"Getting into college has always been a numbers game. This year the math is trickier.
With early admissions largely decided, high school seniors face a grim reality: The Covid pandemic is making it harder to get into college at the nation’s most elite schools.
For example, Harvard University’s early action acceptance rate sank to 7.4% from 13.9%, while the number of total applicants hit a record high.
In fact, Harvard notched a 57% increase in applications from last year, making it the most competitive early admissions season in the school’s history.
On top of that, roughly 350 students originally in the Class of 2024 deferred enrollment to the Class of 2025." …