"Senioritis" may infect a few select applicants to the Class of 2009 earlier than their peers, as Dartmouth's Office of Admissions once again sends out "likely letters" in February and early March.
The Admissions Office sends these letters to approximately 500 exceptional members of the regular-decision applicant pool that the office has decided to accept early in the process. The letters tacitly inform them of their acceptance well in advance of the official letter sent in early April on the common Ivy League mailing date.
"There is no question that when we mail our final decisions in April, you will be offered admission to the College," Furstenberg wrote in a past March letter.
The likely letters have been sent out for a number of years and serve a variety of purposes to benefit both the College and the applicants, Dean of Admissions Karl Furstenberg said.
"These letters go to truly outstanding applicants who emerge early in the process as clear admits," Furstenberg said, but students not receiving likely letters are not necessarily less likely to be admitted.
According to Furstenberg, informing students of their acceptance early allows them more time to learn about Dartmouth and helps push the College to the front of the minds of the particularly talented applicants that receive the letters.
"I want to let really outstanding candidates know that we think they are likely for admission so they can begin to look very closely at Dartmouth," Furstenberg said.
Letting applicants know about their acceptances early also serves to help relieve some of the stress and anxiety that goes hand-in-hand with the college admissions process.
"I hope this early indication will 'ease your mind' a bit. The college admissions process is unnecessarily long and anxious for many students," Furstenberg wrote in a past likely letter. "So, relax, get back to that book you meant to read, and use this time to reflect on your plans and goals for the next phase of your education."
Applicants that received letters in past years were pleased and relieved by the gesture.
"A weight was lifted. All the pressure from college applications and decisions was partially lifted in the beginning of February," said David Rothenberg '08.
The letters will go out in three waves -- early February, mid-February and early March -- as the applications are processed and read. While likely letters are not official acceptances, they essentially allow the College to notify students of their acceptances without jumping the gun on the common Ivy League date for mailing acceptance notices, a procedure replicated by other institutions.
"Other schools do likely letters in various forms," Furstenberg said.
To combat the competition, Dartmouth's admissions office is hoping that their note will be more persuasive and relieving than others.
