Waitlist letters from Princeton

Dear XXXXX,

I am writing to let you know that we have placed your name on the wait list for Princeton's Class of 2014.

We received a record pool of over 26 000 applications this year. Most of the candidates had excellent credentials, and we could have filled five or six Princeton classes with the thousands of remarkably qualified applicants.

Your credentials are so impressive, however, that we hope there may still be an opportunity to offer you admission. We will begin evaluating the size of the class after the first of May. If we have spaces at that point, we will begin admitting students from the wait list. Over the past five years, the numbers of students we have admitted in May and June have varied from 0 to 48. We hope very much to be able to use the wait list this year. We have included a Statement to Wait Listed Candidates with answers to some questions that you and your parents may have about this process.

Please return the enclosed card by May 1 to let us know whether you would like to remain on the wait list. We know from reading your application that you will be a sucess wherever you go. Thank you for your interest in Princeton and for giving us the opportunity to consider your application.

Sincerely,

YYYYYY
Dean of Admission

***

Statement to Wait Listed Candidates

Princeton has a wait list to ensure that we enroll an anticipated class of 1300 students. We will not know how many students have accepted our offers of admission until after May 1, the Candidate's Reply Date. If we have available spaces after that point, we will admit some students from the wait list. Over the past five years, we have accepted 0, 0, 47, 148, and 60 students, respectively, from the wait list. Here are a few answers to questions you may have about the provess:

• The wait list is not ranked. Each students who has been wait listed will be considered individually based on availability of places in the class.
• After May 1, the size of the wait list will be in the range of several hundred and will change over the next few months as students make other plans. We do not anticipate adding to the wait list.
• We will have financial aid available to meet the full need of any candidate we admit from the wait list.
• You do not need to send us any additional information unless it is "late-breaking news.'
• We do not grant interviews to wait listed candidates either on campus or with alumni. Please do not plan a trip to campus during this time.
• It is not necessary to ask for more letters of recommendation. We have everything we need in your file.
• If you are admitted, we will try to phone you first and then follow with a letter.
• In the past, we have admitted students during the months of May and June and not on one specific date. We intend to follow the same practice if we need the wait list this year.
• We recommend that you make a commitment to another school by May 1. We cannot guarantee that we will have any spaces in the class.
• If you want to remain on our wait list, please fill out the enclosed card and return it to us by May 1.
• We will complete all wait list offers by June 30, 2010.

Thank you for your interest in Princeton.

YYYYYY
Dean of Admission

What a rejection letter from NUS Scholarship looks like

Office of Admissions

Dear XXXXX,

NATIONAL UNIVERSITY OF SINGAPORE UNDERGRADUATE SCHOLARSHIPS AY2010/11

Thank you for applying to the NUS undergraduate scholarships. Each year, we receive applications from highly talented applications, making the selection process extremely difficult for the selection committee. Due to this very keen competition, we regret to inform you that we are not able to offer any scholarships to you. Our decision is not in anyway a statement on your achievements.

After your interview with us, you have been considered to be awarded one of our NUS scholarships. However, the demand for scholarships in AY2010/11 is very high and thus, highly competitive. Please be assured that we have considered your application carefully and thoroughly. In our evaluation, while you are clearly highly talented, we are not able to offer you any scholarships as some candidates have demonstrated exceptional talent. Nonetheless, with continuing efforts, we trust that you can do well in university as well.

Though you may not have been able to secure our scholarships, we will certainly look forward to admitting you to NUS.

We with you all the best in future endeavors.

With best wishes,

YYYYYYY
Director
Office of Admissions
National University of Singapore

***

To apply for the NUS Scholarship, you go to this page and find the link. Be careful which scholarship you apply for, since some are specific to Singaporeans OR foreigners. There's a form you need to fill up, and a section for one referee to fill in also. You need to mail in scanned copies of your testimonials and what nots. Everything you mail in must be under 5MB in size, which was very annoying since my files were big.

NUS Science Faculty Open House.

"NUS Faculty of Science would like to invite you to join us for our Science Open House 2009 on Sat, 23 May 2009. This is a great opportunity for you to find out more about our holistic Science education at our talks. You will also be able to talk to our professors and alumni about the NUS Science education all in one location!

Our Open House event will commence at 9.30am, at the foyer outside Lim Seng Tjoe Lecture Theatre (LT27). Come down and learn about the diverse and exciting programmes the Faculty of Science has to offer at our Science talks.

You may also wish to refer to our Open House website for more information as well as the programme schedule (click under Continue tab and scroll down to the middle): http://www.science.nus.edu.sg/openhouse/"

For those who have yet to RSVP to us for this event, please confirm your attendance at this URL: https://neon.science.nus.edu.sg/intranet/public/openhouse/

Do go if you want to know more about NUS Science Faculty! (Dont worry it's not just for prospective students it's for everyone)

What a Harvard rejection letter looks like.

Dear XXXX,

I am very sorry to inform you that it is not possible to offer you admission to the Class of 2013. I wish I were writing to report a different decision, but the competition was so rigorous this year that there were many outstanding young men and women to whom we could not offer places in the class.

Over twenty-nine thousand students, a record number, applied to the entering class. The great majority of the applicants could certainly have been successful here academically, and most candidates presented strong personal and extracurricular credentials as well. The Committee was, therefore, faced with the necessity of choosing a class from a great many more talented and highly qualified students than it had room to admit.

We wish it were possible for us to admit more of our fine applicants, and we understand how difficult the college application process can be for students and their families. While the Committee conducted its deliberations with the utmost care, we know that no one can predict with certainty what an individual will accomplish during college or beyond. Past experience suggests that the particular college a student attends is far less important than what the student does to develop his or her strengths and talents over the next four years.

