Held at Harvard: What does this mean?

[snikrep]

Well, you could retake just for the heck of it in June if you're reasonably satisfied with your performance this cycle, but would like one last hail mary shot at Harvard.  If you pull a 177-180 out of the bag and can lift up your score, ditch your deposit at whatever TTT you've decided to head to, and reapply early for next year.  If you score the same or lower, thank your lucky stars that you've already been accepted to good schools, and head off to law school confident that you're in the right place.

I really don't see the downside if somebody's dream has been Harvard.  The other option is to convince yourself that HLS=TTT as I have been working feverishly to do lately, and then you can forget about the whole thing  .

[jg983]

I was under the impression that many, if not most, people on the "hold" list heard one way or another before June.

Mister Big, your point is valid -- the odds off the hold list are probably at least as good as the odds on regular acceptance. That said, the group of people that constitute the applicant pool for the "hold" group is of much higher caliber than that which constitutes the general pool. In other words, it's more difficult to stand out among those who've already stood out. On the other hand, this may be totally specious reasoning. I've been up for waaaaay too long and have had two glasses of wine, so put me in my place if I deserve it.

I don't know anything about Toby Stock; things could be radically different this year. I'm just guessing that, if they were, the applicant community would have caught wind of that change by now and steve wouldn't seem like such an aberration. But only time will tell, I guess.

BTW, Screed, I was never able to get ahold of JT, but have heard that he's back in class this semester. Did you ever get that mess sorted out?

[lovelovelovenyc]

What I find particularly interesting is that none of the call people (the "purgatory" ones) got a hold or a ding. Obviously  you guys' file has been reviewed. If they were going to look at you in the future, I'd imagine they'd hold you. If they thought you were admittable, they would've dinged you. So I wonder what the hold up is...

Yeah I'm wonder that too JG, the only guess I can come up with is that the other reviewer since TStock sends it to another faculty member after the call (I think?) decided to send it to committee (which takes awhile) 

I would guess that too.  It just seems so odd that every person who had this happen to them was called in a specific period of time (the few days before christmas)

[dw05]

One thing to look at about the deferral to acceptance rate from last year is that I think that most of the deferrals came out somewhat later last year (like Feb/March-ish), so they might have served a different purpose in the admissions process, something more like a pseudo-waitlist than a typical deferral.  I'm genuinely surprised that some of you have gotten the hold letter with your stats, so I'll echo the advice of others here and say if you really want to go to Harvard, start working on some amazing supplementals for you app.  I certainly don't think it's a lost cause.

[corky]

The people on hold may also want to go to a prelaw advisor or a friend knowledgeable about the law school process and have them look over any gaps in your materials. Steve, you mentioned that you had no leadership experience, so if something like that stood out to the person reading it they could say "why don't you include something demonstrating leadership skills/collaborating with people just so they don't pigeonhole you as the engineering student stereotype."  It's hard to do for your own app, so it makes sense to have others lend a fresh pair of eyes. 

[melicertes]

I am more shocked about the 3.93/173 and 4.0/172 deferrals than my own (3.8/172).  Harvard certainly can't keep up these high numbers... Not everyone can be a 3.9+/175+, and if they aren't letting steve and bewitched in, who are they going to let in???

[daylighthasbroken]

I am more shocked about the 3.93/173 and 4.0/172 deferrals than my own (3.8/172).  Harvard certainly can't keep up these high numbers... Not everyone can be a 3.9+/175+, and if they aren't letting steve and bewitched in, who are they going to let in???

dunno, but probably not me either

[melicertes]

By the way, any thoughts on how many additional LORs would be advisable?  I am fairly confident I can get about 3 compelling LORs from a variety of sources, but is this too much (or not enough)? 

[Steve.jd]

By the way, any thoughts on how many additional LORs would be advisable?  I am fairly confident I can get about 3 compelling LORs from a variety of sources, but is this too much (or not enough)? 

How many LORs do you have already?  I think H maxes out at 4...

Hey Melicertes... I received that letter yesterday and I'm trying to stay positive about it. What I got from the letter was basically, "we're waiting to see if anyone better turns up."My stats are similar (4.0/172) - so I guess maybe the applicant pool really is that strong this year?  I'll keep my fingers crossed for you!

I got the same letter today too 

That's insane.   *hugs*

Thanks Lily

I <3 you too

[chombi3]

i'm still in purgatory too...no call, no e-mail, no reject/hold letter...i think harvard's forgotten about me