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Likely Letters

As you know by now, college admissions is not transparent.  Likely letters, for instance, are a bit on the gray side.  Many top colleges will send out a “likely” letter in February—often to recruited athletes, minority applicants, super academic stars and other special cases—saying that although they can’t tell you officially, it is “likely” that you will be accepted in April. YES, that IS the same as an acceptance letter as long as your grades don’t drop or anything. Some things to keep in mind though about likely letters:

  1. Not all schools send them, so if you don’t get one, it may not mean anything.
  2. There is a timing issue — colleges are not allowed to send likely letters after a specific date (usually late February) so if they haven’t had a chance to read your application two or three times, you won’t get one EVEN IF YOU QUALIFY.
  3. Colleges use some kind of ranking scale for likely letters. For instance, Dartmouth uses a 1-9 scale, and usually only 8′s and 9′s (or the equivalent) get likely letters.
  4. Keep in mind that certain targeted groups like African Americans and Hispanics (and sometimes women!) can get a likely even if they are slightly lower on the scale, say 6-7. Every school is a bit different.

In short, you should not panic if you do NOT receive a likely letter. In actual fact, only a small percentage of apps ever get one (usually 10% or less). But if you do get one, relax and be happy! Some of the pressure from regular decision should be melting away….

Do read this article in the Harvard Crimson about 2008 Likely Letters:
http://www.on2url.com/app/adtrack.asp?MerchantID=103138&AdID=427394

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