We very much appreciate the interest you have shown in Harvard College. We hope that you will accept the best wishes of the Committee for success in all your future endeavors.

Sincerely,

William R. Fitzsimmons
Dean of Admissions and Financial Aid

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LOL I guess I wasnt good enough, but I think someone from my batch got into Harvard! You can ask her how her application was like. This decision didnt have any bearing on me anyway because I enrolled into Stanford last week! (I decided that even if I got into Harvard I wasnt going to go there anyway) Yup so dont feel bad for me cos I am not sad at all!

What a UC-Berkeley rejection letter looks like.

Dear XXX,

Thank you for applying to UC Berkeley. After careful consideration, I am sorry to inform you that UC Berkeley is unable to offer you admission for the fall semester 2009.

The Admissions decisions were very difficult this year, as competition for fall admission was exceptionally rigorous. Berkeley was able to admit less than a quarter of the 48,000-plus applicants, all of whom were very well qualified. I regret that many very talented and promising students will not be included in the freshman class as a result of this high level of selectivity. I have prepared the answers to some frequently asked questions which provide additional information about the selection process and, I hope, address your concerns.

Given your academic qualifications, I know that you will receive other attractive college offers. I wish you every success in achieving your educational goals.

Sincerely,

Walter A. Robinson
Assistant Vice Chancellor and Director, Office of Undergraduate Admissions

Another one of those wonderful letters that Stanford sends!

Dear Ying Zhen,

Congratulations! As your regional admission officer, I had the privilege of reading your application, and I would like to offer you my personal congratulations on your admission to Stanford. The admission process at Stanford has historically been extremely competitive and this year has been no exception. Our offer of admission is a reflection of your academic, personal and intellectual accomplishments to date and of the potential you demonstrate to contribute to the Stanford community. I am pleased that you chose to apply as an early applicant, making you a part of a special group of students who have put Stanford at the very top of their list.

Since opening its doors in 1891, Stanford has been characterized by the entrepreneurial spirit of the West. This is a community of people who endeavor to push the limits of knowledge and who share a commitment to extending a spirit of exploration and excellence beyond campus. Jane and Leland Stanford’s founding vision of bringing a talented and diverse group of scholars from all over the world is alive today in our students and faculty.

I invite you to experience this community during Admit Weekend 2009, which will take place April 23-25. Only by visiting can you truly get a sense of this vibrant campus, and we hope you’ll take this opportunity to meet current and admitted students, attend lectures from Stanford faculty, discover research opportunities, sleep in a residence hall, dance with the Marching Band’s tree, attend a concert and begin your own Stanford adventure. There are hundreds of reasons to attend Stanford and 101 “must do’s” before you graduate. Visit http://admission.stanford.edu/cool to see the list and get started checking things off at Admit Weekend.

If I can answer any questions you or your family may have about Stanford over the coming months, please do not hesitate to contact me at XXXXXXX or XXXXXXX@stanford.edu.

Ying Zhen, I look forward to the unique and extraordinary contributions you will make on our campus. Once again, I offer my congratulations on your admission to Stanford and welcome you to the Stanford family!

P.S. The leadership you have demonstrated so far is nothing short of outstanding. Taking the initiative to help found the students council and lead numerous student activities is a true testament to your leadership skills. No doubt you have honed those while writing your book!!! I loved your essays on spiders, and I have to admit, I chuckled aloud when reading about your pet locust, Ian. Your outgoing and wonderful personality literally leaps off the page, and Stanford will be so lucky to have you on campus. Please don’t hesitate to be in touch.

What a Stanford acceptance letter looks like.

If all goes well, I will be wearing Cardinal red next fall.

Dear Ying Zhen,



On behalf of the Office of Undergraduate Admission, it gives me very special pleasure to offer you admission to Stanford University’s Class of 2013. Our sincerest congratulations to you!



You have every reason to be proud of your accomplishments, and we are honored to invite you to join the Stanford community. Since our founding in 1891, Stanford has been defined by students and faculty who endeavor to push the limits of knowledge and who share a commitment to extending that spirit of exploration and excellence beyond campus. This is a community of scholars dedicated to what Jane Stanford, co-founder of Stanford University with her husband, Leland, called “the cultivation and enlargement of the mind.” Your application showed that you have the intellectual energy, imagination and talent to flourish in this environment.



The exciting next step is now yours. I hope you will use the next several months to learn even more about us. We invite you to attend Admit Weekend 2009, April 23-25, our visit program designed to introduce you to Stanford’s intellectual vibrancy and dynamic campus life. You also are invited to explore a preliminary version of our admitted student website, http://admit.stanford.edu, created in conjunction with Stanford students just for you. Also, feel free to email us with any questions at a special email address specifically for admitted students: admit@stanford.edu.



Should you decide to matriculate at Stanford — and we sincerely hope you do — please understand that, as an international student, you will not be eligible for need-based financial aid for the entire four years of your undergraduate study unless you already indicated you were applying for financial aid on your application for admission. If you applied for financial aid, you will be provided with a financial aid package as soon as your financial aid documents have been submitted and reviewed by our Financial Aid Office. Therefore we ask that you give serious thought to the adequacy of your financial resources for the next four years as you make your decision. Whatever college decision you ultimately make, we ask that you respond online - following the instructions enclosed in your admission packet - by midnight (Pacific Time) on May 1, 2009.



Please note that while we have every reason to believe that you will complete this school year successfully, your admission is contingent upon your continued strong academic performance in the program of courses you presented to us in your application.



Ying Zhen, we look forward to the unique and extraordinary contributions that you will make to our campus life. We once again extend our congratulations on your admission to Stanford and look forward to welcoming you to the Stanford family!



With best wishes,

Richard H. Shaw
Dean of Admission and Financial Aid