Decision Day 2010: Remember When You Got into Harvard?

Remember that transcendent moment when you opened that e-mail titled “Your application to Harvard College”? The sensation you felt after reading the first sentence? And then having to read it again?

Today the class of 2014 received the joyous news about their triumph against all odds, joining a group of 2,110 prospective students who were admitted at a historically low acceptance rate of 6.9 percent.

Here are some admissions stories from students who remember that sepia-toned day.

Adam M. Butensky '13 was in Israel with his classmates when he got a fateful phone call. “I actually thought it was a prank," he said. "So I told this admissions officer to "stop [expletive] with me.” The admissions officer, who was undoubtedly prepared for such naughty language, politely assured Butensky that he was indeed not being [expletive] with." Butensky told us that he "was just amazed that they somehow got my Israeli phone number," since he was using an international phone. "But yeah," he said, "that's how I found out I was admitted."

Lavinia R. Mitroi '12 had a slightly more PG story. “When I saw the e-mail I sort of gasped,” she said. “I then called my parents, who then proceeded to tell the waiter at whatever place they were eating at that I had gotten in.”

Arturo Cuevas '12 defeated all of mathematics with his Harvard admission. “I was at calculus tutoring after school,” he said. “My mom (who doesn't speak English very well) had access to my college e-mail and called me to ask what that e-mail meant.” After Cuevas realized just what the e-mail meant, he came to an even more powerful realization. As his teacher continued to solve integrals on the board, Cuevas decided that as a Harvard admit, he should be the one doing the tutoring, not getting tutored. So he got up and left. "I didn't go to tutoring for the rest of the semester," he said.

Anthony A. Pino '10 had a story that was full of mystery, action, and intrigue. “I waited all day for the e-mail from Admissions as my friends all heard back,” he said. “Finally, that night, I found it buried in the spam folder.”

For one anonymous Harvardian, getting into Harvard was something of a curse. “As a Boston-area native from a Harvard-favored public school, not only was I not ecstatic about my admission, I was actually depressed that I hadn't gotten into other schools that would finally allow me to leave Boston.” But all was not lost: “The cast member next to me said he received an acceptance e-mail, but then claimed five days later that the email had been sent by accident and gave me all the Harvard paraphernalia that he'd bought. I still wear his tainted clothing.”

What were you doing when you found out you got into Harvard? Did you feel euphoric? Bewildered? Nauseous? Share your experience below.

Photo by Michelle L. Quach, Crimson Staff Writer.