<p>
[quote]
well, if our economy is as bad as all these politicians say it is, then why are so many people applying to Harvard when money is so tight?
[/quote]
</p>
<p>Simple, bcos Harvard has the absolute BEST need-based finaid; other schools aren't even close (excluding merit aid).</p>
<p>This shouldn't have been a surprise
i was among 17,000 other applicants who applied to NYU this year in the 6 days before the jan 1 deadline.</p>
<p>OK OK OK OK OK OK OK OK OK OK OK OK OK OK OK OK OK OK OK OK OK OK OK OK OK OK OK OK OK OK OK OK OK OK OK OK OK OK OK OK OK OK OK OK OK OK OK OK OK OK OK OK OK OK OK OK OK OK OK OK OK OK OK OK OK OK OK OK OK OK OK OK OK OK OK OK OK OK OK OK OK OK OK OK OK OK OK OK OK OK OK OK Enough of Harvard apps. I will tell you why Harvard has these record number of applications.</p>
<p>Harvard sent out many emails to MANY MANY people across the world. Not only did they talk about their financial aid, they also spoke about this and that and this and that and that an that and this and that and this is why THAT ONE should apply here. It is about the money now, and a calculated 6% - 7% acceptance rate. </p>
<p>It is totally not about the financial aid package. Yale has the best financial aid package too. $60,000 wages + $100,000 in assets = nothing out of your pocket. If this is so, why didn't Yale go up to 29000 or 30000 applications? It is because Harvard did that little marketing trick and sent out emails to many people. </p>
<p>Totally not what a school should do. Guess Harvard wants to start something new.</p>
<p>Why shouldn't schools market themselves...? Almost every school puts enormous resources in selling their brand to potential applicants. Your suggestion that Harvard is the only school that "sent out emails to many people" and that "Harvard wants to start something new" is pretty delusional and laughable.</p>
<p>Wait till next year, with its growth rate, Yale could pass Harvard in number of applicants, . Stanford has over 30,000 this year.</p>
<p>^^thats only b/c yale has EA and since HP have eliminated early, yale essentially has a monopoly on the HYP early market</p>
<p>long live penn and its declining ED applcants</p>
<p>wow this sucks. Im not gonna get in for sure. Is it too late to call and ask for a refund?</p>
<p>Just look at any world universities ranking! Which uni do you see on top? You ain't even gotta answer!</p>
<p>People have to look at the increased population of the US, the increased number of people finishing HS and going on to college over say 50 years ago, and realize that the number of slots at HYP etc. has not substantially increased. </p>
<p>Then you realize that the next 20 schools "below" the Ivies have to have brilliant, high-achieving students as well, and may be a bargain financially.</p>
<p>I realize there's something about the name recognition of Harvard, Yale, Princeton, MIT, & the west coast biggies of Stanford and Caltech, but they are not the only great schools out there.</p>
<p>When I applied to college (back in 1991), Chicago and Michigan accepted 50% and 60% of their applicants respectively. Now, they accept 30% and 40% respectively. Cal, Columbia, Cornell, Duke, Northwestern and Penn all iused to accept 35%-40% of their applicants. Today, they all accept 10%-25% of their applicants. Elite colleges do not grow nearly as fast as the demand for them.</p>
<p>Blue -
not sure what you mean about lying, but Bowdoin and Midd, despite being "test optional", require all accepted students to submit scores before enrolling - their averages include all the scores of all the students.</p>
<p>I agree kcmdonahue and their sports aren't so hot as well.</p>
<p>Harvard's increase in applications was actually the second smallest, compared to schools across the Ivy League:</p>
<p>Dartmouth is reporting a 7.5-percent increase
Yale is reporting a 13.5 increase but in early applications, according to the school newspaper.
Harvard received 5.6 percent more applications,
Princeton 2.3 percent, according to a Jan. 22 article in Bloomberg News.</p>
<p>The real news is Brown, with a 21% increase in applications, putting it at over 25,000 which is where Harvard was a couple of years ago.</p>
<p>
[quote]
Dartmouth is reporting a 7.5-percent increase
[/quote]
</p>
<p>Dartmouth's final number is 9% increase:
Dartmouth</a> News - Dartmouth reports 9 percent increase in admissions applications - 01/23/09</p>
<p>it had to be in our year, guys, huh? somehow feel like we are the last of an era... beginning of what?</p>
<p>Over 10,000 applications for the Class of 2013, the highest number for any traditional LAC:
Roth</a> on Wesleyan Blog Archive Winter’s Spring Attractions</p>
<p>Has Wesleyan gone no loan? I don't understand the appeal. How did they manage to get so many students to apply? Even the other 2 of the Little Three can't manage to get pass 8k, and their rank are about 15 higher than Wesleyan.</p>
<p>that's the question everyone is trying to answer. my own calculus is that once you narrow your college search to "medium-sized LACs", you're pretty much relegated to Williams, Wesleyan, Middlebury, Colgate, Vassar and Oberlin. Williams and Middlebury tend to split the skiing population between them, which leaves Wesleyan as the only medium-sized NESCAC school (unless you count Tufts) with decent weather.</p>
<p>I think Wesleyan seems like a more attainable Need blind institution than its little three compatriots. A 25% chance of getting your need met looks a lot better than -15%, with or without some loans. Combine that with its location, recent media exposure, and a long tradition of prestige among those in the know, and you get a pretty potent combination. US News is certainly not the be all and end all of the college search and I think we can agree that Wesleyan's larger size puts it at a disadvantage with other schools of the same caliber. The 15 ranking may not be truly indicative of its position given the zero sum nature of the rankings.</p>
<p>I think last year will turn out to have been the hardest year overall. Harvard and the few with phenomenal aid won't be effected, but I think a lot of the top private schools will be impacted by the economy. Kids who can still afford them will get in who wouldn't have gotten in last year. I'm betting on a lot of wait list movement through the summer.</p>