an athlete, not going into a STEM field, the admissions officer just told me how much he enjoyed my essay and that they wanted me in the class of 2019. Exponentially lowered my stress level going into the rest of my decisions
Wow @tankfrank13 that’s absolutely amazing congrats!
@tankfrank13 and @Melissawilliams Congratulations!!! 
Sapp123 Likely letters can go outside the US - we received one last year - recruited athlete
Hey, has anyone heard about the date on which the RD decisions will be posted? 
It looks like March 27 will be the day, based on previous years’ announcements.
Everything I’ve seen says March 31st at 5PM EST.
As of the moment, 3/31 at 5 p.m.
STILL haven’t gotten an interview request… Should I just not expect one? I’ve already interviewed for most of the Ivies I’m applying to.