Barely more than 3% of applicants get into Harvard. As of the 2022 application cycle, the most recent one we have statistics for, of over 61,000 applicants less than 2,000 were admitted. It is excruciatingly hard to get into Harvard, but hundreds of applicants — or more — don’t receive an acceptance or a rejection. Instead, they’re stuck in the middle. They’re waitlisted.
If you are one of these special few, first you need to know that you aren’t alone. You’re among a very special few people who are completely qualified to attend Harvard, and who the members of the Harvard admissions committee like…but who they don’t want to say yes to, yet. Once you’ve processed that you’re in a rarified albeit uncomfortable and not-ideal crowd, you need to phone for help. Being on the waitlist for an Ivy League school is hard. Getting off of the list is even harder, and it’s best handled with a team. We work with students to get them into a dream school, whether that’s getting off of a waitlist or lining up an A+ backup option.
Some years, Harvard accepts zero people off of their waitlist. They say that in other years they’ve accepted hundreds, but we think that is pretty misleading. Most years, only a few people are chosen from the hundreds asking to be reconsidered for a spot. For the class of 2026, it was a mere 36.
This is to say that if you want to be one of those few, you need to give the admissions committee a good reason to reconsider you. This is why there’s no such thing as coasting after pressing submit on your applications if you want to go to a top college. You need to keep your grades up. You need to continue growing as a leader and community member. You need to strive for accomplishments, positions, and awards if you want to attend one of the most competitive schools in the United States.
We recommend that waitlisted students write a Letter of Continued Interest, either submitted through the student application portal or via email as advised by the university, updating them of any genuinely new and relevant additions to your application. This can include awards, leadership roles, or significant academic achievements, and we recommend the format below:
Introduction
The letter needs to be fairly formal. This isn’t an email to a friend, so you should start the letter with a formal opening and a re-introduction of who you are as an applicant in 2-4 sentences. If all they were to read from this letter was this paragraph, what would you want the reader to know? Put that here.
Updates
After the introduction, you need to write your updates in a way that is succinct, direct, and clear. Don’t use bullet points, but write in a way that is similarly efficient. Include important details, like the full official name of any prizes or organizations you reference such that the reader could look them up for themselves.
Re-Affirmation of Specific Interest
Before closing out your letter, you need to reiterate that Harvard is your first choice and what you’d see as your academic and community trajectory at Harvard. What will you study and what will you become involved in? How will you contribute to the community? This isn’t just about you getting into Harvard, it’s also about them getting you as part of their community — what would that look like?
Conclusion
Finally, you need to sign off. Do so formally (Sincerely, for example), and respectfully. Don’t be pushy, don’t try to be clever, and definitely don’t try to be funny. Humor rarely translates over email, so focus on being respectful, direct, and clear.
Once you’ve submitted your letter of continued interest, don’t hold your breath. It is very unlikely that you will be admitted into Harvard off of the waitlist. There is a chance, but not a big one. To hedge your bets, you need to line up a backup school option that you’ll be genuinely happy with. You should also consider working with us. We specialize in helping students who are waitlisted to get into a dream school.
If you’ve been waitlisted and are not sure what to do next, send us an email. We guide students towards an outstanding future.